Boys’ coach happy with track season start

    While there are areas on which the team needs to build, Chase County Coach Carl Zuege was happy with the Longhorn boys’ performances at their track opener.
    Last Thursday’s opener was just a four-team meet hosted by Perkins County, but it showed Chase County is going to be improved in several areas, with work yet to be done in the voids left by some talented 2017 seniors.
    “I was pleased with our start,” Zuege said.
    Overall, Chase County turned in eight first place finishes, highlighted by a sweep of the relays and the throws.
    As expected, Zuege said the times turned in last week in the sprints are a good indication of things to come.
    Case in point—the 400 meter relay team, finishing with a time of 44.68 on the efforts of Kadin Vrbas, Chase Rowley, Scott Wheeler and Juan Venegas.
    “That’s the fastest time I’ve seen since being head coach,” Zuege said.
    He believes anything below a 44.5 run at state will medal in Class C.
    “I’m very happy with our starts in those other relays (1600 and 3200), too,” he said.
    The 1600 meter relay team of Francisco Barrientos, Chase Rowley, Venegas and Wheeler won easily with their 3:41.42 finish.
    Barrientos, Wheeler, Venegas and Caleb Weiss also won the 3200 relay on a time of 8:49.20.
    In the long relay, Weiss ran in place of Will Kuenne, who didn’t compete that day due to illness. Kuenne qualified in both the 1600 and 3200 meter events at the state meet last year, and Zuege said he always makes the team’s distance crew better when he competes.
    What’s exciting about Chase County’s runners in all three relays is their versatility, Zuege said.
    He said he’ll be able to place any one of them in the open sprints and middle distance races, too, with added points assured.
    Chase County’s throwers had an outstanding day in the opener.
 

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