First-year LHS track coaches like what they see with new team

Apr. 18—Logansport's new track coaches have been happy with their squad's effort to start the season.

The Berries posted impressive wins over Winamac on Tuesday at Logansport Memorial Hospital Stadium. The Logan boys won 87-45 and the girls won 72.5-59.5.

Peyton Zimmerman won the 300-meter hurdles (46.27 seconds) for the Berries. Xenik Miller won the 100 dash (:12.20) and Landon Morock won the 200 dash (:24.63). Alexander Osorio-Montero was first in the 800 run (2:14.47). Tate Strong ran to a win in the 1,600 run (4:54.64) and Samuel Sebastian placed first in the 3,200 run (11:06.55). Jackson Wicker was tops in the pole vault (9-6). Nickenson Hyppolite won the high jump (5-6) and Brandon Diaz had the best long jump (17-10.75).

Marco Martinez-Salinas, Joshua Buenaventura, Eli Schurter and Jonathan Miranda teamed to win the 4x800 relay (9:25.12). Vasan Nomany, JaQuez Jackson-Guajardo, Hyppolite and Miller were first in the 4x100 relay (:47.79). Strong, Diaz, Arain Castro-Martinez and David Escobedo won the 4x400 relay (3:41.69).

The Warriors won four events. Kamden Long was first in the 110 hurdles (19:21), Ethan Burgess won the 400 dash (:55.06), Charlie Disinger won the shot put (46-0) and Max Keller won the discus (119-7).

Jacqueline Hernandez swept the 1,600 (6:18.42) and 3,200 (13:23.3) on the girls side for Logansport. Jada Paul swept the 100 dash (:13.96) and 200 dash (:29.23) Ashanta Curry won the 100 hurdles (18.72) and Addie Porter won the 300 hurdles (54.22). The 4x100 relay team of Porter, Paul, Brianna Chery and Yaretzi Perez won with a time of 53.51 seconds.

Maggie Smith showed why she is set to run at the Division I level, as the Southern Indiana recruit won the 800 run with a time of 2:23.81, which broke Winamac's school record in the event.

Also for the Warriors, Avery Wegner won the 400 (1:06.26), Ally Campbell was tops in the pole vault (6-9), Marissa Iverson won the high jump (5-0), Bianca Huizar won the long jump (14-1), Emily Weaver won the shot put (31-5.5) and Ashlynn Jennings won the discus (91-10). The Warriors also took wins in the 4x400 relay and 4x800 relay.

Logansport has two new coaches this year to replace Randy Kuhn, who retired after last season after coaching athletics 46 years at Logansport, 28 as the head track coach.

Chad Handschu is the new boys coach and Brian Morrill is the new girls coach.

"By title only are we boys and girls coaches," Handschu said. "I do sprints and long jump, he does distance, then we've got Kylie Schmaltz who does jumps and helps with distance, Mike Shannon who does hurdles, Mike Johnson who does pole vault and Randy Greiner who does throws."

Handschu, a 2005 LHS grad who now works in IT at Logansport Savings Bank, ran track in high school and has been an assistant coach for the LHS program the last 11 or 12 years.

"I ran for Kuhn. I actually did Hershey track with Kuhn at the age of like 6," he said. "So I've known Kuhn, so I've just kind of built up from there."

As for replacing the longtime head coach, Handschu said, "I don't think it can be done. With the first couple home meets there's things that we've realized that we've forgotten just trying to get through it. But we're trying to build the team culture here and just trying to get things back on track."

Morrill was the girls cross country coach at Logansport for years before retiring following the 2020 season. But after he retired from Cass County Title Company in 2022, Morrill, now 66, decided to return to coaching.

"Last year a distance position opened up for track," he said. "I'm retired now. I only got out of cross country because I was so busy at work. So I got out and I think Kailin Bauman is doing a fine job with the cross country program. But after I retired I missed it. I love being around kids and I think I still have a little bit to give. So when the opportunity opened up coach Kuhn invited me back into the track program and I jumped at it. And I'm having a ball. It couldn't be more fun."

Morrill said he enjoyed coaching alongside Kuhn last year.

"He's a legend. He was back working as a volunteer tonight," he said. "The kids really enjoyed spending time with him and we call Dena 'Mama Kuhn.' So that was great for them to be able to see them.

"We talked a little bit about that before the meet and said coach Kuhn is coming back tonight, he's going to be working, so leave him alone during the meet. But we want you to get up and thank him for what he did before the meet and after the meet. I think a lot of the kids did. So we're happy to have him back. I hope he'll come back and I hope he was proud of what we did tonight. He put in a lot of hours and a lot of time and effort into this program and just an amazing career. So it was good to have him back."

Morrill ran cross county and track at Logansport and graduated from LHS in 1976.

"I ran for coach [Fred] Kinder, graduated in '76, cross country and track," he said. "The people that came through Logansport High School when I came through were blessed with Hall of Fame coaches all over the place. I'll leave somebody out, I hope not, but you had coach [Jim] Turner for baseball, you had coach [Mark] Surface is in the Football Hall of Fame, you had coach [Don] Baldini, all those football coaches were amazing. I looked up to all of them. You had coach [Jim] Ridenour who was my freshman basketball coach but he also ended up being the track coach. Joe Weaver, an English lit teacher, but he was out here teaching kids how to be a hurdler. You had coach [Joe] Patacsil of course. It was just one right after another. I'm probably leaving somebody out, it was just amazing to me.

"That's why I love athletics. I was not going to be a football player because I wasn't big enough, I wasn't going to be a basketball player. But I found out I could run a little bit. But I ran when Tim Smith was the best distance runner ever here, so I had a lot of good influences."

Tuesday was an ideal night for track with cloudy skies and comfortable temperatures.

"Great night. We had some really good performances," Morrill said. "It's only our third meet and they're starting to really come on. A lot of personal bests. So we're really happy. The kids are working hard and they're such a great group."