Westerfield has bright outlook for Lady Marshal track

By Caitlin Wardlow
Tribune-Courier Reporter

DRAFFENVILLE – Players leave the team. Some graduate, some move, some simply don’t want to play anymore. It happens every year to coaches, and every year the coaches become anxious as they figure out what they’re going to do to replace the lost ones.

However, for Marshall County girls’ track and field coach Cory Westerfield, not a lot of sleep is being lost in the matter.

“I think we’re going to be okay,” Westerfield said. “I still think we can be in the top three or four teams in our region.”

Last year, the girls’ track and field team ended up second in the 1st Region to Owensboro Catholic.

“Our region is very, very competitive,” Westerfield said. “So if we can still be in the top three or four teams this year, I’ll probably be pretty happy with that. Ideally you want to win the region, but in our region that’s a pretty good goal I think.”

Since last season, the team lost several key competitors, one being Laken Dirkes, who is now attending Murray State University.

“She was the three-time 100-meter hurdle state champion and also finished second in the long jump last year,” Westerfield said of Dirkes. “So that’s a lot of points that we’ve lost that we could count on every meet.”

A last-minute loss came just before the school year started when Laura and Brittany Banik moved away.

“The Banik twins both moved away and they were going to be seniors, so that was a lot a lot of points there that were lost,” Westerfield said. “It remains to be seen, but I think we can still be pretty competitive. I think the girls think they can be very competitive. They’re all pretty confident.”

Westerfield said he’s not too worried because he has some good kids coming up who can take open places in the spotlight.

“The program is starting to develop more kids and younger kids,” Westerfield said. “So I think that’s an opportunity for other kids to step up and really shine, and I think we can replace a lot of points here and there. It might not be by winning first in the hurdles every time, but we’ve got a good freshman hurdler, Brittany Martin, that I think we can develop into a pretty great one.”

With a roster ranging in age from grade eight to grade 12, Westerfield said the team is comfortable with at least two good competitors in each event.

“Right now, we’re probably about two deep in every event, three in some,” Westerfield said. “With the middle school kids just starting, a lot of times you’ll find that the girls can compete at the high school level. We’re starting to see what we have there, which might make us a little deeper if we pull a couple of them up. There’s probably two or three of them being pulled up to do both varsity and middle school, which helps us in our depth a little way.”

Several of the girls returning have had experience competing at the state level, and Westerfield said that just gives the rest of the team incentive to do as well.

“We’ve got Hannah Ellis and Jordon Hall [returning],” Westerfield said, “and they went to state in the high jump. Katie Darnell went to state in the pole vault. We have both of our discus throwers back [Olivia Thomas and Terra Spiker] and they have been to state. They’re both very competitive. We’ve got a lot of talented kids back.”

After a small scrimmage the team had Thursday, Westerfield said he was pleased with the results.

“I thought we did well for our first time out competing,” Westerfield said. “I told my wife when I got home, ‘I feel good about it. We did real well tonight.’ Times were good and we competed well. I think we can improve from here and still be pretty competitive.”

Westerfield said the number of players on the roster has grown substantially in the last few years and the girls are starting to see how being on the track team can benefit them in other sports.

“We have a lot of soccer girls and basketball girls on the team, too,” Westerfield said. “We have a good relationship with [soccer coach Michael] Boone and [basketball coach Howard] Beth, and we appreciate that.”

Although he knows it’s going to be a year of change, Westerfield said he’s ready for it and knows the girls can do it.

“When you lose that many points, it remains to be seen,” Westerfield said. “I think our kids are going to step up though. I think they are already stepping up and seeing that they can do it. They knew that already. I don’ think they looked at [players who were leaving] and said they couldn’t do it without them; we wouldn’t have been second in the region without everyone who was still here. I think we’re going to be fine. I’m looking forward to the season.”

Boggess looking for committment in first season as Marshal track coach

By Caitlin Wardlow
Tribune-Courier Reporter

DRAFFENVILLE – You may have seen Mark Boggess on the sidelines at all the Marshall County football games as the offensive coordinator. Now, you’re going to see him on the sidelines at Marshall track and field events.

Boggess got involved in as much as he could his first year at MCHS. He teaches Advanced Physical Education and Conditioning, he coached football in the fall, and now he’s coaching boys’ track and field in the spring.

Boggess came to MCHS from Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tenn., where he coached boys’ and girls’ track and field to great success for six years.

He led the team to 15 individual and relay state championships since 2001.

“I have gotten those athletes to that top level,” Boggess said. “I’m just looking for the athletes.”

As a certified strength conditioning and speed specialist, Boggess said he’s unlike other coaches who sometimes coach track and field as just a second sport.

“Track is my No. 1, along with football,” Boggess said. “I know just as much about football as I do track. So when I change gears from football in the fall to track in the spring, I’m totally focused on that.”

Boggess has set several goals for the boys’ track and field team at MCHS, many of which are long-term.

“One of the things I’ve realized is that I’ve got to get the kids to buy into the commitment level that it takes to be really good,” Boggess said. “And that can be from consistent practice. My main goal is to get them to buy into it – the program, the commitment.”

Boggess said he has a large portion of the 30 members of the track team in class. Others, he has recruited from students who weren’t participating in track, and others he coached in football.

One of those football players is running back Brandon Walker.

“From a performance standpoint, I’ve got a couple of really good athletes,” Boggess said. “Brandon won state in the high jump last year and he played football for me. The expectation for him is a state championship. He’s long-jumping now, and he dabbled in it last year. He jumped at our scrimmage [on Thursday] and he’s almost right at our school record. So that’s a definite goal for him.”

Boggess said while most of the sprinters on the team last year aren’t returning, talented players in other events are coming back.

“Andrew Johnston is a returning pole vaulter,” Boggess said. “Sam Devore is a sophomore, and he is one of the more experienced hurdlers we have. He did well last year. We’ve also got Ross Lampert this year. He’s a returner that just started triple-jumping. He’s a 400, 800 cross country guy that can jump.”

Another goal Boggess has is to turn boys’ track and field into a bigger sport at Marshall County High School.

“I want to change the atmosphere of boys track to where it’s something that the kids want to come out to and get involved in,” Boggess said. “That usually happens when you start wining. I want to get them to where track is a pretty big deal. It’s a side sport, and I think once they get out and see that I can help them get better with running and jumping and whatever it is they need help with, they’ll buy into it more.”

Boggess said he will want athletes from other sports to gradually cross over and participate in track and field. He said he thinks that will help them in the other sports as well.

“Most of my goals are probably longer-term,” Boggess said, “but just getting the kids to buy into the program and having some excitement and success and having that fill the hallways will be the best part.”