The Lewis Cass Boys’ Track team is gearing up for another successful season. Last year, the team won the Cass County meet for the first time in many years. Now, they have the chance to win the trophy back-to-back years. Many of the members of the track team are returning from last season, opening the door for another strong year. However, the rest of the surrounding teams have improved their roster as well. The competition for the track team will be tough this year, but they are preparing to rise to the challenge.
Head track coach, Matthew Benner, feels strongly about the potential of the track team. “I feel like this is one of the best track teams that I have ever coached,” Benner said. “We have the potential to be a tough team this year if everybody trains properly.” He went on to say that he believes that the team has the ability to score two or three people in every event. Coach Benner stated that the upperclassmen are very talented, while the freshmen have the ability to be very strong if they put in the work. Compared to last season, the track team only lost a few individuals who performed well. So, the rest of the team has one more year of experience and another offseason to get stronger and faster. “Our throwers are better. Our sprinters are better and our jumpers are better,” Benner stated. The team also has standout individuals who have the opportunity to make it far into the state tournament. Ben Jay, state qualifier for cross country, and Julian Levine, who narrowly missed the chance to go to state for high jump last year, are two of them. “Julian Levine missed the State Meet in the high jump last year by a fraction of an inch. Ben qualified for the State Meet in cross country and is hungry for more.” These two and numerous others have the chance to not only score well for the team, but also advance in the state tournament. “Everyone should come out and watch a meet this season,” Benner said. “It should be exciting.”
One standout thrower is sophomore, Brayden Woolever. Woolever scored many points for the team last year as only a freshman, and he threw for Cass in the sectional meet. His personal best for the shot put is 38 feet, while his best for the discus is 113 feet. This year, he plans to improve those numbers. “I am hoping to throw 130-ish in discus and 40 plus in shot,” Woolever stated. This will certainly be attainable for the thrower. Woolever has been preparing for the season by throwing over the summer, and lifting weights in the offseason. In addition to the extra work Woolever has put in, he has been fully committing himself to the workout at practice. After the throwers are finished with the throwing workout, Woolever visits the weight room, where he continues to improve his strength. Woolever already has his goals set for this year’s track season. “My goals for conference and state tournament are top three in conference and top six in sectional,” Woolever stated. These goals will help him to perform his best and push himself to achieve more.
Junior superstar, Jed Frey, had an explosive rookie season last year. He participated in various sprinting events, including the 200 meter dash, his best event. He contributed greatly to the team score at every meet, and was able to take home awards for himself. Jed wishes to continue his success into the new season. Specifically, he wants to improve in the 200 meter dash and win county for the second year in a row. When asked about his hopes for the team goals, Frey said, “I hope the team wins most if not all of our meets, not including tournaments, along with winning county again.” The sprinters have also been preparing for the season. At the beginning of the season, they eased into the sprint workouts in order to best prepare their bodies. In addition to this, they have been doing a “cool-down” every practice. This is a small set of exercises which serve to ease the muscles into the pre-exercise relaxed state. Frey explained how he is getting back into running shape by working with Coach Benner to ensure he can perform at his highest level.
The Lewis Cass Boys Track team has a difficult road ahead. Every area school has improved, and there are many excellent teams on the schedule. However, the coaches and the runners believe they can compete if they put in the work. Every workout and every practice is crucial to the success of this season’s track team. We wish them the best of luck this year!
