Team concept should give Bearcats quantity to beat others’ ‘big hitters’
[ 05/15/2008 ]
By BUCK MAHONEY, Hub Sports Editor
KEARNEY — For the Kearney High boys track team, the 2008 season has had a very familiar feel — one that has people making room in the trophy case.
But the path to a state title — which would be the Bearcats’ 12th in 15 years — has some new twists and turns, like where are all the throwers and distance runners?
“My view would be it’s probably going to boil down to … the Kearney High track team against the Omaha North sprinters and the Fremont distance runners,” said Kearney High coach Roger Mathiesen.
“Team” has been Mathiesen’s mantra in more than 25 years as Kearney’s head coach. The team concept has brought Kearney 109 straight victories in invitationals — a winning streak that dates back to 1993.
But after 11 straight state championships, the Bearcats have accepted smaller trophies the last three years. Now, with even more emphasis on the team, Kearney is ready to ascend to the top again.
“You can win the state track meet with three or four guys,” Mathiesen said. “We qualified in all 17 events, so the strength of our team is the strength of numbers. We’ve had stars … a Colby Wissel, a Luke Garringer or a Broc Howards, who can bang out 40 for you. This year, Fremont and Omaha North have big hitters like that.”
But Kearney has relied on the team concept this year. It’s worked in invitationals as Kearney has beaten Omaha North by more than 100 points at a couple meets. Fremont has also been more than 100 points behind the Bearcats on the scoreboard. But the state meet is different.
“The teams that won the state meet the last three years … how many could come within 100 points of us?” Mathiesen said. “In a track meet where the depth and breadth of your team is the essential factor, they couldn’t beat us in a million years.
“They can score 90 in (an invitational), and they’ll score the same in the sate meet.”
Maybe not quite that much. With a quick math lesson, Mathiesen added up Omaha North’s and Fremont’s potential state meet points and says 70 points is the magic number.
“We have to figure out a way to put 70 points on the board at the state meet,” he said. “Everybody looks at us as the overwhelming favorite, and I suppose we are. But we haven’t won for three years, and we have to score in a lot of different events.
“And we have more potential to score more points. Those guys are going to max out about 70. … They’re relying on four or five guys, we’re relying on 20.”
Kearney is believed to be the first team to qualify someone in every event. While few of them are favored to win, even fewer can be overlooked.
If there is one even Kearny can count on scoring some big points is the pole vault. Nick Polacek, the defending Class A state champion, and Brett Maher, the defending all-class gold medalist while vaulting for Centennial last year, have the credentials, and Caleb Brandt has been their main competitor throughout the season.
“We have to do there what we’ve done in the weights and distances in the past. But those (throwers and distance runners) are the most consistent kids on a track team. When you get into vault, jumps and hurdles, those kids are more inconsistent because of the nature of things that impact those events.”
The long jump, with Vinny Molina and Maher, also figures to be a good event for Kearney High. Plus, the Bearcats’ Josh Mead and Matt Trampe, will factor in the springs and distance races, respectively, perhaps stealing points from Omaha North and Fremont.
Mead, Molina, Mike Weaver and Rustin Dring give Kearney a formidable sprint relay, too.
If the combination of pole vault, long jump and the sprint relay can create 45 points, the Bearcats only have to score two points, the equivalent of a seventh-place finish, in each of the other 14 events to surpass Mathiesen’s magic number of 70.
“We just have to score, score, score,” Mathiesen said. “And we’ve got guys who can score a lot. The state record for scoring in events is 14 and we’ve done that twice. That’s where we have to be. We have to be on our state record pace of scoring in 14 of 17 events.”