Warsaw Track Team Turns In All-State Performances
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Running at Indiana University's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex, Warsaw's senior duo of Robert Murphy and Jacob Poyner each earned two all-state accolades by finishing in the top nine in their respective races, but they weren't the only Tigers named all-state.
In all, Warsaw had six all-state performancec, leading to a fifth-place finish with 29 points, while Hamilton Southeastern won with 65.
Junior Seth Fouts, who didn't compete until the end of the regular season following a surgery, finished sixth in the shot put, recording a distance of 55-8.25.
“He didn't come out of nowhere for us, but for the rest of the state he did,” Warsaw coach Matt Thacker said of Fouts. “He wasn't able to throw until the last dual meet at (Elkhart) Memorial. Then he was able to throw at the conference meet and sectional and the regional and just kept practicing and getting better.”
Warsaw's 1600 relay team of senior Wyatt Jones, junior Gabe Furnivall, senior Nathan Kolbe and junior Ryan Goon also earned an all-state medal, finishing sixth with a time of 3:20.22, despite running out of the second of three heats.
Split into three heats, the fastest times are generally in the third and final heat, but due to the Tigers running their regional time on a cold day in Kokomo, while teams at the Valparaiso Regional enjoyed better weather following a rain-out, Warsaw's seed time was slower, and therefore, a bit deceiving.
“We were originally in the fastest heat, but three teams from that regional bumped us to the second heat,” Thacker said. “But for our kids not to be discouraged and run one heck of a race, and get on the podium from the second heat, is a testament to their resolve and their ability.”
Warsaw's first trip to the state podium was after the 1600, where Poyner was third (4:09.95) followed by Murphy in fourth (4:12.46).
Going back to the cross country season, Poyner and Murphy have been pushing each other, and that continued right into their final prep race.
“It's kept me on my toes, but at the same time, he doesn't think about it,” Poyner said about competing against his close friend Murphy. “He's not crazy about it that way. It's just great knowing he gets nervous, and you tell him, ‘You're going to be fine. This is good.’ Then he comes out and lights it up.”
And after talking to Murphy, Poyner's assessment of him prior to a race was pretty accurate.
Murphy talked about not being too amped for a race once he arrives at a track, but once he begins to take his mark, his competitive nature takes over.
“My plan was kind of just to come here and run,” Murphy said. “It seems like no matter what happens, I seem to be in a competing mood prior to the race - which is good.”
The fourth-place finish in the 1600 was a good one for Murphy, but it may have taken a lot out of him as he prepared for the 800 four events later.
In the 800, Murphy got lost in the pack early, but used a kick in the last 200 meters to finish seventh in 1:55.33, earning his second all-state award.
“I'm very happy with how I did in the 1600,” he said.
“The 800 didn't go too well for me,” he added. “I'm not too surprised, because I was still tired from the 1600. When I finished the 1600, I was dead. I just couldn't move. I felt like just collapsing.”
Two events after Murphy's 800, Poyner was back on the track for the 3200, where he wasn't sure how he'd do until 800 meters remained.
“I didn't realize I was in such a good position in the 3200,” he said. “I just kind of sat back and realized I had two laps to go, so I could pull something out.”
Pushing it, Poyner finished fifth in 9:14.20.
His time in the 3200, as well as his 1600 time were both new school records, but he seemed more pleased with them just being personal records for himself.
“My goal was to come out and PR, and those were PRs, so that's great,” Poyner said. “I think it's good, because it sets a bar for (junior) Ellis (Coon). I know he likes to go for that stuff. If he's healthy, that kid will be on fire (next year).”
A year ago, Poyner was 10th in the 1600 and he didn't compete in the 3200.
This year, he wanted to wipe that memory out, which he did.
“It's just a huge blessing,” Poyner said. “I'm definitely grateful. It feels like a God thing that I came in and felt good, knowing the past I've had – being nervous and panicked. It felt great to be able to learn from that. I had fun.”
Another local athlete having fun was Wawasee sophomore J.J. Gilmer.
Making a splash on the scene this year, Gilmer capped his campaign off with an all-state performance in the high jump, clearing 6-6 to finish fourth.
