Squires Track Season Inspired By A Squall
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Two weeks into the track and field season, Manchester coach Casey McDowell sat his team down and had his guys watch the movie "White Squall."
The storyline: A group of kids went down to Key West on a big boat - a high adventure voyage. On the deck of the boat written was, 'Where we go one, we go all.'
McDowell hoped his guys got that message.
They did.
Manchester won its first sectional team title in school history under the 25-year-old McDowell, who's in his first year as head coach.
"The guys, they've taken that message more to heart than I thought they would," McDowell said. "They knew why I wanted them to watch that.
"I wanted them to know they had to be around the track backing each other. In teams I had been with in the past, the distance guys were hardly ever around the sprint guys. I wanted to make them feel everybody was everybody.
"I know track is done individually, but it's scored as a team."
And that's why, McDowell said, his team won the Plymouth Sectional last week.
From Nick Iden's first place in the 110-meter high hurdles down to Andres Bueker's eighth place in the 400, they all counted. The Squires needed every point to edge Plymouth 107-106.
As Manchester's bus traveled to Plymouth, McDowell read aloud the events his Squires needed to score key points in. His session lasted from North Manchester to Pierceton.
"Then on U.S. 30 to Plymouth, it was the quietest the bus had ever been," he said. "I was afraid I got them too worried. It wasn't just firsts and seconds we needed. It was going all the way down to sevenths and eighths.
"I've asked the guys to respond quite a bit, and they all stepped up to it."
Now he asks Rex Reimer, Nick Iden, Andy Trickle, Andres Bueker, David Barrett, Michael Hendrix and Nate Grossman to respond one more time. The top four guys in each event at Plymouth advance to Thursday's Kokomo Regional, and that includes those Squires. The top three advance from the regional to the state finals.
This is familiar territory for Iden, not so familiar for Grossman. Both compete in the 110 high and 300 low hurdles.
Iden, a senior, competed in both at the state meet last year. He placed seventh in the 300 low hurdles. He won both events at the Plymouth Sectional this year. No one has beaten him in the 110 hurdles this season. He lost once in the 300 hurdles.
Grossman, a senior, is going to the regional for the first time since his sophomore year. He placed second in the 300 and third in the 110 at the Plymouth Sectional.
"I really think they have a great chance of moving on (to state), particularly in the low hurdles," McDowell said. "Iden will probably move on in the high hurdles, and maybe Nate, too. He's been peaking out well. Nate ran 39 seconds in the 300 hurdles at the TRC meet, his best of the year. If he puts that in, he could move on.
"They have two completely different styles. Nick Iden, the good Lord has blessed him with a lot of talent. Nate, he's had to work at it."
Reimer will compete in four events at the regional - long jump, 100, 200 and 400 relay.
Reimer won the 200 and placed second in the 100 and long jump at Plymouth. The 400 relay, which includes fellow sophomore David Barrett and Michael Hendrix, along with senior Andy Trickle, placed second.
Trickle will also compete in the long jump at the regional.
"Four events - that's quite an accomplishment for a sophomore," McDowell said of Reimer. "Rex has jumped 22 feet, 1 inch, and I hope he can top that. He's going to have to put a performance in to move on.
"We hadn't been beaten in the 400 - excluding the relays - this year. Then we got beat by Plymouth. Our guys will probably be seeded around eighth."
Barrett, Bueker, Grossman and Iden run for the Squires in the 1,600 relay.
"The 1,600 relay, we'll be dealing with a lot of kids from the South Bend area," McDowell said. "You always have that group ... you don't know where they're from, but their putting good times in.
"We should be sitting a little higher in the water here than in the 400 relay."
Along with Iden, Reimer and Trickle advanced out of the sectional last year. Manchester's 400 relay team also went to regional last year.
On the bus trip to Plymouth, McDowell told his guys what he needed from them.
He knows what they need at Kokomo, too.
"Now," he said. "I'm looking for personal-best times."
KOKOMO REGIONAL
Thursday, May 29
6 p.m. field events
6:30 p.m. trials
7:30 p.m. finals
Local athletes competing:
Manchester:
Nick Iden - 110 high hurdles, 300 low hurdles
Nate Grossman - 110 high hurdles, 300 low hurdles
Rex Reimer - 100, 200, long jump
Andy Trickle - long jump
David Barrett, Michael Hendrix, Reimer, Trickle - 400 relay
Barrett, Andres Bueker, Grossman, Iden - 1,600 relay
Tippecanoe Valley:
Josh Brady - 400
Kevin Hileman - 800
Joey Manns - 300 low hurdles
1,600 relay - Josh Brady, Jay Haywood, Scott Whetstone, Kevin Hileman
3,200 relay - Brady, Haywood, Whetstone, Hileman
Triton:
Joshua Heck - pole vault
William Salyer - 1,600
Jeffrey Rupe - 200
Mason McIntyre - 3,200
Whitko
Tim Mason - 100, 200, long jump
Bo Mullins - discus
Ray Smith - discus
Aaron Engle - pole vault
400 relay - Jimmy Linn, Cory Clark, Engle, Mason
FORT WAYNE WAYNE REGIONAL
Thursday, May 29
5 p.m. field events
5:45 p.m. trials
6:45 p.m. finals
Local athletes competing:
Warsaw
Jon Hill - 100, 200
Scott Shepherd - long jump
Justin Rice, Gregg Seiss, P.J. Wiley, David Hoffert - 3,200 relay
Shawn Mudd, Jose Esquivel, Shepherd, Derrick Duncan (alternate: Hill) - 400 relay
Hoffert, Esquivel, Hill, Wiley (alternate: Steve Fussle) - 1,600 relay
Wawasee
Ryan Mikel - 800
John Hursh - 3,200 [[In-content Ad]]
Two weeks into the track and field season, Manchester coach Casey McDowell sat his team down and had his guys watch the movie "White Squall."
