Spring is coming, and outdoor season is here. The boys’ track team has a lot of potential to look
out for as their team opens the first outdoor meet on April 11th, at Lockport High School. The
indoor season brought success for the Griffins as they placed highly at the indoor meets that
they were involved in. In an effort to find out more about what the boys have to offer this year,
I reached out to Coach Raymond Hines with some questions about the team. Below are his
replies, as well as standout athletes that have been elevating the team so far.

Q – In what ways have you seen growth on your team in comparison to last year’s season?

Coach Hines – Health, right now we have 3 big time guys back that we missed last year. Ryan
Usher – hamstring (spr/hurdles), Uche Ezeigwe – torn meniscus (jumps/spr), and Jack Roberts –
lower leg injuries (dist.) Those guys would have been state qualifiers either individually or in a
relay last year. It is good to have them back. #’s, we only have about 15-16 more guys on the
roster this year (133 total) compared to last year, but I believe in strength in numbers.
Each meet we find another guy that can provide key depth for our team as we get into
May and as you know the Month of May is pretty cutthroat in the sprot of Track and Field.
Those #’s on our roster also create competition within our event groups. As a result, we are
finishing this indoor season running faster, jumping better, and throwing further than we were
last indoor season.

Q – Where do you believe the most power currently is within your team? Either in terms of
scoring points or some other form?

Coach Hines – Football can be broken into three phases – Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. I
believe you can also break down Track and Field into three phases – Field events, Spr/Hurdles,
and Distance. In Track and Field you teams throughout the state that have all three. Other
programs may be traditionally strong in one phase but not so much in the others. Some
programs may be middle of the road in all three, some may be strong in 2 but nonexistent in
the other. The mix types as to what kind of team you are, are endless. And point totals and
point swings at any given big meet can vary. But when it comes to standing on the TEAM medal
stand at your conference, sectional, or state meet each team pretty much had solid
contributions from all 3 phases. I think right now at this moment we are strong in the distance
and strong in the jumping events. I truly believe though, that our throws and sprints are getting
close to taking the next step and when they do, something special is going to happen.
Right now within our conference and sectional HF is the team to beat and perennial top
5 finisher at the state meet in Charleston. We can hang around with them in a meet until their
overall depth takes over. If our sprinters continue to develop and these throwers progress, as
they have been this indoor season, it is possible an upset could be afoot. Currently, I believe we
have elite enough talent to score at any track meet in the distance and jumping events. We
have a shot to get better in sprints and throws and if we do, that could provide for an exciting
post-season.

Today, right now, our most valuable guys and guys who can score at any meet are Jack
Roberts, Sean Hanrahan, DJ Richardson, and Uche Ezeigwe. The others that could provide a lift
for us this outdoor season are endless but to be more specific Petey Olaleye, Caden O’Rourke,
Martin Thompson, Roosevelt Walker, Isaiah Kuli, Adelana Akinfe, Christian Remblake, Justin
Falejczyk, the Arnold twins [Drew Arnold, Kyle Arnold], and Ryan Usher are all guys who did
enough this indoor season to know they will help us this outdoor season.
End Questions

Understanding the points that Coach Hines touched on regarding strength across the
whole range of events, it can be expected that the team will have a lot to show once the
warmer weather starts to come in. They have been putting in work necessary to make some
exciting things happen and will certainly continue to do so. Sophomore sprinter Ben Tishka
provided his comment for this article as well, saying that he is most looking forward “to see[ing]
progress and success as a group but also as an individual”. I am thankful for the time that Coach
Hines extended to help with this article, as well as the sprinters of the team who offered to be
in the picture. Make sure to look out for the following meets, and to be aware of any
modifications that may occur:
− April 11th, Lockport HS (All Levels – 4:30 pm)
− April 15th, Ottawa HS (Varsity – 11:00 am)
− April 18th, HOME at Lincoln-Way East (All Levels – 4:30 pm)
Go Blue!