One of the state’s top 3A track and field programs is back in action.
On the heels of the greatest-two-year run in program history, including two men’s state titles and five other top-four finishes, Franklin opened their winter season as a team at Swain Nov. 20. With several state-qualifying performances including some of the best in Panther history, the team took their first steps toward another state championship.
“The strategy going into this meet was that we weren’t trying to win the track meet,” said head coach Matt Harlfinger of the 10-team contest. “It’s so early in the season and we don’t do tryouts, so this was the ‘tryout.’ We put just about everybody in the same two or three events, and just wanted to see who stacked up where. We didn’t run the relays and we didn’t do a lot of the field events; it was really just an opportunity for us to evaluate the team and kind of see where each individual was.”
With a large group of newcomers joining this year’s team, the trip to Bryson City served as an early-season litmus test, giving coaches a chance to gauge each athlete’s readiness for different events. For veterans, the meet provided a chance to flex their muscles.
“One of those events that we really pursued was the 55-meter dash – we wanted to maybe see who our four fastest people are that we would put on a relay,” said Harlfinger. “We had four girls that actually cracked our top-10 all-time. Laura Covarrubias ran the second-fastest time in school history, just behind Hope Smith’s school record from last year … We had the four fastest girls at the track meet out of 23 girls, and all of our other girls did really well in the 55, too.”
In less than eight seconds, Covarrubias (7.43), Michelle Ortega (7.47), promising freshman Channing Ray (7.80) and sophomore Anna Timan (7.86) posted four of the 10 fastest 55-meter times in Franklin history, followed closely by Kai Pelletier (7.98) and Olivia Ramirez (8.03). In just the first meet of the year, Covarrubias and Ortega came within a tenth of a second of Smith’s record from last year (7.41), and looked equally comfortable in the middle-distance events.
“Michelle Ortega won the [300-meter dash] as well, and almost set a personal record,” said Harlfinger. “There were six girls in that heat. When they got done, five of them were laying down on the floor, and the person that won it didn’t even look like she was breathing hard. … Laura Covarrubias won the 500-meter, and she actually qualified for the state meet. It was kind of the same thing with Laura as with Michelle. When she got done – and the 500 is a little bit harder to walk away from than the 300 – she laid down on the track for a second, and somebody came over and said, ‘Hey, are you OK?’ As calm as can be, she said, ‘Yeah I’m fine, I just need a second,’ like nothing happened.”
Between a cadre of lightning-fast girls and more event wins from the boys (including Zachary Call in the 300 and Ken Modlin in the 500), Franklin dominated the meet’s short and middle-distance events. In the field events, several other Panthers also impressed.
“On the boys side, David Rogers won the pole vault yesterday with a qualifying mark and a personal record of 12’7”,” said Harlfinger. “Aaron Dewhurst took second place with a qualifying mark of 11’6”. Last year it took 11 feet to qualify; this year it’s 11’6”. We’ve got a newcomer, Josiah Mascorro – he’s a soccer player – he cleared 11 feet and would have qualified last year, and almost cleared 11’6”. … And then throw in the mix Adam Rogers too, who’s the top returner in the state in the pole vault and cleared 14’1” last year. He didn’t compete yesterday, so we’ll see what happens there with those four boys because we’re only allowed to put three of them in [the state meet].”
After losing former pole vault State Champions Blake Cassada and Boston Stringer, Franklin has barely skipped a beat in its signature event, thanks in large part to assistant coach and former Panther vaulter Joel Lynch. In the throwing events, Franklin boasts a mix of established veterans and promising underclassmen.
“Charley Seagle qualified in the shot put … and a couple boys snuck into the top 10,” said Harlfinger. “Cade Bell – he’s a newcomer – he threw 37’11”, and Brady Norman threw 37’4”. All of the throwers on the boys side had big personal records. Brady was like two feet further than his lifetime best I’m pretty sure, Wesley Maxson as well, and the girls threw really well.”
In punching a ticket to her seventh state meet between winter and spring, Seagle joins Covarrubias as the only Franklin seniors to have qualified for every state meet in their careers. Much like pole vault, with a stable of young Panthers waiting in the wings, the team should be strong in the throwing events for years to come.
While their sprinters and field athletes braved frigid temperatures at Swain, Franklin’s top distance runners enjoyed a well-earned night off, after competing in a specialized meet Nov. 16. At the Dash for Doobie 3,200-meter race at Reagan High School near Winston-Salem, sophomore Morgan Cress placed 80th out of 177, turning in a state-qualifying time of 11:53.75.
“We’ve made it into a friendly competition, and right now the girls are beating the boys. The girls have three qualifiers with Morgan in the two-mile, Charley in the shot put and Laura in the 500,” said Harlfinger. “One of our goals for this year is to hit 30 qualifying marks – 15 on each side. If we can do that, I think we’ll be in a good spot come state-time. Last year I think we hit 40, but the NCHSAA has made every single event a little bit harder and increased the performance marks to qualify. In my head, if we can get 15 boys and 15 girls there trying to score, I think we’ll be OK.”