The storyline: A group of kids went down to Key West on a big boat - a high adventure voyage. On the deck of the boat written was, 'Where we go one, we go all.'
McDowell hoped his guys got that message.
They did.
Manchester won its first sectional team title in school history under the 25-year-old McDowell, who's in his first year as head coach.
"The guys, they've taken that message more to heart than I thought they would," McDowell said. "They knew why I wanted them to watch that.
"I wanted them to know they had to be around the track backing each other. In teams I had been with in the past, the distance guys were hardly ever around the sprint guys. I wanted to make them feel everybody was everybody.
"I know track is done individually, but it's scored as a team."
And that's why, McDowell said, his team won the Plymouth Sectional last week.
From Nick Iden's first place in the 110-meter high hurdles down to Andres Bueker's eighth place in the 400, they all counted. The Squires needed every point to edge Plymouth 107-106.
As Manchester's bus traveled to Plymouth, McDowell read aloud the events his Squires needed to score key points in. His session lasted from North Manchester to Pierceton.
"Then on U.S. 30 to Plymouth, it was the quietest the bus had ever been," he said. "I was afraid I got them too worried. It wasn't just firsts and seconds we needed. It was going all the way down to sevenths and eighths.
"I've asked the guys to respond quite a bit, and they all stepped up to it."
Now he asks Rex Reimer, Nick Iden, Andy Trickle, Andres Bueker, David Barrett, Michael Hendrix and Nate Grossman to respond one more time. The top four guys in each event at Plymouth advance to Thursday's Kokomo Regional, and that includes those Squires. The top three advance from the regional to the state finals.
This is familiar territory for Iden, not so familiar for Grossman. Both compete in the 110 high and 300 low hurdles.
Iden, a senior, competed in both at the state meet last year. He placed seventh in the 300 low hurdles. He won both events at the Plymouth Sectional this year. No one has beaten him in the 110 hurdles this season. He lost once in the 300 hurdles.
Grossman, a senior, is going to the regional for the first time since his sophomore year. He placed second in the 300 and third in the 110 at the Plymouth Sectional.
"I really think they have a great chance of moving on (to state), particularly in the low hurdles," McDowell said. "Iden will probably move on in the high hurdles, and maybe Nate, too. He's been peaking out well. Nate ran 39 seconds in the 300 hurdles at the TRC meet, his best of the year. If he puts that in, he could move on.
"They have two completely different styles. Nick Iden, the good Lord has blessed him with a lot of talent. Nate, he's had to work at it."
Reimer will compete in four events at the regional - long jump, 100, 200 and 400 relay.
Reimer won the 200 and placed second in the 100 and long jump at Plymouth. The 400 relay, which includes fellow sophomore David Barrett and Michael Hendrix, along with senior Andy Trickle, placed second.
Trickle will also compete in the long jump at the regional.
"Four events - that's quite an accomplishment for a sophomore," McDowell said of Reimer. "Rex has jumped 22 feet, 1 inch, and I hope he can top that. He's going to have to put a performance in to move on.
"We hadn't been beaten in the 400 - excluding the relays - this year. Then we got beat by Plymouth. Our guys will probably be seeded around eighth."
Barrett, Bueker, Grossman and Iden run for the Squires in the 1,600 relay.
"The 1,600 relay, we'll be dealing with a lot of kids from the South Bend area," McDowell said. "You always have that group ... you don't know where they're from, but their putting good times in.
"We should be sitting a little higher in the water here than in the 400 relay."
Along with Iden, Reimer and Trickle advanced out of the sectional last year. Manchester's 400 relay team also went to regional last year.
On the bus trip to Plymouth, McDowell told his guys what he needed from them.
He knows what they need at Kokomo, too.
"Now," he said. "I'm looking for personal-best times."
KOKOMO REGIONAL
Thursday, May 29
6 p.m. field events
6:30 p.m. trials
7:30 p.m. finals
Local athletes competing:
Manchester:
Nick Iden - 110 high hurdles, 300 low hurdles
Nate Grossman - 110 high hurdles, 300 low hurdles
Rex Reimer - 100, 200, long jump
Andy Trickle - long jump
David Barrett, Michael Hendrix, Reimer, Trickle - 400 relay
Barrett, Andres Bueker, Grossman, Iden - 1,600 relay
Tippecanoe Valley:
Josh Brady - 400
Kevin Hileman - 800
Joey Manns - 300 low hurdles
1,600 relay - Josh Brady, Jay Haywood, Scott Whetstone, Kevin Hileman
3,200 relay - Brady, Haywood, Whetstone, Hileman
Triton:
Joshua Heck - pole vault
William Salyer - 1,600
Jeffrey Rupe - 200
Mason McIntyre - 3,200
Whitko
Tim Mason - 100, 200, long jump
Bo Mullins - discus
Ray Smith - discus
Aaron Engle - pole vault
400 relay - Jimmy Linn, Cory Clark, Engle, Mason
FORT WAYNE WAYNE REGIONAL
Thursday, May 29
5 p.m. field events
5:45 p.m. trials
6:45 p.m. finals
Local athletes competing:
Warsaw
Jon Hill - 100, 200
Scott Shepherd - long jump
Justin Rice, Gregg Seiss, P.J. Wiley, David Hoffert - 3,200 relay
Shawn Mudd, Jose Esquivel, Shepherd, Derrick Duncan (alternate: Hill) - 400 relay
Hoffert, Esquivel, Hill, Wiley (alternate: Steve Fussle) - 1,600 relay
Wawasee
Ryan Mikel - 800
John Hursh - 3,200 [[In-content Ad]]