Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
The Heritage boys track team took second place at the Bay City Western regional recently, with several Hawks winning regional championships.
“Our season has gone very well,” head coach Gary Loubert said. “We were in contention for both major championships (SVL and regional) until very late in the meet, which is always exciting.”
Cesar Trevino won the 110-meter high hurdles, David Jensen won the 800-meter run, Evan Chiplock won the 3200-meter run, and the 3200-meter relay team of Chiplock, Jensen, Nate Cruz, and Bobby Leddy also qualified for state with a school and county record time of 7:50.2.
Other members punching their state finals tickets were Brandon Scharich in the 1600-meter run and Brady Watson in the high jump.
The Hawks also had several league champions, those being Watson in the high jump, Trevino in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, Jensen in the 800-meter run, Chiplock in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs, and the 3200-meter relay team of Chiplock, Leddy, Cruz, and Jensen.
“We have a great mix of experienced athletes and new athletes, which is making us competitive right now but also leaves us competitive in the future,” Loubert said.
The coach is hopeful to have several strong finishers at the Division 1 state meet.
“Chiplock is the defending state champion for the 3200,” he said. “He is a favorite but has a lot of competition. The 3200-meter relay is seeded second right now and David Jansen is seeded fourth. I feel that everyone we have qualified has a shot at making all-state, which is exciting. Sometimes you are just happy for an athlete to qualify, but this year’s group should also expect to compete.”
With the track season winding down, the coach looks to the future of the program as well.
“Although we are focused on the current season, we are always looking at the future,” Loubert said. “The distance guys have some big shoes to fill next year for both cross country as well as track. I challenged the younger distance guys like Chris Lopez, Gabe Acevedo, and Steven Bednarz to take charge and establish them as some of our top returning guys. All three have really stepped up, giving us confidence going forward.
“A young sprinter-jumper that has really come along nicely is Marcos Castro,” Loubert added. “Marcos is a freshman who is jumping low 19s and has a lot of potential in the sprint events. I am certain he will help shore up our sprint relays in the future.”