“I didn't even anticipate winning regionals,” Gilmer said, referring to his regional title in Kokomo. “I was thinking I'd barely be getting out of regionals.”
At the regional, Gilmer cleared 6-6, earning a No. 3 seed at state, which meant a lot of sitting around waiting for lower heights to be cleared.
Instead of getting tight, Gilmer used the down time to learn.
“This is my first time here, so I kind of used it as an opportunity to watch people that are better than me,” he said. “Just waiting around didn't bother me. It's a nice, warm day.”
While Gilmer's a young talent trying to help the Wawasee program bounce back, the Tigers have already rebounded from some lean years that just occurred not long ago.
“Inside, I knew we could make it happen,” Thacker said of turning the Warsaw program around five years ago. “There's a lot of great athletes within our community. It's just about getting them to come out. About doing the right things with our program and having the right guys as coaches. Right now, we seem to be doing that. Now, the challenge for us as coaches, is to continue that and not lose that drive to get us to where are now.”
One of those great athletes is Poyner, who had success as a freshman, but wasn't too sure it would result in the campaign he had as a senior.
“I'm too fearful of a guy with too many doubts,” he said. “But the thing is, running really is a microcosm of life. I feel like it's kind of made me deal with those (doubts). To realize, it's alright to step up and go out on some limbs.”
And it's that kind of attitude that led Warsaw to a top 10 finish at the state finals.
“You can't be any prouder of a group of guys,” Thacker said. “We got on the podium a lot. We didn't get any first-place finishes, but bottom line is we competed.”
IHSAA BOYS TRACK AND FIELD STATE FINALS
Team Scores (Top 10, Local) - 1. Hamilton Southeastern 65, 2. Lafayette Jefferson 49, 3. Center Grove 34, 4. Lawrence Central 32, 5. Warsaw 29, 6. Ben Davis 28, 7. Fishers 27, 8. Avon 24, 9. Evansville Harrison 22, 10. F.W. Dwenger 19, 39. Wawasee 6
(Top 3, Local Results)
100 - 1. Matthew Johnson (Laf. Jeff) 10.74, 2. Sogo Akinyosoye (Avon) 10.82, 3. Jonvae Johnson (Gary West) 10.88; 200 - 1. Carl McQuay (Laf. Jeff) 21.73, 2. Lucas Wallace (Laf. Jeff) 21.81, 3. Sogo Akinyosoye (Avon) 22.07; 400 - 1. Ryan Davis (Hamilton SE) 47.25, 2. Thomas Capers (SB Riley) 47.85, 3. Tyrell Dowdell (Jeffersonville) 48.11; 800 - 1. Matt Dorsey (Lawrence Central) 1:52.74, 2. Luke Bertolet (Greenwood) 1:53.68, 3. Danny Williams (Carmel) 1:54.33, 7. Robert Murphy (Warsaw) 1:55.33; 1600 - 1. Troy Reeder (Hamilton SE) 4:07.26, 2. Matt Dorsey (Lawrence Central) 4:08.92, 3. Jacob Poyner (Warsaw) 4:09.95, 4. Robert Murphy (Warsaw) 4:12.46; 3200 - 1. Clayton Bowie (Southport) 9:01.36, 2. Connor Sorrells (Barr-Reeve) 9:05.99, 3. Zack Snider (Brebeuf) 9:12.40, 5. Jacob Poyner (Warsaw) 9:14.20; 110 Hurdles - 1. Marsalis Gibson (Bowman Academy) 14.19, 2. Justin Veteto (Center Grove) 14.24, 3. Adrian Marble (FW South) 14.36, 16. Clayton Cook (Wawasee) 15.16, 24. Taylor Cone (Warsaw) 15.68; 300 Hurdles - 1. Conner Stapleton (Center Grove) 37.26, 2. Zach Reitzug (Hamilton SE) 37.65, 3. Trevor Stanley (Homestead) 37.81
