With a total of 74 members, the boys track team is certainly one of the largest teams at H-F, so competition is plenty tough.

At the bigger invites, the team is only allowed to take two people, so there is a constant pressure on improving times.

“It’s pretty difficult to top previous times, especially when you do your best at each meet,” Sprinter Jordan Curtis said. “If you focus at practice you will always get where you want to be.”
The team’s first two meets were held at home. They came out on top in the first meet and were runner-ups in the second. However, the team’s overall focus is reserved for bigger invites, according to head coach Nate Beebe.

“We really don’t focus on how we finish in non-invite meets but rather how well our guys perform individually,” Beebe said.

Last year the team had nine runners go to State, and they qualified in a total of six events. Out of those nine, only four are returning to the team this year .
That may give the returning runners a slight advantage when preparing and competing.

“It gives me a better insight because I know what to expect,” Senior distance runner Christian Hoover said. “Mostly it helps in the training aspect because I know how hard you have to work to get there.”

Knowing how hard to work can definitely be an advantage if you choose to use it.
That’s why senior Sprinter Emmanuel Spearman never misses a beat.

“I put everything I have into every meet because every meet is a chance to drop your time,” Spearman said.

Track isn’t just about being fast. It’s about the mind set and mental toughness as well as physical strength, according to Hoover.

“You have to be mentally strong.” Hoover said. “If you don’t have the mental drive coming into the season, then you probably won’t get it.”

To Spearman, the solution to improving is simple.
“You just have to run until your knees fall off,” Spearman said.