Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Spring Sports Special: Potter-Dix to rely on state experience in 2015

Potter-Dix has plenty of experience to begin the 2015 track season.

The Coyotes track team returns four boys and three girls who competed at state a year ago, and the girls also gained a transfer with state experience.

Potter-Dix coach Bob Hilpert looks for that talent and experience to help make up for a lack of numbers. There are 15 on the boys team and 13 on the girls team.

"We don't have a lot of numbers, we don't have a lot of depth, but we do have some people that are going to score some points," Hilpert said. "My goal is to do well at MAC, which is about midseason, and obviously qualify the most we can for state."

"We're going to be in decent shape," he added. "We have quite a bit of returning lettermen. We have some kids that were in the state track meet last year that are returning, so their expectations are obviously high."

Three of the four boys on the state qualifying 1600 meter and 3200 meter relay teams return this season in Jake Johnson, Cooper Hicks and Cameron Purcell. That group, plus the now graduated Steven Knigge, set the school record in the 3200 meter relay at the state meet last season. The team finished sixth in 8:32.17.

"These guys who qualified last year know not to take anything for granted. They have to work hard to get back there, because there's going to be 10 other teams that are going to try to dethrone them, going back to the 4x4 and 4x8, so they know they have to pick it up and compete hard," Hilpert said. "They're on a recruiting battle right now to fill that fourth spot. Steven Knigge, we're going to miss him in the boys. He was a pole vaulter that normally won every meet, and he was an important part of that 4x4 and 4x8. So we'll be rebuilding, but we're not hurting, we're not at the bottom of the barrel. It's exciting right now."

Kelsey Rozelle qualified for state in both the long jump and triple jump last season. Johnson qualified in the 800 meter run and 1600 meter run, while Cooper Hicks qualified in the high jump and 800 meter run.

Hilpert also has high hopes for Coby Hicks, Sam Bogert and Noah Nelson in the pole vault. The team has three newcomers in freshmen Dylan Nielsen and JT Herboldsheimer and junior Cole Christensen, who missed the past two seasons due to injury. Christensen jumped six feet in the high jump as a freshman.

"We look for him to do some good things, and he is a hurdler," Hilpert said of Christensen. "This is the first year that he's made it through football and basketball injury-free. So we're hoping we can get that athletic ability on the track and score some more points for the boys."

The returning girls with state experience are Ryley Hicks, Alexus Rozelle and Regyn Hicks. Anna McLaughlin, a transfer from Garden County, also made state a year ago.

"The girls were at the top most of the time last year in every track meet, but we lost one key player in Kate Woten, who is running up at Black Hills State in South Dakota," Hilpert said. "She was good for 10 or 15 or 20 points every meet. That's going to be hard to replace. The freshman girls will help us out. The returning gals did get a transfer in Anna McLaughlin. She came in from Garden County, and she went to state last year in the high jump. She's going to help us out. We'll be strong. The girls will be strong."

Rozelle, a sophomore, finished fourth in the discus and sixth in the shot put at state during her freshman campaign. Regyn Hicks tied for seventh in the high jump at state and qualified in the 100 meter hurdles, while Ryley Hicks tied for 21st in the pole vault at state. McLaughlin tied for 13th in the high jump at state while at Garden County a year ago.

"Those are the start, that's what we're building our team around," Hilpert said.

The Potter-Dix coach also has high hopes for his team's three freshmen.

"Trinity Langley was a triple jumper that last year in junior high, her mark would have placed in most of our high school meets," Hilpert said. "Presley Christensen and Payge Hoffman are both short distance runners. Presley is a hurdler, and she's going to fit right in and probably score some points. Payge is just a competitor. She'll be in the jumps, long jump and triple jump, and the sprints. They're going to go from the height of junior high, from being very successful, to high school where they've got to really work hard. Knowing what they have in them, I think they'll be successful."

Hilpert said his team's experience is invaluable, especially when helping those younger members of the team.

"What helps is they plant the seeds in the young people, the people that haven't been there," he said. "We're fortunate to take alternates in the relay, so we got some people who didn't qualify in an individual event that was able to go and witness what it's like at state. One of them was Noah Nelson, who I look for good things from this year in the pole vault and some other events. I said, 'What do you think of state?' He goes, 'I want to qualify next year.' That seed is already planted.

"But the experience, they're leaders, both in the weight room and on the track and pushing the others. They know they can't wait until the last minute to push it, they've got to push now."