400 Relay - 1. Lafayette Jefferson (Carl McQuay, Matthew Johnson, Darian Green, Lucas Wallace) 41.41, 2. Lawrence Central (DaQuan Brown, Marcus Jessup, Isaiah Townsend, Deontre Gray) 41.84, 3. Crown Point (Tristan Peterson, Wesley Honaker, Nick Faso, Zach Sneiderwine) 41.94; 1600 Relay - 1. Hamilton Southeastern (Zach Reitzug, Joshua Christy, Ryan Davis, Jacob Wright) 3:14.74, 2. Center Grove (Conner Stapleton, Mario Swann, Quentin Reckert, Justin Veteto) 3:15.99, 3. Fishers (Diquis Manley, Stoney Prowell, Michael Ryan, Nikko Foster) 3:18.93, 6. Warsaw (Wyatt Jones, Gabe Furnivall, Nathan Kolbe, Ryan Goon) 3:20.22; 3200 Relay - 1. Carroll (Eric Claxton, Kyle Gater, Alexander Hess, Jonathan Harper) 7:40.14, 2. Chesterton (Nick Barango, Billy Biehl, Tyler Vore, Kevin Kenney) 7:43.49, 3. Crown Point (Tom Cierniak, Zack Seamon, Travis Kucic, Daniel Walters) 7:44.60; High Jump - 1. Eric Blackman (Evansville Harrison) 6-8, 2. Alex Olson (Bloomington South) 6-7, 3. Kenneth Lloyd (East Chicago) 6-6, 4. J.J. Gilmer (Wawasee) 6-6; Pole Vault - 1. Jared Schipper (FW Dwenger) 16-3, 2. Deskin Volz (Bloomington South) 16-0, 3. David Woosley (Evansville Harrison) 15-9; Long Jump - 1. Grant Cole (Eastern) 23-5.25, 2. Matthew Garrison (Bedford) 23-2.25, 3. Carrington Robinson (FW Wayne) 23-0; Shot Put - 1. Lukayus McNeil (Decatur Central) 61-6, 2. Gelen Robinson (Lake Central) 59-6.5, 3. Kristopher Davis (Warren Central) 59-6.5, 6. Seth Fouts (Warsaw) 55-8.25; Discus - 1. Codi Hamsley (Floyd Central) 194-0, 2. Gele Robinson (Lake Central) 187-5, 3. Zubin Coleman (Ben Davis) 174-9[[In-content Ad]]
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Running at Indiana University's Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex, Warsaw's senior duo of Robert Murphy and Jacob Poyner each earned two all-state accolades by finishing in the top nine in their respective races, but they weren't the only Tigers named all-state.
In all, Warsaw had six all-state performancec, leading to a fifth-place finish with 29 points, while Hamilton Southeastern won with 65.
Junior Seth Fouts, who didn't compete until the end of the regular season following a surgery, finished sixth in the shot put, recording a distance of 55-8.25.
“He didn't come out of nowhere for us, but for the rest of the state he did,” Warsaw coach Matt Thacker said of Fouts. “He wasn't able to throw until the last dual meet at (Elkhart) Memorial. Then he was able to throw at the conference meet and sectional and the regional and just kept practicing and getting better.”
Warsaw's 1600 relay team of senior Wyatt Jones, junior Gabe Furnivall, senior Nathan Kolbe and junior Ryan Goon also earned an all-state medal, finishing sixth with a time of 3:20.22, despite running out of the second of three heats.
Split into three heats, the fastest times are generally in the third and final heat, but due to the Tigers running their regional time on a cold day in Kokomo, while teams at the Valparaiso Regional enjoyed better weather following a rain-out, Warsaw's seed time was slower, and therefore, a bit deceiving.
“We were originally in the fastest heat, but three teams from that regional bumped us to the second heat,” Thacker said. “But for our kids not to be discouraged and run one heck of a race, and get on the podium from the second heat, is a testament to their resolve and their ability.”
Warsaw's first trip to the state podium was after the 1600, where Poyner was third (4:09.95) followed by Murphy in fourth (4:12.46).
Going back to the cross country season, Poyner and Murphy have been pushing each other, and that continued right into their final prep race.
“It's kept me on my toes, but at the same time, he doesn't think about it,” Poyner said about competing against his close friend Murphy. “He's not crazy about it that way. It's just great knowing he gets nervous, and you tell him, ‘You're going to be fine. This is good.’ Then he comes out and lights it up.”
And after talking to Murphy, Poyner's assessment of him prior to a race was pretty accurate.
