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BOURBON - Like gasoline to a car, so are Matt Anders and Nathan Gephart to Triton's boys track and field team.
Trojan coach Curt Kreft calls Anders and Gephart the heart and soul of his team. Friday, the duo, along with athletes from Warsaw, Wawasee and Manchester, will compete in the state finals at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis.
"I remember the awards program last year, telling Matt he had to improve his work ethic," Kreft said. "He ran cross country in the fall, and then he really went to work with the weights in the winter. His whole attitude has changed. He's become much more serious about it and been a real leader at practice."
Anders, a sophomore, was seeded fourth in the 400 for last week's Kokomo Regional - he took first with a time of 49.11 seconds, setting a school record.
Some local coaches brag up the Fort Wayne Wayne Regional, loaded with larger Fort Wayne Schools, as possibly being the toughest in the state.
Fort Wayne Wayne's Jeremiah Starks took first on his home track in the 400 with a time of 50.48 seconds. At Kokomo, Anders ran on an unfamiliar track and finished more than a second faster.
"That tells me that he has a lot of talent," Kreft said of how Anders stacked up with other state finalists. "His dad has been video taping him. We know he doesn't have great form. He's a great 200 runner. Last week we worked a lot on the last 50 meters. I think he's got a good shot at doing very well."
Gephart, a junior, will compete in the 1600 and 3200.
"Gephart is just a great individual, not only with his work ethic but with his personality, too," Kreft said. "People want to follow him. He's always wanting to know what he has to do to get to state. He brings great ability and leadership to the team, not only by his actions but vocally. Anders and Gephart are the heart and soul of this team. Without them we wouldn't have gone half as far as we have."
At the Rochester Sectional, Anders and Gephart combined for 58.5 points. Their total alone outscored seven teams.
Gephart, a junior who missed his sophomore track season because of reconstructive ACL surgery, took third in the 1600 with a time of 4:31.66 and third in the 3200 with a time of 9:50.34.
Kreft remembers Triton sending one individual in one event to the state finals in previous years, but Friday four Trojans will compete in five events.
Also competing for Triton will be junior Aaron Trieschman in the discus and senior Jim Read in the high jump.
Trieschman, the Rochester Sectional champion, advanced to state with a third-place throw of 153-4 at the regional.
Read advanced with a third-place effort of 6-1 in the high jump.
"We've had kids at state before, but it's been one individual in one event," Kreft said. "To have four individuals in five events is awesome. Three of those kids are juniors, so they'll know what they have to do to get back there next year."
Four Warsaw athletes will compete in Friday's state finals.
Juniors Grady Randall, Adam Sisson, Chris Clay and Brad Seiss will run the meet's final event, the 1600 relay. The foursome finished fourth at the Fort Wayne Wayne Regional with a time of 4:23.45 but finished faster than the state automatic qualifying time of 4:23.82.
Sisson, who finished second at regional with a time of 50.50 seconds, will also run in the 400. After setting a school-record time of 39.9 seconds at the regional, Randall will compete in the 300 hurdles.
Wawasee senior Rob Chalfant will compete in the 1600, an event he won at the Fort Wayne Wayne Regional in a time of 4:20.14, while freshman Anthony Argentino received an invitation to compete in the 110 hurdles.
Manchester's David Bazzoni will compete in the pole vault after winning the event at the Kokomo Regional with a leap of 15-0.
Friday's field events begin at 3 p.m., while running events get underway at 6:30 p.m.
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD STATE FINALS
Listed are locals who will compete in Friday's state finals at IUPUI's Carroll Stadium.
Field events - 3 p.m.
High jump - 3:30 p.m.
Running events - 6:30 p.m.
WARSAW
1600 relay - Grady Randall, Adam Sisson, Chris Clay, Brad Seiss
400 - Adam Sisson
WAWASEE
1600 - Rob Chalfant
TRITON
1600 - Nathan Gephart
3200 - Nathan Gephart
400 - Matt Anders
Discus - Aaron Trieschman
High jump - Jim Read
MANCHESTER
Pole vault - David Bazzoni
