Thunderbirds, Lady Thunderbirds looking to advance to sectionals
By Jeremy Jacob
For the Fulton Sun
The North Callaway track and field teams head into today’s Class 3 District 4 meet at Montgomery County riding recent success.
Four North Callaway athletes earned the top spot in their respective events in their most recent meet Monday at the Centralia Classic.
Freshman Pressley Schmauch ran to a top finish in the 3,200-meter run after earning second at the meet before, the EMO Conference Meet. Schmauch also finished third in the 1,600-meter run at the conference meet.
Schmauch has consistently placed in the top three in the 1,600 and the 3,200, including three first-place times in the 3,200.
North Callaway head coach Reid Randolph said Schmauch has translated her success from her cross country season into her track season.
“She’s really had a breakthrough,” Randolph said. “She has been really competitive all year.”
North Callaway’s other first-place finishers from the Centralia Classic include senior Grant Eichman (800-meter run), freshman Lane Kimbley (3,200) and senior Tristan Webb (400-meter run).
Randolph said Eichman has come a long way since his freshman year.
“You will never meet a better guy than Grant,” Randolph said. “He is the perfect teammate, he is always positive, and he always works hard. I hope to be as good of a guy as Grant someday.”
Despite injuries, Webb has made an impact as a long sprinter and long jumper.
Randolph said Kimbley has done well despite being three weeks behind the competition in training after an all-state wrestling season.
“He will run through a brick wall for you and not even ask why,” Randolph said. “He will do anything asked of him and go hard and do it.”
Cody Cash has set team season bests in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Sophomore Caleb Rohrbach has shined as a thrower for the Thunderbirds, winning the shot put at the EMO Conference meet with a throw of 43 feet, 10.75 inches.
“I don’t know if I have ever had a sophomore throw as hard as (Rohrbach) has,” Randolph said.
Randolph said Rohrbach’s performance is reminiscent of Paden Lewis, a state champion in the shot put for North Callaway in 2019.
Other Thunderbirds looking to rise up the leaderboards are the relay teams, starting with the 4x100-meter relay team of Cash, junior Matthew Blair, junior Trevor Ray and freshman Austin Hoover.
Another relay team Randolph has put together, a group that hasn’t run together this year, is for the 4x400 race Randolph called a “super relay.” Webb, Eichman, Cash and senior Noah Scrogum will team up for that.
The girls 4x100 and 4x200 teams have a chance to move on to sectionals, Randolph said. Freshman Corynne Miller, senior Taylor Head, junior Kyanne Kellerman and senior Mackenna Allen will be on those teams.
Senior Kaleigh Moore has been like “the face of the program” in her career at North Callaway, Randolph said. She’s been all-state in cross country and track.
Senior Joshua Selby has recorded team season bests in the javelin and discus.
Randolph acknowledges it will be a tough test for the Thunderbirds and Lady Thunderbirds today.
“This is easily the toughest district in the state and the toughest district we’ve been to,” Randolph said.