Murphy talked about not being too amped for a race once he arrives at a track, but once he begins to take his mark, his competitive nature takes over.
“My plan was kind of just to come here and run,” Murphy said. “It seems like no matter what happens, I seem to be in a competing mood prior to the race - which is good.”
The fourth-place finish in the 1600 was a good one for Murphy, but it may have taken a lot out of him as he prepared for the 800 four events later.
In the 800, Murphy got lost in the pack early, but used a kick in the last 200 meters to finish seventh in 1:55.33, earning his second all-state award.
“I'm very happy with how I did in the 1600,” he said.
“The 800 didn't go too well for me,” he added. “I'm not too surprised, because I was still tired from the 1600. When I finished the 1600, I was dead. I just couldn't move. I felt like just collapsing.”
Two events after Murphy's 800, Poyner was back on the track for the 3200, where he wasn't sure how he'd do until 800 meters remained.
“I didn't realize I was in such a good position in the 3200,” he said. “I just kind of sat back and realized I had two laps to go, so I could pull something out.”
Pushing it, Poyner finished fifth in 9:14.20.
His time in the 3200, as well as his 1600 time were both new school records, but he seemed more pleased with them just being personal records for himself.
“My goal was to come out and PR, and those were PRs, so that's great,” Poyner said. “I think it's good, because it sets a bar for (junior) Ellis (Coon). I know he likes to go for that stuff. If he's healthy, that kid will be on fire (next year).”
A year ago, Poyner was 10th in the 1600 and he didn't compete in the 3200.
This year, he wanted to wipe that memory out, which he did.
“It's just a huge blessing,” Poyner said. “I'm definitely grateful. It feels like a God thing that I came in and felt good, knowing the past I've had – being nervous and panicked. It felt great to be able to learn from that. I had fun.”
Another local athlete having fun was Wawasee sophomore J.J. Gilmer.
Making a splash on the scene this year, Gilmer capped his campaign off with an all-state performance in the high jump, clearing 6-6 to finish fourth.
“I didn't even anticipate winning regionals,” Gilmer said, referring to his regional title in Kokomo. “I was thinking I'd barely be getting out of regionals.”
At the regional, Gilmer cleared 6-6, earning a No. 3 seed at state, which meant a lot of sitting around waiting for lower heights to be cleared.
Instead of getting tight, Gilmer used the down time to learn.
“This is my first time here, so I kind of used it as an opportunity to watch people that are better than me,” he said. “Just waiting around didn't bother me. It's a nice, warm day.”
While Gilmer's a young talent trying to help the Wawasee program bounce back, the Tigers have already rebounded from some lean years that just occurred not long ago.
“Inside, I knew we could make it happen,” Thacker said of turning the Warsaw program around five years ago. “There's a lot of great athletes within our community. It's just about getting them to come out. About doing the right things with our program and having the right guys as coaches. Right now, we seem to be doing that. Now, the challenge for us as coaches, is to continue that and not lose that drive to get us to where are now.”
One of those great athletes is Poyner, who had success as a freshman, but wasn't too sure it would result in the campaign he had as a senior.
“I'm too fearful of a guy with too many doubts,” he said. “But the thing is, running really is a microcosm of life. I feel like it's kind of made me deal with those (doubts). To realize, it's alright to step up and go out on some limbs.”
And it's that kind of attitude that led Warsaw to a top 10 finish at the state finals.
“You can't be any prouder of a group of guys,” Thacker said. “We got on the podium a lot. We didn't get any first-place finishes, but bottom line is we competed.”
