Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
The Rockford High School track teams each had a big confidence boost during an early-season conference dual meet – one in victory and one in defeat.
The girls’ team avenged an OK Red Conference loss to rival East Kentwood by beating the visiting Falcons 85.5-51.5 on April 19.
The Rockford boys’ team suffered a loss to East Kentwood that same day, but fought to the end against the defending three-time Division 1 champions before falling 81-56.
“That is the most points we scored against them in five years,” boys’ coach Andy Martin said. “This is the closest we have been against them in a long time.”
And that’s a good indication of what might happen as the season progresses.
East Kentwood won its third straight championship with 72 points last year, while Rockford finished fourth with 23 points at the boys’ finals.
“[East Kentwood coach] Dave Emeott says this is the best Rockford team across the board that he’s seen, and that’s a great compliment,” Martin said. “For me, the balance is there. If we can get our hand offs down and everybody keeps improving, we could do well at the state meet.”
At last year’s finals, on their home track, the Rams won an individual state championship in the 400-meter relay. The team of Brian Fischer, Brandon Lubenow, Colin Remtem, and Chris Eggenberger won the title with a time of 42.38 seconds.
Lubenow and Eggenberger are back this year to give the Rams some solid speed.
The team is also set in middle distance with Drew Woznick; throwing events with Ben Braden, who will be playing football for the University of Michigan next year; and distance events with Casey Aman, Tyler Harney, and Mitchell Switzer.
So the ability to score points is there.
“They have a great team and will be solid all year,” Emeott said. “They will challenge us.”
That’s the plan.
“Last year we scored 23 points at state, and I could see us scoring 30 this year,” Martin said. “If we can do that, that could put us in the top three.”
The Rockford girls’ team finished farther down in the state team standings last year, placing in the top 15.
But the Rams showed East Kentwood in their dual meet that they have depth and firepower.
Taylor Manett, Emily Wilburn, and Rachel Raab showed the first-place power, as Manett took first in the 800, 1,600, and 3,200 and was a member of the winning 3,200 relay. Wilburn was the winner in 300-meter hurdles and second in the 100-meter hurdles, while Raab was impressive in winning both the shot put and discus against the Falcons.
“We still have a long ways to go in the season, but [beating East Kentwood] goes a long way to building our confidence,” said girls’ coach Randy Vanderveen. “Every year this meet is a battle and a good test to see where we are.”
The East Kentwood girls’ team was fourth at last year’s state finals.