Dakotah Keys and Maria Kropf were named the most valuable players for the boys and girls track teams Thursday, May 28, at their awards potluck.
Coach Billy Snow reviewed the Huskies’ achievements of the season, which ended in the boys winning the Val-Co district and the 4A state championships, and the girls placing second in district and fourth in state.
“The boys and girls had a ton of success,” Snow said. “To bring two trophies home from state, that’s pretty cool.”
He said that the coaching staff was looking forward to the season with “a great group of guys coming back” who were even more mature than last year’s state championship-winning squad. “And we had some good kids coming in from the junior high school.”
The Huskies weren’t a secret to the rest of the state this year, but their state title didn’t come without hurdles. Sweet Home experienced injuries, starting at the beginning of the season. He cited jumper Chad Linville, middle-distance runner Jill Mahler and sprinter Alex Santana as examples.
“For all of you who put up with those injuries, to me that is what sports is about €“ getting through those rough spots,” he said.
He said another challenge was figuring out how to place athletes in the right positions to help the team win.
“Coaches would come up to me and say ‘Boy, you guys have a lock on this,'” and I’d say ‘No, we don’t.’ No one is going to give anything to you.”
Snow said he is looking forward to next year, when the district meet will be hosted by Sweet Home.
“And I think we’ll have a better team,” he said.
He said one thing he particularly enjoys about coaching is the relationships he has established with athletes. He said this year’s team has been particularly enjoyable in that area.
“Some people have asked ‘What did you do?’ They’re jealous of how the kids conducted themselves, how they looked like a group and the way the kids cheered each other along. I tell them we really didn’t do much special €“ we just treat others like we want to be treated and I have a great coaching staff that’s bought into that.
“Every one of you athletes has been part of winning this or that,” he said, pointing to the boys and girls trophy plaques.
“You’ve been part of building team relationships, part of making it fun. You wouldn’t have been one of the people who stuck if you weren’t having fun.”
In presenting the MVP awards, coaches Jim Kistner and Ramiro Santana said Keys and Kropf were the clear choices.
Kropf, a sophomore, won the 100, 100 hurdles and long jump at both district and state, setting school records in the 100 and long jump, and anchored the 4×100 girls relay team to a school record and state and district wins in that event.
“I’ve told Maria from the start that when you get to high school you have to step up to the next level,” Santana said. “You can be as good as anybody. She has come a long way.”
Keys, a junior, won the long jump state title for the second time in a row, in addition to the pole vault and 110 hurdles, and finished second in the javelin. Kistner noted that he also won the junior national championship in the decathlon last summer.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said. “The record speaks for itself.
“We’d be idiots not to give these awards out.”
Other awards presented were:
A special Inspirational Award to sophomore Alex Santana, who was injured for much of the season and injured his hamstring in the district boys 4×100 relay final. Snow and Kistner said that Santana not only got the boys relay into state by struggling across the finish line in third place but under the automatic qualifying time for the state meet, but also spent much of the season encouraging other athletes when he couldn’t run himself, attending every meet and serving as an assistant coach in many ways.
Hustle awards, for athletes who “get after it,” to freshman Devyn Makin and senior Rob Callagan.
Snow said that Callagan ran an outstanding leadoff leg in the state boys 4×400 final in the outside lane, an effort that propelled the Huskies to the state title in the event.
“To destroy the field from lane eight just does not happen,” he said.
Kistner said Makin started the season making great strides, especially in the long jump, then leveled off due to a back injury but never complained.
“This is somebody willing to work through pain,” he said.
Newcomer of the year awards to freshmen Nick Hall and Annie Whitfield.
Hall, who ran the second leg of the boys 4×400 state relay final and finished seventh in the 300 hurdles €“ the only freshman at state to run in the event €“ delivered under “a tremendous amount of pressure,” Kistner said. “It’s exciting to have him three more years.”
Whitfield, who finished seventh in state in the javelin and set a school record in the event early in the season, was introduced by her father, who teared up a bit during his comments.
“I have high hopes for her in the future, so stay tuned,” he said. “I’m pretty proud of her.”
Will to Win awards to four athletes €“ senior throwers Jenny Hamn and Marc Callagan, and sprinters/jumpers senior Sam Macklin and freshman Jessika Stewart.
Assistant throws coach Krystal Streight recounted how Hamn, who tried track and field for the first time this season, PR’d by more than a foot at the state meet shot put competition after having a tough time in the discus earlier in the day, striking up a friendship with the state’s leading thrower, Laura Bobek of Astoria, along the way.
“She’s out there every day wanting to be better,” Streight said.
Whitfield Callagan has been a leader to younger throwers by his example.
“Whatever he puts his mind to, he’ll do,” Whitfield predicted.