IHSAA BOYS TRACK AND FIELD STATE FINALS
Team Scores (Top 10, Local) - 1. Hamilton Southeastern 65, 2. Lafayette Jefferson 49, 3. Center Grove 34, 4. Lawrence Central 32, 5. Warsaw 29, 6. Ben Davis 28, 7. Fishers 27, 8. Avon 24, 9. Evansville Harrison 22, 10. F.W. Dwenger 19, 39. Wawasee 6
(Top 3, Local Results)
100 - 1. Matthew Johnson (Laf. Jeff) 10.74, 2. Sogo Akinyosoye (Avon) 10.82, 3. Jonvae Johnson (Gary West) 10.88; 200 - 1. Carl McQuay (Laf. Jeff) 21.73, 2. Lucas Wallace (Laf. Jeff) 21.81, 3. Sogo Akinyosoye (Avon) 22.07; 400 - 1. Ryan Davis (Hamilton SE) 47.25, 2. Thomas Capers (SB Riley) 47.85, 3. Tyrell Dowdell (Jeffersonville) 48.11; 800 - 1. Matt Dorsey (Lawrence Central) 1:52.74, 2. Luke Bertolet (Greenwood) 1:53.68, 3. Danny Williams (Carmel) 1:54.33, 7. Robert Murphy (Warsaw) 1:55.33; 1600 - 1. Troy Reeder (Hamilton SE) 4:07.26, 2. Matt Dorsey (Lawrence Central) 4:08.92, 3. Jacob Poyner (Warsaw) 4:09.95, 4. Robert Murphy (Warsaw) 4:12.46; 3200 - 1. Clayton Bowie (Southport) 9:01.36, 2. Connor Sorrells (Barr-Reeve) 9:05.99, 3. Zack Snider (Brebeuf) 9:12.40, 5. Jacob Poyner (Warsaw) 9:14.20; 110 Hurdles - 1. Marsalis Gibson (Bowman Academy) 14.19, 2. Justin Veteto (Center Grove) 14.24, 3. Adrian Marble (FW South) 14.36, 16. Clayton Cook (Wawasee) 15.16, 24. Taylor Cone (Warsaw) 15.68; 300 Hurdles - 1. Conner Stapleton (Center Grove) 37.26, 2. Zach Reitzug (Hamilton SE) 37.65, 3. Trevor Stanley (Homestead) 37.81
400 Relay - 1. Lafayette Jefferson (Carl McQuay, Matthew Johnson, Darian Green, Lucas Wallace) 41.41, 2. Lawrence Central (DaQuan Brown, Marcus Jessup, Isaiah Townsend, Deontre Gray) 41.84, 3. Crown Point (Tristan Peterson, Wesley Honaker, Nick Faso, Zach Sneiderwine) 41.94; 1600 Relay - 1. Hamilton Southeastern (Zach Reitzug, Joshua Christy, Ryan Davis, Jacob Wright) 3:14.74, 2. Center Grove (Conner Stapleton, Mario Swann, Quentin Reckert, Justin Veteto) 3:15.99, 3. Fishers (Diquis Manley, Stoney Prowell, Michael Ryan, Nikko Foster) 3:18.93, 6. Warsaw (Wyatt Jones, Gabe Furnivall, Nathan Kolbe, Ryan Goon) 3:20.22; 3200 Relay - 1. Carroll (Eric Claxton, Kyle Gater, Alexander Hess, Jonathan Harper) 7:40.14, 2. Chesterton (Nick Barango, Billy Biehl, Tyler Vore, Kevin Kenney) 7:43.49, 3. Crown Point (Tom Cierniak, Zack Seamon, Travis Kucic, Daniel Walters) 7:44.60; High Jump - 1. Eric Blackman (Evansville Harrison) 6-8, 2. Alex Olson (Bloomington South) 6-7, 3. Kenneth Lloyd (East Chicago) 6-6, 4. J.J. Gilmer (Wawasee) 6-6; Pole Vault - 1. Jared Schipper (FW Dwenger) 16-3, 2. Deskin Volz (Bloomington South) 16-0, 3. David Woosley (Evansville Harrison) 15-9; Long Jump - 1. Grant Cole (Eastern) 23-5.25, 2. Matthew Garrison (Bedford) 23-2.25, 3. Carrington Robinson (FW Wayne) 23-0; Shot Put - 1. Lukayus McNeil (Decatur Central) 61-6, 2. Gelen Robinson (Lake Central) 59-6.5, 3. Kristopher Davis (Warren Central) 59-6.5, 6. Seth Fouts (Warsaw) 55-8.25; Discus - 1. Codi Hamsley (Floyd Central) 194-0, 2. Gele Robinson (Lake Central) 187-5, 3. Zubin Coleman (Ben Davis) 174-9[[In-content Ad]]
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