Depth a concern
After having lost all three state qualifiers from last season to graduation, the International Falls boys track and field team enters 2012 with other upperclassmen filling leadership roles.
The departed state qualifiers include:
• Jake Jensen, who closed out his senior season at the Class A state track and field meet placing third in the pole vault after clearing 14 feet, 3 inches, tying for second best on the Broncos’ all-time list of pole vaulters. (Raphy Gelo set the school record of 14-7 in 2008.)
• Shawn Filipiak, who tied for fourth in the high jump with a leap of 6-2 at the 2011 Class A state meet. Filipiak also cleared 6-5 last year to place him in second on the all-time list of Falls’ high jumpers, behind only Wayne Roberts, who jumped 6-7 in 1983.
• Brandon Richards, who closed out his high school career at last year’s state meet by placing 14th in the shot put with a throw of 46-4.
Jensen, Filipiak, Richards and senior Reggie Gorden had been the Broncos’ captains last season.
“These four scored most of our points last year,” said head coach Paul Hjelle, who is in his sixth year in charge of the Falls boys team. “We will also miss middle-distance runner Aaron Marx.”
As the team, the Broncos’ accomplishments last year included placing second at the Subsection meet, as well as recording first- and second-place finishes at a number of invitational meets.
Hjelle’s list of top returning athletes includes senior Tyler House and juniors Marco Griffith and Cade MacKay, who will be the captains this year, and junior Nick Janttie.
“Marco is very versatile and will be able to run sprints as well as middle distance,” Hjelle said. “Cade will help us in some distance events and should be one of the top pole vaulters in our Section this season.
“Tyler, if healthy, will help us in sprints and sprint relays. He is also a good long jumper.
“Nick is a strong athlete that will help us in the throwing events and will also help us on the track in the 100 and 4X100 relay.
“Senior Alex Henningsen could also help us on the track and in some field events. Junior Jason Pumper has a lot of potential, too. He could develop into a pretty good high jumper and intermediate hurdler.”
Hjelle said the Broncos this season have good leadership from the upperclassmen, while the team on the whole is young, but should see steady improvements as the season moves on.
He said the team goals this season are “to be competitive and to keep improving as the season progresses.”
Hjelle said he is concerned the most this season about a lack of depth.
“The boys are going to have to find more than just one event to compete in,” he said. “We are going to need a lot of our top athletes to excel in multiple events.”
Hjelle said he is looking forward this season to working with “young athletes that give it their best shot each and every time they compete” and “seeing how they improve from meet to meet.”
Falls’ season begins with an indoor meet next Tuesday when the Broncos travel to Bemidji for the Paul Bunyan Invite.
The team has another indoor meet April 3 at Bemidji before beginning the outdoor season April 12 by hosting the Bronco Booster Invite.
