Track teams kick off season with home meets

The senior high Panther Relays will be 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Glenn W. Black Stadium.

Track and field season begins in earnest this week, and the Siloam Springs teams get to start their campaign on their home turf.

The annual Panther Relays are set for this week at Glenn W. Black Stadium, starting Monday with the eighth-grade relays at 3:30 p.m. The ninth-grade relays will be Tuesday, and the senior high relays will be Thursday.

Siloam Springs head track coaches Chuck and Sharon Jones said it’s good to get the outdoor track season started with their home meets right off the bat.

“We have the whole offseason to plan and prepare for it,” said Chuck Jones, who is boys head coach. “We have it and then we’re able to coach our kids the rest of the year.”

“As a matter of fact, it’s a sought-after week,” said Sharon Jones, the head girls coach. “We’ve had two other schools to try to ask us to get our week.”

Around 145 kids in grades 7-12 are in the track program this season. There are so many athletes wanting to participate in track that the coaches had to have tryouts at the junior high levels, Sharon Jones said.

“Our numbers are great,” she said. “This is the second year in a row we’ve actually had to cut some (junior high) kids to try and keep our numbers where it’s manageable.”

Chuck Jones said it’s great to see the enthusiasm in the program but added cuts were a necessity.

“We love the kids coming out,” he said. “We want to help kids get stronger, faster and more athletic. We feel like track is something that can relate to all other sports too. But you can only put three people in an event, so if you’ve got 10 kids wanting to throw the shot put and only three get to throw in a meet, it’s not fair to those kids.”

The eighth- and ninth-grade meets will likely be the largest this week as schools from all over Northwest Arkansas will send their top athletes to compete.

Several of the Class 7A schools along the I-49 corridor have indicated they will be sending junior varsity squads to the senior high meet on Thursday.

“Our kids should have an opportunity to score a little bit

better,” Chuck Jones said. “That will benefit us. The junior high meets are going to be massive again.”

On the boys side, the Panthers are excited about several athletes.

Chuck Jones said sophomore sprinters Primo Agbehi and Kaiden Thrailkill have looked strong so far, and so has senior J.D. Horn, who’s also one of the team leaders.

“He’s really great about helping the younger kids,” Chuck Jones said of Horn.

Those three will also compete for the Panthers in the long jump and possibly the triple jump, he said.

Seniors Chandler Stewart and Charlie Jones return in middle distance events, while Isaac Leachman has moved into the middle distance range.

Chuck Jones said senior Ryke Beever has looked great in preseason practices in the hurdles after missing the end of last season due to injury.

“Ryke Beever has a chance to have a really great season in the hurdles,” he said. “You know he was doing well and got hurt midway through the season and wasn’t able to finish. But he looks great out there right now. I expect big things from Ryke there.”

Veteran pole vaulter Blake Jackson also returns and the coaches are excited about what he can do.

Chuck Jones said the throwers, Wyatt Washington, Dakota Leroy, Fermin Velis and some football players who joined the team this year are also doing well, under assistant coach Henry Janes, who will coach the throwers.

The Joneses are also excited about the new throwing rings at Glenn W. Black Stadium.

“They built us a new throwing facility,” Chuck Jones said. “In the past, you would only have one person throwing at a time. Now we’ve got two shot rings and two disc rings, and we have practice circles, and we can engage about 10 to 12 kids all being active at the same time.”

Also competing in various events for the Panthers are sophomores Tristen Cunningham, Dillon Ferguson, Quade Greening, Angel Noyola, Spenser Pippin, Lee Thompson, Ian Williams; juniors Kameron Greenlee, Seth Hufford, Isaac Knudson; and seniors Steven Iglesias, Luke Reicheniker and David Williams.

On the girls side, senior Jasmine Guillen is a state champion in the 3,200 meters (2015) and is working her way back to form after helping the Siloam Springs girls cross country team win a third straight state title back in November.

Guillen has battled plantar fasciitis and took a long layoff to try and recover from cross country, said Sharon Jones, who’s also head cross country coach.

“She’s well and she’s getting back into shape,” Sharon Jones said.

Sharon Jones said junior Allika Pearson is running strong along with Rachel Thompson in the long distance races.

“Allika has not missed a beat,” Sharon Jones said. “She should have really good times this year. Rachel’s running really well. She’s running neck-and-neck with Jasmine right now. They’re doing good.”

In middle distance, the Lady Panthers will count on Chloe McGooden and Caroline Farine.

Sophomores Chloe Price and Alexis Roach, junior Hadlee Hollenback and senior Sidney Henry have joined the team at the conclusion of basketball season and should help.

Roach competes in multiple events and could be a candidate to participate in the heptathlon in May.

“She’s been working all offseason,” Sharon Jones said. “Chuck’s had her on a really good plan.”

Emily McClelland is working in the hurdles and Karla Garcia will compete in the throwing events for the Lady Panthers.

Also competing for the Lady Panthers in various events are seniors Whitney Burns and Stephanie Suaste and junior Melanie Capehart.

The Joneses are joined by four more coaches for track season.

Janes takes over the throwing events, while Latasha Armer coaches pole vaulters and seventh- and eighth-grade sprinters.

Erin Gatling, who was a three-time Meet of Champions winner in the 800 meters at Van Buren, takes over coaching the middle distance runners and helps with long jump and sprinters.

“That’s right in her wheelhouse,” Chuck Jones said. “She’s pushing those kids. She was a heptathlete, so we’re excited. We’ve got (several) boys and girls that want to try and do the decathlon/ heptathlon later in the year. We’re going to try and train some of those kiddos and utilize her there.”

Kailey Greenleaf works with hurdles, while Sharon Jones coaches the distance runners and high jump.

Chuck Jones coaches sprinters in grades 9-12 and the triple jump.

“It’s been pretty smooth so far,” Chuck Jones said. “The weather’s been great. Last year we were inside for two-thirds of the season and this year we’ve gotten to be outside, so that’s been a big benefit to us.”