Ernie Ammons has his mind on the present But sometimes, it’s difficult for the Kent-Meridian High track coach not to imagine what the future might hold.
Because if any track and field program in the South Puget Sound League has reason to look a couple years ahead with unbridled enthusiasm, it’s Kent-Meridian.
“Our sophomore class is probably the best one in the area,” said Ammons, who now is in his sixth year with the program. “If these guys all stay together, we’re looking at something pretty special here.”
That “something special” begins with super sophomore Brandon Harris. There wasn’t a freshman in the area last spring who made quite the splash of the K-M standout, who took third at Star Track in the long jump, uncorking a leap of 22 feet, 5 inches at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco. That was just one inch behind second-place Donavan Smith of Oak Harbor, but well off the pace established by Kentlake’s Zach Smith, who won the title with a jump of 23-3.
But to fully understand how solid a performance Harris delivered, one must realize he was the only freshman to have qualified for Star Track in the event. The jump, however, wasn’t much of a surprise.
“His marks were consistently improving all year,” Ammons said of Harris, whose older brother ,Sean, a 2008 graduate, now is competing at Washington State University. “He’s just an extremely talented young man with great genes.
“The sky’s the limit for him.”
Of course, that also could be said for the rising Royals, who go much deeper than Harris.
Besides Harris, K-M has a multi-talented sophomore class, including B.J. Arceneaux (sprints), Derrick Daigre (800) and David Jones (jumps).
Arceneaux was the only freshman to compete in the 100 meters last spring at the West Central District meet and currently is clocking an 11.1 hand-held time.
Jones remains one of the North Division’s up-and-coming long jumpers. In one of the division’s deepest events, he already is uncorking leaps that exceed 19 feet. A few more inches and he will be going as far as a handful of competitors from last year’s state meet.
Then there’s Daigre, one of the school’s premier athletes. Daigre was one of the North’s top distance runners on the cross country trails during the fall, clocking a 16:45 at the state meet, good for 53rd place. When it comes to the oval, however, there isn’t a distance at which Daigre doesn’t excel, whether it’s the 100 or the 3,200.
“He’s just lighting it up right now,” Ammons said.
Indeed he is. A quick look at the top times in the South Puget Sound League show Daigre third overall in the 400 meters (52.77) and eighth in the 3,200 (10:29.36).
Add it all up, and Ammons has plenty of reason to be excited for the future. But the present appears to be plenty stacked, as well. While the Royals might not challenge Kentwood and Federal Way for North Division supremacy this season, they certainly should be in the upper echelon of the league.
“You will see (this group) emerge a little more this year,” Ammons said. “And next year, they should take a big step.”
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