North Summit setting sights on state track title
Once again, North Summit has formed a ruling triumvirate in Class 2A with defending champion Richfield and Juab. The Braves are flush with plenty of depth in the sprints, hurdles, distances and throwing events.
There is one change North Summit would like to see from 2007. The Braves are itching to claim a state title and feel confident they possess both the talent and work ethic it takes to do it.
"We have the drive to finish things and make it," said senior Whit Jones. "We're always pushing to get better."
Jones is doing his part by anchoring the team in the shot put and discus. He capped off his junior season by finishing third in the discus and sixth in the shot put at the 2A state meet. This spring, Jones has picked up where he left off.
At the UHSTCA Invitational, Jones placed fourth against mostly 4A and 5A competition with a throw of 43 feet and 2.75 inches. He also finished fourth in the discus with a throw of 131-5 inches.
Jones, also a fullback and linebacker for the football team, took up discus and shot put as a means to emulate his older brother Kyle. He hasn't yet matched Kyle's state titles in both events, but surpassing him is not Jones' main motivation.
In the distance races, North Summit is expecting senior Nathan Fowles to lead the way again. Fowles enjoyed three top five finishes at last year's 2A state meet — including a runner-up finish in the 3200 meters.
Fowles considers the 800 his strongest event, however, and is looking to get under his personal record of 2:03 he set as a junior.
He is confident he can improve upon his state meet finishes from a year ago.
"My times don't say it, but I feel pretty good this year," Fowles said.
In the short distance events, the Braves are looking for big contributions from Taylor Bates and Dallin Donaldson. Bates was a state champion in the 400 meters in 2007, with a winning time of 49.71 seconds and should be considered a contender again.
Donaldson hopes to join him in the Top 5, but admits going from a football running style to a track running style requires a bit of a mental adjustment.
"In track, you'd think the more you care, the faster you run," Donaldson said. "But usually if you relax and just kind of chill, you run a lot faster. It's kind of a different concept for me."
North Summit has to like its chances at the 2A championship meet in May. With many of the same athletes, the Braves fell only a point shy of beating out Richfield for the state title. If they prevail this year, it will be North Summit's first such title since it ran off four straight from 1999 to 2002.
In the meantime, the Braves are preparing to defend the championship they earned at last year's BYU Invitational. North Summit edged out Firth, Idaho, by 3.5 points for the 2007 title. The Braves prevailed against a field featuring 1A and 2A schools from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada.
"That was a tremendous accomplishment, I thought, for (us) last year to win that invitational," Braves coach Dave Peck said.
E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com
Recent comments
in over all lookings north summit over all looks to be in a third...
way to go | May 1, 2008 at 10:58 a.m.
We got screwed last year at state when they disqualified our medaly...
Nuts and bolts | April 29, 2008 at 11:43 p.m.
Hey man like anybody is comparing a 2A school to a 5A school. And...
brave fan | April 29, 2008 at 11:25 p.m.
