Warsaw opened its Northern Lakes Conference boys track season Thursday with a pair of wins over Goshen and Elkhart Memorial, but left Tiger head coach Matt Thacker wanting more. Warsaw beat Goshen 71-61 and Memorial 82-50, while Goshen downed Memorial 98-34. Based on the Tigers’ recent success, Thacker said he has some concerns about parts of this year’s squad. “We’ve been blessed with some very talented athletes the past four years. Coming into this meet, I was concerned about our attitude in preparation for an opponent,” Thacker said. “At the same time, in the 400 we had some good leadership out of Riley Rhoades, Landon Perry, and in the 300 hurdles you had Ross Armey and (Caleb) Klusman. And then it started to click. “And then you had (Brandon) Reinholt pull off a big second-place in the 200 and it just started to happen,” Thacker said while snapping his fingers. Rhoades and Perry finished 1-2 in the 400, with Armey and Klusman doing likewise in the 300 hurdles. Klusman also finished second in the 110 hurdles. Rashaan Jackson, D’Andre Street and Rane Kilburn finished 1-2-3 in the long jump. Brock Riley, Luke Wilson and Joseph Harness finished 1-3-4 in the high jump, all clearing at least 5-foot-10. “We didn’t show up in the throws. We did very well in the long jump, we did very well in the high jump; when you got three guys getting right at 5-10 and getting ready to go 6-foot, that’s a very good sign,” Thacker said. “We’ve gotta figure some things out in the sprints, but I was impressed with the 200. I was impressed with our effort in the 110 (hurdles). The 100 is going to be a concern for us.” Owen Glogovsky was a double winner, taking the 1600 and 3200 runs. David Messenger won the 800 and was part of the winning 4x400 relay team, along with Perry, Street and Rhoades. Thacker thought the meet may serve as a wake-up call for his team, and he said his team discussed how others in the conference will give a special effort in competing with the Tigers. “We got slapped in the face, and that’s not always a bad thing,” he said. “And we responded, so maybe there’s more good out of it than what I felt like right after the 100. After the 100 I felt like I got punched in the stomach. “But at the same time we continue to have good kids that work hard and that want to be here. “You have to challenge them. If you don’t have great expectations, then what do you have? I don’t know if that’s arrogant or cocky. But one, you’ve got to think highly of yourself, and two, you’ve got to prove it. “We talked about having a bullseye on our back. People are gunning for us. People are going to run harder against us. We’re Warsaw.” Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Dunlap to take on Wawasee and host Concord in another NLC meet Thursday.
