Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Last year, the Sweet Home track team was more green than gold as they started the season. This year the Huskies have an even bigger question mark hanging over them as they ready for their first meet of the season, at Marist on March 16.
“If I were to put it in a nutshell, I didn’t think we could be this young, but we’re younger than last year,” said head coach Billy Snow, who is assisted by Aaron Cloud, Jim Chroninger, Tony Ward and Randy Whitfield. “We’re more inexperienced. We’ll just have to see what people can do.”
That doesn’t mean the Huskies are short of people; it just means they’re short of proven athletes. Gone are Krystle Streight, the school record holder in the girls shot, and who led the Huskies last year in the discus, and Ravi Patel in the boys long jump and triple jump. Both competed in those events at the state meet before graduating.
Girls Track
Back this year for the girls is senior Hannah Swanson who, Snow said, is “by far the fastest on the team among the girls.
“The problem is, we don’t have enough of her,” he said, noting that he was being facetious. “If we could clone her, it’d be great.”
Swanson, who finished seventh in the 100 hurdles at the past two state meets, will compete in the hurdles and some sprints this year.
Also back this year is Hannah McClaskey, who Snow hopes will follow in the footsteps of Streight, who broke the school record last year in the shot with a throw of 40 feet, nine inches. The discus looks to be McClaskey’s stronger event, Snow said, though she placed seventh in the district in the shot and javelin last year as a junior.
“Hopefully, Hannah can step it up a little bit and move into that next eschelon in the throws,” he said. “She’s a hard worker. She’s really into it.”
Overall, the Huskies are looking thinner in the weight events than they are used to.
“We’re not as deep in the throws as we’ve been for a lot of years,” he said.
In the sprints, the Huskies are heavy in juniors and sophomores, many inexperienced.
Senior Cherie Presley is out for track after swimming over the winter and Snow said she has talent.
“We have to figure out where she belongs,” he said.
Amanda Basham, who was injured last year as a freshman, is expected to contribute in the 400 and mile relay, and possibly, the shorter sprints, Snow said. Also back are sophomores Ashley Danielson, who expects to run the 400 and 800, and Sarah Rosa, who will run the short sprints.
The Huskies graduated two “good” jumpers in Alisha Basham and Nicki Emmert last year, and the cupboard looks a little bare right now, Snow said.
“We don’t have anybody in the hopper to replace them,” he said. “We’re going to be thin in the jumps and sprints for a while, anyway. We’ll also be thin in the girls javelin, which is a new one for us.”
The pole vault, too, is a question mark at this point.
In the distances, the Huskies hope to depend on Kambria Schumacher, a senior, and her sister Cassandra, a junior, both of whom ran in the state cross-country championships last fall.
“I see Cassandra as a 1500 and 3000 person,” Snow said. “Kambria can run anything from the 400 up, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
Basically what the Huskies need is more bodies and some surprises.
“We could use another 10 or 12 girls,” he said. “But they’re working hard.”
There is no question that Cascade can be expected to be the dominant team in the league.
“Cascade is not only the best team in the league, they were the number one-ranked dual meet team in the state last year and virtually everybody is back,” Snow said.
The girls track roster, as of Monday, included: Mary Bond, Ashley Danielson, Julia Henthorne, Alyssa Logan, Cassandra Schumacher, Kambria Schumacher, Jessica Trautwein, Jordanne Greene, Sabra Perry, Erika Snow, Brittany Trahan, Hitomi Yoshimura, Amanda Basham, Samantha Driver, Cherie Presley, Sarah Rosa, Hannah Swanson, Karen Swift, Ashley Bertucci, McKenna Burnett, Felicia Daggett, Megan Hershberger, Elicia Jackson, Hannah McClaskey, Whitney Stoner, Kerrie Streight, Tee Whaley and Dani Birky, who is serving as team manager.