5A

Doherty

Coach: Robert Duensing (12th season)

Key athletes: Josh Canchola, jumps, sr.; Brad Mattison, pole vault, sr.; Nathan McClain, sprints, soph.; Kurt Lahmers, sprints, sr. and Colton James Wells, distance, sr.

Outlook: Duensing said 75 percent of his team is made up of underclassmen. Meaning, this team’s best days are ahead of them. As for the returning upperclassmen, Mattison is coming off a third-place finish at state in pole vault and Canchola a 15th-place finish in high jump. Wells will lead a distance team made up of mostly freshmen.

Fountain-Fort Carson

Coach: Ben Montoya (eighth season)

Key athletes: Christian Lyon, sprints, jr.; Charles Tigner, sprints and jumps, sr.; Duane McClurkin, sprints, jr.; Tevin Donnell, sprints, sr. Dylan Day, distance, sr. Benjamin Thomas, distance, sr. and Jordan Smith, sprints, sr.

Outlook: Fountain-Fort Carson has a good chance to compete for a second consecutive 5A title. Lyon, Tigner, McClurkin, Donnell, Day, Thomas and Smith should all represent well at the state meet.

Liberty

Coach: Dick Geddes (15th season)

Key athletes: Jack Quinn, middle distance, sr.; Sam Farrell, sprints, sr.; James Kellan, pole vault and hurdles, sr.; Cory Childs, distance, jr.; Cam Rathmell, distance, jr. Brody Fleming, distance, jr. and Matt Von Sprecken, jumps, jr.

Outlook: On the positive side the Lancers have 79 boys out for track and field this season – a huge number for any school. They lose touted thrower Matt Simmons, who graduated, but return key members of their relays and distance team.

Pine Creek

Coach: Max Oliver (14th season)

Key athletes: Zach Alhamra, distance, sr. and Dionne Taylor, jumps, sr.

Outlook: Alhamra and Taylor have a good chance at winning state titles this season. Alhamra posted the fastest 5K time in the state in cross country before he had a bad day at the cross country state meet. Taylor took second in 5A high jump last spring. Oliver said it should be the best boys’ team Pine Creek has had in quite some time.

Rampart

Coach: Jim West (third season)

Key athletes: Tyler Prejean, hurdles and sprints, jr.; Adrian Bruckner, throws, sr.; Xavier Bishop-falu, hurdles, soph.; Eric Tucker, jumps, jr.; Dom Banks, jumps and sprints, sr.; Dallas Lillie, throws, sr.; John Carberry, middle distance and distance, soph.; Connor McCabe, middle distance and distance, fr.; Greg Selinger, middle distance and distance, jr.; Brendan Reich, sprints, sr. and Jose Toledo, throws, sr.

Outlook: Bruckner placed at the 2014 state meet in shot put and discus before he underwent shoulder surgery over the offseason. He leads a fairly young team that has only 12 seniors. Prejean is the other returning state qualifier after he went in the 110 and 300 hurdles last season.

4A

Air Academy

Coach: Kimberly Whitaker (third season)

Key athletes: Bailey Sexton, sprints, sr.; Dylan Dunlap, sprints; Luc Hagen, distance, jr.; Matt McDonald, distance, jr.; Colin Adams, distance, jr.; Cody Steigerwald, jumps; Travis Kohlman, hurdles, jr. and Skylar Smoker, hurdles, soph.

Outlook: The Kadets have a strong distance corps and should be well-rounded in hurdles and sprints. The team’s lack of throwers, however, will be a concern. Looking at the bigger picture, Whitaker said she hopes to continue to grow the number of young athletes on the team.

Canon City

Coach: Nathan Bohlken (first season)

Key athletes: Dylan Albrandt, jumps, jr.; Brandon Trujillo, distance, sr.; Axel Bonney, sprints, jr.; Logan Templeton, sprints, jr.; Austin Brant, throws, sr.; Dacian Sullivan, sprints, soph.; Trenton Stringari, hurdles, sr.; Jamison Smith, distance, jr.; Landon Schluter, jumps, sr.; Bradley Riva, sprints, soph.; Aaron Ewert, sprints, jr.; Daniel Farkas, jumps, sr.; Mason McClaugherty, sprints, sr.; Aaron McCoy, sprints, soph. and Josh Jones, throws, jr.

Outlook: Stringari is a favorite in the Class 4A 110 and 300 hurdles. The CU-Boulder commit lost out on a gold medal in the 400 hurdles by .03 seconds at the National Junior Olympics Championships in 2013. And then he tried to make up for it with a win in the 300 hurdles and a third-place finish in the 110 hurdles at state in 2014.

Cheyenne Mountain

Coach: Stan Lambros 20th season)

Key athletes: William Mayhew, distance, sr.; James Jones, distance, jr.; Martin Eriksen, sprints, sr. and Noah Bolton, sprints, jr.

Outlook: Mayhew is one of the best middle and long distance runners in the state. The Indians have depth this season – when don’t they? – but probably not enough to keep up with 4A powers like Palmer Ridge and Valor Christian on the state scene.

Discovery Canyon

Coach: Christina Miner

Key athletes: Isaac Charlson, throws, sr.; Sterling Watkins, sprints, so.; Jack Bonner, sprints, so.; Kyle Clancy, distance, fr.; Flynn Hollingsworth, pole vault, jr.; Aaron Hauge, jumps/sprints, fr.

Outlook: A young team will step on the track for the Thunder this season. But Miner is hoping more athletes will qualify for state and ultimately land on the podium when medals are handed out.

