As of press time, high school springs sports events and practices had been postponed until April 10. That announcement came as the finishing touches were being put on the Spring Sports preview. We have decided publish these previews in order to highlight Hardy County’s high school athletes, should no opportunity exist later.
East Hardy Track and Field has eight athletes returning to the roster with experience from the state track meet last season who are guiding teammates for another Charleston visit after the delay to this year’s starting time and a plethora of upcoming talent from the middle school championship ranks.
East Hardy Boys Track squad will be coached by athletic director Devon Orndorff in his fourth season and the East Hardy Girls Track team will be led by first-year coach Gary Hanson.
“As always, our first goal is to win the Potomac Valley Conference Championship Meet. Our secondary goal is to bring home as many state medals as possible. I expect the boys team to be very competitive this season even though our team is primarily made up of underclassmen. The girls team returns a few star sprinters, so I expect the team to follow their lead as they continue to get better,” East Hardy Boys Track coach Devon Orndorff remarked.
Those coming back from the state meet last year are: Jaden Fleshman, SierraMarie Miller, Holly Snyder, Carly Hershberger, Bryce Tharp, Noah Lang and Christian Robinson.
East Hardy Girls Track junior SierraMarie Miller and sophomore Holly Snyder, were members of the bronze medal state track meet 4×200 relay team which set a new school record with a time of 1:51.88 along with graduated seniors Emma Lutz and Alderson Broaddus University Track freshman Emili Flynn.
Miller was a state champion in girls wrestling this season and her athleticism keeps her moving in the right direction even on the track having been there last year for the 400 meter run, plus three relay events 4×100, 4×200, 4×400 and competed in the high jumper two seasons ago in Charleston as a freshman.
East Hardy Girls Track senior Jaden Fleshman, junior Rayne Metzer and Snyder were part of the state meet shuttle hurdles squad last year and looking for one more member to fill the role left behind by Flynn.
East Hardy Girls Track sophomore Carly Hershberger was a member of the 4×400 state relay team along with Miller, Lutz and Flynn, but is also known for singing an excellent rendition of our national anthem during minor league baseball games and local events.
Perhaps her voice will be heard at a track event this year before crossing the finish line.
East Hardy Girls Track seniors Jaden Fleshman, Hannah Merritt and Elizabeth Dove have become leaders for the underclassmen encouraging them to maximize their skills and effort to potentially reach their goals.
Fleshman will be a spinner and hurdler, Merritt will be a sprinter and Dove will be a distance runner this season.
Miller and Metzer lead a strong junior contingent comprised of Katee Short, Aija Burnette, Tera Jones and Kassidy Arnold.
Miller is a sprinter and high jumper, Metzer is[private] a hurdler/sprinter, Short, Brunette and Jones will be throwers and Arnold will be a distance runner.
Hershberger and Snyder have set the tone for the sophomore class which includes Sara Sine, Courtney Shank, Jenna Lilly, and Allison Sual.
The East Hardy Girls Track freshmen are Whitney Frame, Autumn Blake, Courtney Hollen, Taylor Strawderman, Tanisha Neff and Emily Dyer.
Strawderman showed her strength on the basketball floor this year which could be an indication of how much of an impact is going to come in the discus and shot put.
Dyer was a fast runner on the court and will be a good addition to the sprints and relays this season.
On the East Hardy Boys Track team, juniors Bryce Tharp, Christian Robinson and sophomore Noah Lang come back from last year’s state track meet as representatives anchoring the challenge to return to Charleston.
Tharp competed in the state meet’s 110 and 300 meter hurdles, shuttle hurdles and 4×800 relay.
Lang and Bryce Tharp were joined by Robinson in the state 4×800 relay along with Nathan Phillips, while Lang was also a member of the shuttle hurdles squad with Tharp, Phillips and Aden Funkhouser.
East Hardy Boys Track junior Andrew Tharp traded in his baseball cleats for a chance to run on the track with his brother Bryce as they had done before in middle school showing the speed is still there for having some great relays in the days ahead.
The East Hardy Boys Track seniors are William Strawderman, Aaron Fishel and Tyler Harmon.
Strawderman has gained experience as a thrower for shot put and discus building strength in the weight room, Fishel is a good sprinter and mid-distance runner with state meet experience and Harmon will be one of the sprinters with an option to be a hurdler to provide more points for the Cougars.
Fishel was a member of the 4×400 state meet team two seasons ago.
Robinson (distance runner) and Bryce Tharp (hurdler/sprinter) lead a talented group of juniors ready to earn state tournament berths: Andrew Tharp, Christian Dove, Brayden Ritchie, Nevin Good, Dayton Miller, Braden Orndorff, Sky Spell and Layne Miller.
Dove was a fast runner on the baseball diamond last season and traded his bat for a baton to show just how strong the relay teams and sprinting will be for the Cougars this year.
Josh Hahn was a good hurdler last season and will shift alongside Ryan Fishel and Jacob Combs pacing the long distance runners for the sophomore class which will also include Dale Hockman (thrower) and Lang (sprinter/hurdler).
Hockman was a huge force on the wrestling team and will make an impact on the shot put and discus competition.
The freshmen class were part of the Potomac Valley League Boys Track championship squad last year helping the EHEMS Cougars to a third straight title as the sophomores and juniors remember participating in during their time in middle school: James Shipe, Shane Riggle, Miles Kidwell, Eli Schetrom, Mason Miller and Brandon Parker.
Mason Miller joins his junior siblings SierraMarie and Dayton again in the sports scene, having been together during wrestling this past winter.
Riggle, Kidwell and Shipe were also members of the wrestling team keeping the weight room activities busy throughout the year to bolster stamina for attacking the track and field events.
East Hardy Track and Field have a plethora of quick and powerful athletes preparing to meet the demands of the sport in pursuit of punching a ticket to the state track meet.
Individual events haven’t been specified as the practices were cancelled, but Coach Orndorff provided a list of potential sprinters/hurdlers, distance runners and throwers:
The East Hardy Track sprinters/hurdlers are: Tyler Harmon, Christian Dove, Bryce Tharp, Andrew Tharp, Noah Lang, Sky Spell, Mason Miller, Kevin Good, Aaron Fishel, Miles Kidwell, SierraMarie Miller, Jaden Fleshman, Emily Dyer, Rayne Metzer, Holly Snyder, Carly Hershberger and Hannah Merritt.
The East Hardy Track distance runners are: Liz Dove, Kassidy Arnold, Whitley Frame, Mario Combs, Ryan Fishel, Josh Hahn, Brandon Parker, Christian Robinson, Layne Miller, Shane Riggle and Eli Schetrom.
The East Hardy Field throwers are: Tera Jones, Jadyn Whetzel, Taylor Strawderman, Aija Burnette, Courtney Shank, Sara Sine, Marissa Clark, Makayla Dove, Tanisha Neff, Katee Short, J.B. Shipe, Dayton Miller, William Strawderman and Dale Hockman.
East Hardy is scheduled to have a home meet on April 16 if the season resumes in time, then a trip to Spring Mills on April 18.
The Cougars final home meet is on April 28 and will visit Mooreifld on April 30 before the PVC Championship in Keyser on May 6.
[/private]The Region II Track Meet will be on May 14 and the state meet is on May 22-23 depending on the season layout after the outbreak ends.
