Park Hill track filled with multi-sport athletes

Park Hill’s boys track team has picked up where they finished last year and come back even stronger than before. The Trojans won their conference in 2010 before placing second in districts and advancing to sectionals. Their sixth place finish in sectionals sent several athletes to the state meet, but acted as somewhat of a glass ceiling for the team based on their expectations coming in. This year they hope to increase the amount of events they qualify for on the heels of some seniors who know a little about winning and have an even larger desire to go out in top form.

Senior Trace Norfleet lit opposing defenses up for the Trojans football team the last two seasons as a running back, but it was two years when he took home the state championship in the long-jump before being unable to defend his title last year due to injury. Senior Burt Taylor is also familiar with the gridiron along with the role he and his class played in a resurgence of the Park Hill basketball program. Quinton Noble was a leading figure on the Trojan soccer team as they went deep into the state playoffs the previous two years, runs not seen since the early 1990’s. These are just a few of the profiles you’ll find at Trojan track and field events this spring.

What may be considered success to the average athlete, has actually turned out heartbreaking at times when compared to the athletes’ own expectations. Both the football and soccer teams saw earlier than they would have like exits from this year’s playoff after teams they had beat in the regular season were able to come back around and best them when it counted most. You can only imagine what kind of motivation last year’s fifth place finish in sectionals for the 4x100 relay team now consisting of Taylor, Norfleet, Anthony Arens, and Noble, which left them short of qualifying for the state meet, has provided them with as they head into the consequential weeks of conference, districts, and sectional track meets ahead of them.

“I know they were a little disappointed in missing out on state last year,” assistant coach John Millholland said. “They’re a little more hungry this year and working a lot harder. I think we’re going to be able to break through.”

While there’s the emotional sources of motivation, participating in different sports throughout the year is something many track coaches see as a positive physically.

“Year-round training is key,” Millholland said. “They take it real seriously and that’s what it takes. It’s the same in football or basketball; you’ve got to have someone who’s willing to work.”

They’ll also be showing a threat in the 4x200 event as well when Dondrell Hardiman replaces Norfleet in the lineup. This was shown last week in the Park Hill Invitational when the 4x200 placed first with a time of 1:30, which was one of many finishes leading to a narrow first place finish for Park Hill as a team. A number of high placing events included Noble’s second place finishes in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, Joseph Walton and Nathan Koehler’s first and second place finishes in the 800 meter dash, Hardiman’s first place finish in the 300 hurdles, Luke Bossert’s first place finish in the pole vault, and Nick Shepherd’s third place finish in the high jump. Not to mention the presence of shot-putter Nick Smith, who was absent from last week’s invite, but already holds the school record in the event.

Not only are the Trojans showing speed in the short distance events, but sophomore Cain Winebrenner is dominating the 1600 meter run where he finished seven seconds ahead of his closest competition, along with contributing to the 4x800 relay team of Joseph Walton, Riley Farenholz, and Nathan Koehler. Although just a sophomore, Winebrenner hasn’t exactly snuck up on anyone this year after bursting onto the track scene last year.

“He knows he’s going to be a guy that is targeted to run real well. A kid with that much talent and the kind of work ethic he has; he knew he was going to be a front-runner,” assistant coach Jason Parr said. “I think if we put the pieces together, Cain has a chance to place in the top five at the state meet.”

Parr says Winebrenner is currently running the times he finished the season at last year and is hoping for even more improvement in the season’s final weeks and that his determination has a lot to do with his drive to improve.

“Cain knows when he needs to make moves,” Parr said. “There’ll be times where I tell him to back off a bit, but he says I’m going to go out there and win it.”

In the midst of hosting the invitational last week, head coach Mark Gourley voiced satisfaction with the brief moments he had to discuss his team, but indicating that there are faster teams out there right now, he knows his athletes’ best performances must be ahead of them in order to win it when it counts.