Vikings prepare to defend their home turf
Friday's Central Coast Invitational at Hans Petersen Field isn't quite the Super Bowl of track and field for the Siuslaw Vikings.
But it's close.
"We won't be killing our kids Friday night, but we'll have people in a lot of events," Siuslaw coach Chris Johnson said. "There's team scoring and it's a home meet, so we care."
Ten schools will be competing, from 1A Elkton to 6A Roseburg.
"Both North Bend and Marshfield are going to be at full strength, and we are, too, just about," Johnson said. "It should be fun."
Field events begin at 4 p.m., track events at 5:30 p.m.
Friday's competition is a major step in the Vikings' season-long progression, and Johnson expects good performances.
"We'll be pretty close to full strength," he said. "We won't be quite 100 percent (because) we could put people in more events."
Johnson saves that strategy for the Far West League championships, which this year are May 13 and 14 at Douglas High School in Winston.
That would be the Vikings' Super Bowl, with their World Series — aka the state championships — the following weekend in Eugene.
"We only go all out for one meet, district. Then we see what we have from there," Johnson said. "Everything (else) is preparation.
"We're trying to figure out where to put people, and we're trying to figure out where people can be to help themselves and best help the team."
Most of the Vikings will do multiple events. But the one-day nature of Friday's competition will limit what some of the athletes do
"The district meet's over two days, so it's easier to load people up because it's easier to get a bit of rest, especially distance runners," Johnson said.
The Vikings will be well-travelled as they build to district and state competition. Over a recent eight-day period they have competed in Roseburg, Philomath and Eugene, as well as at home.
Meets in Gresham, Grants Pass and Cottage Grove await ahead of district.
"We have a team we feel can get a lot better," Johnson said. "We have some young people who, when they figure things out, are really going to make a big impact."
Siuslaw's junior-dominated girls team should make a serious run at district and state titles. Senior Mikaela Siegel and juniors Carissa Oliver, Morgan Bingham, Celie Mans, Annmarie Precht, Destinie Tatum and Abby Watkins all have marks in the top 10 among 4A athletes.
Among the boys, freshman Murray Bingham, sophomore Trent Reavis and junior Jack Pickell have notched top-10 performances.
"We have until May 13 to figure it out, and see how far we can go," Johnson said. "If things continue the way they are, we'll have a great chance to do well."
NOTES
Senior Mikaela Siegel plans to join the University of Idaho track and field program as a walk-on, according to Vikings coach Chris Johnson. ...
IdahUpdated top 10 lists are available online at Athletic.net at http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/Division/Top.aspx?DivID=72653 ...
Teams competing Friday at the Central Coast Invitational include 1A Elkton, 2A Gold Beach, Oakland and Toledo, 4A Marshfield, North Bend, Siuslaw and Sutherlin, 5A Dallas and 6A Roseburg. ...
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