With 72 athletes turning out, the Cheney High School boys track and field team might be approaching an all-time school record for roster size. And while that might bode well for the future, it’s a specific class that has head coach Derek Slaughter thinking the future might not be too far off.
“We are junior heavy,” Slaughter said. “We also have a lot of freshmen, but that junior class stuck around.”
Those juniors played a big part in the Blackhawks fourth-place finish at their first meet of the season, last Saturday’s Howard Dolphin/West Valley Invitational in Millwood. Cheney finished with 65 points, two back of Shadle Park but more importantly two and 10 ahead of fellow Great Northern League title contenders East and West Valley respectively.
Junior Carson Brown led Cheney on the track, turning out a “standout performance” to finish first in the 400-meter dash in 51.70 seconds, with fellow junior Kevin Houndonougbo in fifth. Slaughter said Carson spent a lot of time over the winter in the weight room, and the results were evident right out of the gate last Saturday.
Junior Charles Johnson was third in the 100 in 11.50, 13/100ths of a second faster than his sixth-place time at 2A state last year. Junior Isaiah Dunn looked solid in the hurdles, taking second in the 110s in 16.50 and third in the 300s in 46.50.
Seniors Drake Johnson and Matt Christianson should compete for state slots in the distance races, with Johnson ninth and Christianson 10th in the 3,200 at West Valley. Other cross country runners such as sophomore Tucker Cunningham and freshman Andres Margraf, should also factor into that mix.
Cheney’s depth should also give Slaughter options in the relays. Saturday, the team of Garrett Hagel, Peyton Putney, Zach Jongeward and Johnson captured first in the 4x100 in 44.38.
In the field, senior Chase Reed looks to build off of last year’s seventh-place finish in the discus at state. At the Dolphin, Reed turned in a 3-foot personal record with a first-place throw of 142 feet, 1 inch.
“He believes he can be higher and I think that’s attainable,” Slaughter said.
Brock Winegar was fourth in the javelin at 130-07, but Slaughter added that was under terrible weather conditions last Saturday, and the senior has had throws in practice of well over 160 feet.
Sophomore Dawson West and junior Preston Horton tied for seventh in the high jump while Jongeward was right behind in eighth and freshman Parker Rogers not far back in 11th.
Slaughter liked his team’s finish at the Dolphin against the other two GNL schools, who coupled with Pullman will be the main contenders for a league title. Cheney hopes to factor into that mix for the first time in several years, and Slaughter is using that as incentive for his athletes not only in league competition, but what could lie beyond.
“Whoever wins league has a chance to trophy at state,” Slaughter said. “That’s kind of my marker.”
With a solid core of sophomores and juniors, backed by senior leadership and a group of athletes that put in a lot of hard work over the winter, Slaughter thinks Cheney has a chance to be on that stand come late-May in Tacoma.
“I’m really hopeful,” he added.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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