Boys track and field: Who to watch for as 2024 season kicks into gear
MANSFIELD – Yes, eight would be great. Remarkable. Even historic.
Ryan Stackhouse’s Ashland Arrows, in search of an eighth straight Ohio Cardinal Conference title in boys track and field, wasted little time making a statement.
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They ran away from the field in the season-opening Madison Invitational, beating defending Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference champ Shelby by a 159-86 margin to successfully defend their title.
An omen of things to come? Maybe. An eighth straight OCC crown would break the league record, which the Arrows now share with Lexington. Ironically, it’s the Minutemen who might have the best odds of ending Ashland’s run this spring.
Lex opened the season in equally impressive fashion, easily winning the Grove-Keller Invitational at Colonel Crawford. Second-year coach Mike Moore returned to his old stomping grounds to lead the Minutemen past the rest of a 12-team field that included runner-up Ontario and three-time defending Firelands Conference champ Crestview, coming off a fifth place Division III finish at the state meet.
Those will be some of the top teams to watch all season. Breaking things down even further, here are some of the top individuals who should have a major impact. Not surprisingly, there are some Arrows and Minutemen on this list:
Joe Stupka, Clear Fork
Initially, it was feared that this triple state medalist would be lost for the season after suffering a severe shoulder injury during football season. But he wants to try and give it a go in relays. That would be a major boost for a young Clear Fork squad after Stupka finished second in the 400, fourth in the 100 and seventh in the 200 in the Division II state meet last spring.
Carter Newman, Lexington
Arguably the most versatile athlete you’ll find on an area oval this spring, Newman excels in the sprints, discus and long jump. He is the reigning OCC Track and Field Athlete of the Year and returns, along with Will Perkins and Latrell Hughes, to a 4x400 relay that set a school record and finished third in the DI state meet. Newman also qualified for the recent state indoor meet in four events.
Braydon Martin and Jayden Goings, Ashland
Listed as a tandem because they’ll give the Arrows the same one-two punch in the hurdles that they did last year. Martin and Goings finished 1-2, respectively, in both the 110s and 300s at the Madison Invite and should compete for those titles in the OCC meet since last year’s winners in both races have graduated.
Liam Kuhn, Crestview
Just a sophomore, he’s already one of the top pole vaulters in the state. He placed sixth at last year’s DIII state meet by clearing 14-2, finishing just one rung below teammate Shawn Bailey. He’s already allayed any concerns of how he might do with Bailey no longer around to push him by taking runner-up honors at the Grove-Keller Invite with a height of 13-6. It took a 15-foot by DII state medalist Ethan Lyon of River Valley to beat him. Kuhn is a great all-around athlete – starting quarterback in football and two-time district qualifier in wrestling – and his natural abilities obviously helps him in his spring specialty.
Marshall Moore, Shelby
You can always count on Shelby’s distance crew to be the catalyst for Shelby’s success while also setting the pace in the area. Moore is the returning MOAC champ in the 800 and part of the program’s record setting 4x800 relay. He swept the 800 and 1600 at the Madison Invite and teammate Luke Lesseuer won the 3200.
Layne Bushey, Plymouth
He had a great junior year, clearing 6-4 in the DIII high jump for third place at state. Bushey earned a second medal as a member of the fifth place 4 x 100 relay.
Riley Ramey, Plymouth
He was on that same state-medalist 4x100 relay with Bushy and placed sixth in the 200 at 22.48. He picked up this spring where he left off, winning the 100 and 200 in the Plymouth Invite.
Jacob Chambers, Galion
Just a sophomore, Chambers won the DII/III long jump at the state indoor meet with a leap of 22-3 25. He was also fifth in the 200 at 22.41. Some probably saw this coming after he made an impact as a freshman by running on the seventh place 4x100 relay at state.
Linkon Tyrrell, Galion
Unlike Chambers, Tyrrell is running out of time at Galion and making the most of it. The Tiger senior was fifth at the state indoor meet in the 60 hurdles (8.33) after sweeping the 110s and 300s at last year’s MOAC meet and qualifying for state in the highs.
Bodpegn Miller, Ontario
A Division I football recruit, Miller is also one of the best mid-distance runners around. He was having a promising sophomore season last spring before suffering a season-ending injury. If the record-setting success he had last fall carries over to this spring, look out. He quarterbacked the Warriors to a share of their first MOAC football championship and first conference title since winning the North Central Conference in 2004.
Chance Basilone, Lexington
If the Minutemen have any hopes of dethroning Ashland in the OCC, Basilone will probably have to play a big role. He qualified for the indoor state meet in three events after earning All-Ohio honors last fall in cross country.
Davis Hoeflich, Clear Fork
Hoeflich burst onto the scene last year as an eighth-grader – yes, eighth grader – when he cleared 6-6 in the high jump. It broke the middle school record in Ohio by three inches and was the No. 1 height in the country among middle school jumpers in 2023. He’s also an accomplished hurdler. and his twin brother, Marcus, a promising long-jumper.
Jacob Holbrook, Ashland
Like many area sprinters, Holbrook got lost in the shadows of Mansfield Senior’s Keontez Bradley last spring. But the Arrow junior may be ready for a breakout season after sweeping the 100 and 200 at the Madison Invite.
Logan Friges, Crestview
Many Cougar fans will remember Friges collapsing after literally leaving it all on the track for the threepeat champs in last year’s Firelands Conference meet. In a span of 20 minutes, he set a PR in winning the 800 and then stopped throwing up long enough to achieve another PR with his split in the 4x400 relay. Three weeks later he would help that relay crew win a state title.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Boys track and field: Who to watch for as 2024 season kicks into gear
