Young Broncos look to follow senior leadership

The Wauneta-Palisade track and field teams are both young.  Very young.
Trey McCrumb is the lone senior on the boys team, while the girls have Peyton Cox, GraCee Goings and Ryleigh McCrumb to lead the way. R. McCrumb will miss the season with a knee injury.
Cox and Goings return as state qualifiers and fourth place finishers in the shot put and discus, respectively.
On the girls side, three juniors, Izzy Stehno, Jewel Holthus and Abi Greaves, and three sophomores, McKenna Doetker, Cheyenne Parrish and Lilly Dinnel, are joined by a large group of freshmen.
Nine freshmen round out the squad, LiLeigh Littrel, Peyton Dyer, Saviana Carrizales, Ansley Bartles, Toria Bley, Addalyn Einspahr, Sawyer Vrbas, Emma Acton and Britney Barnard.
With more girls out this year, Head Coach Dawn Doetker said the freshmen have helped fill events and she’s excited to see what they can do for the team.
“It will be nice to fill more events,” she said.
Doetker also likes the senior leadership the Broncos have in the field events.
The Bronco boys have four juniors to help lead the team, Gabriel McCrumb, Ashton Wheeler, Aden Acton and Luke Sims.
Behind there are a group of eight sophomores, Noah Sandman, Konner McCrumb, Kameran McCrumb, Gregory Littrel, Draven  Miner, Casey Walker, Jack Ward and Andrew Mackety.
In their first year are Zeth Lyon, Kaden Dorn and Kreyton Wiese.
Doetker said the boys’ team has big shoes to fill, but she’s happy with the number of athletes she has out.
As with the girls’ team, Doetker is looking forward to having a nice number of athletes to fill out events.
Practices have been going well, Doetker said, despite the usual aches and pains that go along with using new muscles at the beginning of the season.
Having nice weather has helped out as well, allowing the Broncos to be outside rather than practicing in the school’s hallways and gym.
Doetker is entering her 18th year of coaching.
Also coaching is RanDee Littrel, throwers; Staci Applegarth, high jump and hurdles; Rick Einsphar, pole vault and jumps; and Joseph Frecks, pole vault and jumps.
Doetker said it’s great to be coaching with Einspahr again.  Einspahr also coached the Broncos from 2006-2011.
The season began last Friday in Grant with the Perkins County Pre-Season Track Meet.
Also attending was Chase County, Potter-Dix, Wallace and Perkins County.