With somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 athletes taking to the track this spring at Lake Orion High School, finding a running lane could be a difficult task.
Boys coach Stan Ford said 149 kids signed up for his team, though he expects that number to decrease a bit.
By high school team standards, even Girls coach Sharon Kline’s 55 member-squad is huge, though it pales in comparison to the boys.
Both teams have a slew of promising athletes in every class.
The Boys
As you might expect with a team of nearly 150, Ford said depth was his team’s biggest strength.
‘We gear ourselves for the dual meets more than the larger meets,? the coach said. ‘We can cover every event.?
Ford has lost just one dual meet in his six years as coach. One of his biggest concerns is making up for the graduation of a bunch of seniors last spring.
‘It’s time for somebody to step up and fill in those gaps,? he said.
Ford pointed to three hurdlers that he lost as a prime example. Co-captain Pat Pawlak will have to help shoulder that burden.
Jayson Lawton, Joe Nowicki and Rob Shinouskis join Pawlak as captains. All have been on the team for four years.
The coach credited Nowicki’s work ethic as a sprinter, and Shinouskis being All-State in cross country. Lawton runs middle distance for LO.
Ford said his senior class will provide good depth in the distance events. The juniors will do the same in the sprint events.
‘We’ve got a big crew of young kids too,? Ford said, noting he has a few strong sophomores and has seen good things from the freshman class so far.
‘Some of the areas we were young in last year will be much better,? he added.
‘We match up well with the teams we compete with because of our depth,? Ford said.
The Girls
Like Ford, Kline had positive things to say about each class based on what she’s seen in practice to date.
‘We have some returners coming back that we expect a lot out of,? Kline said, mentioning sisters Alex and Alisha Hartley, Courtney Kimmel and the Dorse twins, Jesse and Kate.
‘I also have some freshmen that look promising,? she added, noting that Rachael Werner and Courtney Zott should be solid first-year contributors.
The girls team will be led in field events by Cara Slosson, and long jumper Kate Valko.
Depth will be a concern in a few areas, especially distance, according to assistant coach Debi Sherman.
Sherman, who doubles as the girls cross country coach, said she can count on five of her girls to score points, including Sara Lieblein, Alie Hock and Renee Reilly.
‘Sara and Alie I can see qualifying for states,? Sherman said.
Like the boys, the girls team will compete in the top division of the Oakland Athletics Association.
‘Clarkston and Troy are going to be really tough,? Kline said, noting that Troy is probably the favorite.
The combined boys and girls track and field team will host Pontiac Northern on April 6, before travelling to a meet at Milford on April 8.