Palmer Ridge

Coach: Kelly Christensen (second season)

Key athletes: Eric Hamer, distance, sr.; Caleb Ojennes, sprints, jr.; Logan Malone, sprints, sr.; Kyle Rex, jumps and hurdles, jr. and Jordan Swango, jumps, sr.

Outlook: Hamer and Ojennes are some of the best runners in the nation. Period. Hamer won the Class 4A cross country in the fall and was named the Gatorade Athlete of the Year. He then took fourth at Nike Nationals and fourth at the USA Cross Country Championships. Ojennes, meanwhile, helped set the 4A state records in the 1,600 and 800 relay last year and was named an All-American runner in the 800 relay. The Bears won the track title last year and the cross country title in the fall.

Vista Ridge

Coach: Jay Peltier (fourth season)

Key athletes: Eric Stowers, sprints, sr.; Emmanuel Walker, sprints, jr.; Seth Woodring, distance, sr.; Joey Villafan, distance, sr.; Will Haywood, sprints, soph.; Ryan Nelms, jumps, sr.; Anthony Peters, jumps, jr. and Joe Saling, hurdles, sr.

Outlook: The Wolves are very young in 2015. Last year Nelms qualified for state in the high jump, Peters in the triple jump and Saling in the 110-meter hurdles. The boys’ team won the 4A state title in 2013 to give Vista Ridge its first championship in the school’s history.

Woodland Park

Coach: Ron Payton (13th season)

Key athletes: Hayden Erickson, throws, sr.; Christian Cox, middle distance, soph.; Jake Fisher, middle distance, soph.; Charley Schoenberger, middle distance, sr.; Sam Hopfe, jumps, hurdles and sprints, sr.; Dominic Raskam, sprints, fr.; Kyle Rudy, sprints, sr. and Austin Crews, sprints and jumps, fr.

Outlook: Raskam and Crew lead a talented freshmen class as the Panthers are inexperienced in sprints and are young almost everywhere. Veteran Erickson, however, should be one of 4A’s best throwers.

3A

Colorado Springs Christian School

Coach: Mike Caton (14th season)

Key athletes: Michael Jacobson, hurdles and pole vault, sr.; Jake Dunn, middle distance, jr.; Andrew VanOs, middle distance, sr.; Peter VanOs, middle distance, jr.; Connor Craddock, sprints, sr. and Zach Johnson, distance, sr.

Outlook: The Lions have a lot of talent on the track, but lack numbers in the field events. In fact, the team has no throwers, Caton said. Coming off another state wrestling tournament, Craddock should help lead the team in the sprint events. Dunn and the VanOs brothers will lead the team’s middle distance events.

Ellicott

Coach: Jim Van Hoesen (eighth season)

Key athletes: Dillon Harvey, jumps, sr.; JaVonte’ Stewart, jumps and sprints, sr. and Javier Ramirez, sprints, jr.

Outlook: Harvey, Stewart and Ramirez, all multiple-sport athletes, lead Ellicott into the season. Harvey, a star basketball player, qualified for state in the triple jump. Stewart, who will play football at Western State next year, is a fixture on the relays, sprints and jumps. And Ramirez, who plays basketball and football, can run sprints, middle distance and jumps.

Manitou Springs

Coach: Phil Rich (32nd season)

Key athletes: Malachi Peterson, sprints, sr.; Jared Keul, sprints, soph. and Austin Yost, jumps, fr.

Outlook: It will be difficult to replace last year’s senior class, Rich said. The experienced Mustangs team that took fourth at state last year is much younger. Peterson returns with the most experience out of anyone. As a junior he helped lead the 400 and 800 relays to state titles, and took second in the 200.

2A

Calhan

Coach: Luke Billington (third season)

Key athletes: Charlie Sparks, jumps, fr.; Kennith Hartman, jumps, sr. and John Tubbs, hurdles, jr.

Outlook: Luke Billington is realistic about what his team can do this season. He knows Peyton should win the 2A Black Forest League hands down. He just hopes his young, inexperienced teamcan grow in 2015.

Peyton

Coach: Gary Vandemark (23rd season)

Key athletes: Brandon Slusher, throws, sr.; Zach Kearse, sprints, sr.; Tommy Schuemann, sprints, sr.; Ben Wohlrabe, thrower, jr. and Justin Morris, throws, sr.

Outlook: The Panthers have a talented sophomore class to balance the upperclassmen in sprints, hurdles and jumps. Slusher took third at state in shot put and Wohlrabe was a state finals qualifier in discus last year.

Vanguard

Coach: Steve Read (eighth season)

Key athletes: Miles Hatton, distance, jr.; Tyler Gard, middle distance, jr.; Andrew Lee, middle distance, sr. and Harley Morgan, distance, soph.

Outlook: Vanguard has had a track and field team for eight seasons now, and this summer the Coursers finally got an actual track built at their school. The Coursers are bigger and younger than they’ve ever been, Read said. Hatton is a top-four threat in the 800 and 1,600 at state, and Gard is a state medal threat in the 400 and 800.

Pikes Peak Christian

Coach: Lisa Ratterree (seventh season)

Key athletes: Seeon Kim, jumps, sr.

Outlook: The Eagles have things a little tough with no track at their high school. Last year Kim helped lead the team to a third-place Black Forest finish with a winning long jump of 18 feet and 10.25 inches.

Teams not listed did not report

BRENT W. NEW, the gazette