ALTAMONT — Iola High’s lack of depth already is being tested. WITH the JV relays raided to help out on varsity, those teams also took a hit, Smith noted.
The Mustang and Filly athletes were without several key performers Friday as they opened the 2014 track and field season at the Labette County Invitational.
Senior Adam Kauth, a standout hurdler and high jumper, is sidelined at least for the next two weeks with an ankle sprain. Junior Emery Driskel, state qualifier in both hurdles races, also was pulled out with an ailing knee.
Iola head coach Marv Smith held senior Tyler McIntosh out of the long jump and triple jump because of hamstring soreness. A pulled hamstring kept McIntosh out of the bulk of the 2013 season.
That’s not all.
Freshman Braden Plumlee missed the meet due to a jazz band performance, while Tyler Powelson ran two races, including a third-place finish in the 1600-meter run, before ending his evening early with back spasms. Alexis Hobbs also missed the meet because of a band event.
“It became quite a puzzle to cover all of the relays,” Smith said, including entering two throwers on the Fillies 4×100 relay squad.
That said, there were some silver linings.
Senior Michael Wilson started his pole vault year on the right foot, winning the event with a height of 11 feet, 6 inches.
The Mustangs took the silver in the boys 4×800 relay. Brian Hu, Powelson, McIntosh and Jeremy Spears combined to finish in 9 minutes, 11 seconds.
Powelson’s third-place finish in the 1600 came at a time of 5:02, while McIntosh, Chase Regehr, Spears and Hu took third in the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:58.
The Mustangs’ 4×100 relay team of Mason Ingle, Wilson, McIntosh and Hu finished fifth with a time of 51.7 seconds.
On the girls’ side, the Fillies’ 4×800 team of Mikaela Platt, Abigail Taylor, Jo Lohman and Shannon Vogel finished fourth with a time of 11:43. Iola’s 4×100 relay team of Cassie Delich, Vogel, Platt and Jessica Oakley teamed to finish fourth in 59.3 seconds. Delich and Oakley came from Iola’s junior varsity relay team.
Darci Collins took fifth in the shot with a throw of 33’4”.
The Fillies’ 4×400 relay team of Taylor, Platt, Delich and Megan Klubek (another borrowed from the JV) took sixth at 5:04.
The JV Mustangs were highlighted by gold medal performances by Tavon Blazek in the shot (35’3”) and Darius Greenawalt in the triple jump (35’2”).
Travis Hermstein claimed silver in the pole vault at 8’6”.
Earning bronze were Gage Cleaver, 7’6” in the pole vault; Greenawalt, 4’10” in the high jump; and Regehr, Jonathan Tidd, Hermstein and Dareece Bell, 10:26 in the 4×800 relay.
Greenawalt, Tidd, R.J. Holding and Blazek finished fifth in the 4×100 relay at 51.7 seconds. Greenawalt took sixth in the long jump at 15’10”.
Two Fillies JV athletes were golden.
Klubek won the 3200-meter run with a time of 14:19. Cassie Delich won the 100-meter high hurdles at 19.3 seconds. The time would have earned Delich fourth in the varsity race, but Driskel’s injury happened too late for Smith to change Iola’s entry.
Delich added to her medal haul with a silver in the 300-meter hurdles at 50.8 seconds.
Oakley took third in the shot put at 27’8”.
Valaree Burtnett finished fourth in the JV high jump, clearing 4 feet. Della Lohman, Klair Vogel, Jo Lohman and Karima Hall took fourth in the 4×100 relay at 1:02. Oakley was fifth in the discus at 69’2”.
The Mustang varsity squad finished seventh with 32 points, behind first-place Labette County’s 105. Girard was just behind in second with 101.
“Healthy, we should have scored in the 60s, but not challenge for the top three,” Smith said.
The varsity girls took ninth with 11 points. Chanute won the title with 106 points.
Iola’s JV boys were seventh with 45 points. Fort Scott took first with 106. The Fillies JV was eighth with 44 points. Girard won the team title with 108.
Smith is optimistic Iola will field a (nearly) full roster for its next competition Friday at Parsons, with two prominent exceptions.
Kauth will miss the meet with his ankle injury, and Wilson will not be able to compete in the pole vault because Parsons High School has no pole vault pit.
Shorthanded Iola thinclads compete
