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Quitman High School Athletics

NEWS

WITH PRIDE, CORNELSEN APPLIES BLITZ

Ryan Cornelsen and his father, Gary, are known for their history as football coaches. That’s fair. Gary Cornelsen won four Class 5A state championships at Liberal. Ryan, meanwhile, built successful programs in La Crosse and Hays before taking Hutchinson to the Class 6A state championship game in November. But track is the sport where both coaches have raked in state titles. Gary was the architect of Liberal’s track dynasty. The Liberal boys won 14 straight state titles from 1991-2003, while the girls won 10 titles in 11 years between 1994-2004. Ryan Cornelsen later helped Hays win four straight Class 5A titles from 2010-13. “A lot of football coaches do it to pass the time,” Cornelsen said. “But track is something I’m very passionate about. It’s something I want to be good at. It’s something I take pride in.” Hutchinson won’t likely compete for a team state championship this year, the boys or the girls. But Cornelsen is planting the seeds for the Salthawks to perhaps contend soon. The first step is acquiring depth. While both Hutchinson teams will have athletes contending in every meet, Cornelsen wants to find athletes who may not win but can finish fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh. “We want to try to score points,” Cornelsen said. “That way, everyone feels like they’ve contributed.” Cornelsen said more than 100 Hutchinson athletes came out for track. That depth was on display in a non-scoring meet Tuesday at Goddard-Eisenhower as Hutchinson won 21 events. Many Salthawks who finished in the top three were freshmen and sophomores. “Both teams are young, which is exciting,” Cornelsen said. “Right now, we’re trying to create a culture of toughness and work ethic. Track is not easy or fun, but it is fun when you’re winning.” On the boys side, as expected, record-breaking running back Blaik Middleton will run the sprints. Most of the Salthawks are young or unknown on the track. The girls return three athletes who should compete for state championships. Junior thrower Alex Rodriguez was state runner-up in the shot put and the only one of the top three at state back this season. Senior sprinter Yazmine Wright was state runner-up in the 400. Junior hurdler Tyjai Adams was sixth in the 300 hurdles, with only two who finished ahead of her returning. The Salthawks’ first scoring meet is today at Wichita Northwest.

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