Kistner called Macklin “a special young man who has just given everything to this track team day after day after day. There’s nobody here that could deny that.”
Assistant coach Lela Danforth introduced Stewart, noting that the freshman battled injuries throughout, most recently shin splints in both legs. Stewart competed in the long jump, 200 and 4×100 in districts and state, all in pain, she said.
Coach’s awards, presented to athletes showing hard work, dedication and perseverance, to juniors Jake Comstock and Jessica Snow.
Kistner said Comstock “grew tremendously to become one of the best 110 hurdlers in the state,” finishing third overall in the prelims and fifth in the final, behind Keys.
“We’ll be looking for great things next year from him,” Kistner said.
Ramiro Santana said he has enjoyed coaching Snow in track and soccer and noted how she set several PR’s in the 400 this year.
“I can’t wait for next year,” he said, adding that Snow’s goal is to get down to a minute in the event. “I know she’ll get 60.”
Jumper of the Year to freshman Kaitlin Keenon and Keys.
Pole vault coach Keegan Burnett noted that Keenon set a new school record in the pole vault this year at 8-6 and said Keenon is a “great person” who “listens” to coaching.
Billy Snow pointed out that Keys moved to the long jump in the state meet immediately after being edged down to second place in the final round of the javelin throw. The jumping was not going well when Keys entered and he adjusted his marker after taking a run-through.
“He jumped 23-8½. That would have won any division,” Snow said.
Sprinter of the Year to the girls 4×100 team of Jessica Snow, Makin, Stewart and Kropf and the boys 4×400 relay team of Rob Callagan, Nick Hall, Sam Macklin, Tim McDowell and Sean Potter.
Kistner called the four girls “strong, strong sprinters” who won “because of the work they did together as a group.”
Billy Snow said the 4×400 team did something unprecedented in his coaching career.
“Running from the front, in lane eight in the state meet, I’ve never seen that before in 24 years in high school coaching,” he said. “You don’t win from lane eight.”
He noted that Callagan was the only one of the four who ran on last year’s relay team, which placed fourth in state. He also said that Potter is included in the award because he “got us there, through the tough prelims.”
Thrower of the Year to Hamn and Marc Callagan.
In presenting the girls award to Hamn, Streight, the school record-holder in the shot at 40-9, said, “If Jennie had started last year, I wouldn’t have a record. Maybe in some summer meet she can take it from me.”
Streight also presented the boys award, saying that she remembered coaching Callagan in eighth grade and how he got a PR in a junior high meet.
“The next day at practice I’m watching the throwers and out of the corner of my eye I see this little guy who ran up screaming ‘I got a PR!’ That was Marc.
“I can’t wait to see what he does in college because I’ll be there,” added Streight, who plans to attend Lane Community College and compete there, as do the Callagan brothers.
Distance Runners of the Year to Rob Callagan and sophomore Carissa Swanson.
Snow described Callagan, who finished second in the 800 at state as well as giving the Huskies a big lead in the 4×400 with an opening-leg split of 50.7 seconds as “one of those guys who knows it takes practice to get to where you want to go.
He said Swanson had an “outstanding season” and “was a force not only in league but at state.”
He said he expects her to continue to be a factor in distance events “now that she knows she can run with these girls.”
Fourth-year letter winners were Rob and Marc Callagan.
Third-year letters went to Byron Sanders, Jill Mahler, Sam Macklin, Jessica Snow, Natasha Perry and Dakotah Keys.
Second-year letter winners were Sami Webb, Carissa Swanson, Olivia Johnson, Katelyn Anderson, Jake Comstock, Alex Santana, Maria Kropf, Josie David, James Myers, Nikki Smith and Tim McDowell.
First-year letters went to Chris Thompson, Joe Stroud, Blake Roberts, Casey Keys, Sean Potter, Nick Hall, Chad Linville, John Connelly, Dustin Collman, Alex Coakley, Brianna Wirth, Annie Whitfield, Reanna Thompson, Haley Voldbaek, Brandi Trewin, Jessika Stewart, Kishya Davis, Laura Mauer, Jenny Hamn, Kaitlin Keenon, Caroline Amendola, Mandy Binks and Dawnita Justham.
Snow said that this year marked an all-time record for first-year letter winners.
Junior varsity certificates were presented to Brandon McHenry, Christina Ulmer, Jenna Kistner, Kelika Kaniaupio, Chancy Fuesler, Chelsea Baker, Lorenzo Virgen, Jerohn Coleman, John Trahan, Dakota Snow, David Rinehart, Michael Riggle, Donaven Rockstead, John Markert, Eric Garcia, Josh Liskey, Mitchell Garcia, Alex Armstrong, Clint Doles, Stacey Fisher, Zach McClure, Alex Howard, Austin Dishaw, Chris Carpenter and Brett Adams.