For the last four years, one thing has remained constant at Academy: the Boys’ Varsity Track team has won the Class B Sectional Championship. It hasn’t always been easy; three of those years have been real nail biters. One of Coach Poole’s favorite stories is of the 2011 Championship; the officials presented the first place plaque to Mayfield, only to find out they had miscalculated, giving Coach Poole the awkward job of reclaiming the plaque from the arms of the Mayfield coach. Last year, we squeaked out a win over Fonda by a mere three points. Last year’s seniors had never lost a title. But all good things must come to a close. The team was dealt a devastating blow by graduation, losing Conner Hartigan and Jelani Currie, who combined for 50 of our 105 points last year. In addition to that, Section 2 bumped us up a class, from B to BB, where the competition is far stiffer, especially in what is essentially a rebuilding year. All in all, the chances for a “5-peat” are looking slim, but if anything has been learned in the past four years, it is never to count the Cadets out.
The sprints lost their leader, Hartigan, in addition to team captain and 400m leader Peter Schmitz-Morfe, to graduation, but many underclassmen are preparing to take their places. 100m and 200m specialist Dami Osafisan is looking to step into Conner’s spikes and is said to be gunning for the school record by his graduation, and fellow sophomore Jimmy D’Iorio has shown great promise in the 400m. Newcomer Austen Zeh, a Lax convert, also has great potential. One of the great intrigues of the season, though, is devoted lax-er Anthony Brock, who ran a 54 second 400m with barely any training, and in basketball shoes, in gym this past fall. If he can be convinced to run some invitations, with the proper training and footwear he could shape up into a force to be reckoned with. Senior Milan Saitia looks to place in the 400m and 110m hurdles as well.
The distance crew, which has been a fairly weak Sectional force since the graduation of Zach Nelson, is looking to make a comeback this year with one of the deepest teams in years. Junior Griffin Keegan, last year’s middle and long distance leader and runner-up in the mile and 2-mile in Indoor Track Sectionals this past winter, is looking to end the season high on the Academy records list in the 800m, Mile, and 2-Mile, and get the Cadets on the scoreboard in those events in Sectionals. Cross country captain and 800m specialist Greg Finin is also looking to get his PR down around the 2-minute mark and make an impact in the championship. The 4x800m team, consisting of Keegan, Finin, Anthony Stefanelli, and Josh Nelson, is gunning for a top three finish. Newcomers Stefanelli, the other XC captain, and sophomore T.J. Oricchio should bolster what is already a strong group, especially in the mile, where both should be able to run in the 4:50’s. Schmitz-Morfe, who was also an 800m runner, was the only significant loss from last year.
The field events were hit the hardest by graduation, as Currie, who not only scored 34 points in Sectionals by winning all three jumps, but also set a school record and won a state championship in the triple jump, has taken his talents to Texas A&M. Sophomore Ray Jerome, who remains on the fence with regards to participating in track, would be our only significant jumper, at least that we know of. In the pole vault, captain Rob Jones looks to win a Sectional Championship, a feat his sister accomplished last year, for the only individual championship in AAG history.
The throws are shaping up to be especially strong, with the other captain, Alexei Buchanan, who was second in the whole Section in the discus last year, gunning for a Sectional Championship and possibly a school record. Senior Nisan Mikhaylov and junior Marcus “Airtyme” Jackson are also looking to score some serious points in Sectionals.
While winning yet another Sectional championship is looking like a long shot, it is not to be ruled out. The odds are against us, but we do have enough depth in each area to make an upset possible.