By John Raffel
Carson City-Crystal track coach Marcus LeGrand is going to have his fair share of scorers this season.
That includes senior Joshua Coston, who is currently ranked No. 5 in the shot put and No. 2 in the discus. He was ninth in the discus last season, one place away from all-state honors.
“He’ll make both shot and discus this year, barring injury and staying consistent,” LeGrand said.
Coston joined the program as a sophomore. “He’s improved 20 to 25 feet each year,” LeGrand said. “His sophomore year, he threw like 110 in the discus. Last year, he threw 159 at state. Right now, he’s already thrown 156. We have to stay focused on his basics and understanding of what it’s going to take for him to get there. He does a good job of showing up and has a no-nonsense attitude. He just performs. He’s a very humble kid.”
The discus is Coston’s beat event. “He’s a natural,” LeGrand said. “We have a sophomore, Jacob Smith, who pushes him pretty hard in his own event.”
Coston ranks No. 1 in the Mid-State Activities Conference among throwers.
He’s making no secret of his goals for 2015. “I hope to get to 170 and win a state title,” Coston said. “That is my goal, and we’re not accepting anything less. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication.”
Coston indicated that his strength as a thrower is his “mental capacity to practice a lot more than the average person.”
Discus is his best event, but he’s much improved in the shot put. “I worked a lot on it last summer and winter,” Coston said.
“I got a little bit bigger muscle-wise,” he said. “It took me a little while to understand it was more form than strength. That’s the hardest thing about throwing is understanding that.”
Coston also wrestled and played football. Track, “basically helps him with his footwork,” LeGrand said. “It helps with his flexibility on the football field.”
Other potential all-staters for Carson City-Crystal are Kolton Kavanaugh in the high jump and 400-yard dash, Kaitlin Beyer in the 3,200-meter run and relays, Shalien Borton in the high jump, Cody Flinn in the 300-yard hurdles and 800-meter run, and Smith in the throws.