After a dazzling performance at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III district meet last year which included the Garfield G-Men girls’ team capturing the district banner, the G-Men return this year aiming to build on last season’s momentum.
“I think we have a great group coming in this year that we will be able to fill some of those voids that we lost with graduation last year,” Coach Matt Pfleger said. “I think we have a strong group this year. Seeing what they are already doing during indoor season, during practice, during outdoor mandatory work, we are definitely promising for this year.”
The first step for the G-Men is to continue their reign in the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference, as they seek to retain the league banner for a fourth straight season since joining the conference in the 2022 season.
“That’s the hope. We have a couple of bigger meets before that meet but that is the first look at what the district squad is going to look like,” the four-year coach noted. “We really won’t know until then about some of the depth that we have in our events this year.”
According to Pfleger, some of his athletes’ success will be aided by their performances during the indoor track season. Garfield had six indoor state qualifiers in senior Preston Gedeon, junior Sophia Dahlen, senior Hannah Kernig advancing in the triple jump, freshman Olivia Kuchenbecker qualifying in the 60-meter hurdles, and sophomores Hannah Timmons and Elise Edwards earning bids in the weighted throws.
After earning the OHSAA Division III district banner, the G-Men girls return the majority of their squad with only three regional qualifiers from last year graduating. According to Pfleger, the girls’ team’s depth has only gotten better with the influx of underclassmen, making it one of his deepest girls’ team in recent memory.
He added that most of Garfield’s depth is in the throwing events with Kuchenbecker, Timmons, Edwards and junior Riley Grave anchoring those events.
“I think it is very deep,” Pfleger added. “It is reminiscent of some of the old crews that my brother had, and all of the throwers want it. They bought in and work on the craft not just in practice but all on their own.”
In addition to having depth in the throwing events, the G-Men girls are also well-balanced in the running events, putting them in a prime position to contend for the district banner and also qualify a few athletes for the OHSAA Division III state meet, avenging last year’s regional meet when no G-Men girl earned a state bid.
On the boys’ side, Pfleger acknowledged that that it would be more of a learning curve, as most of the regional qualifiers last year have graduated. While the team is still dominated by the junior class, there will also be some underclassmen added to the mix.
“As far as experience goes, when you have a senior group like that, you have a lot of kids that are going to be stepping up,” he said. “Stepping up in those major competitions like that is going to be a new experience for them. I think they will perform great in that situation, but it is a newer group.”
Garfield’s only state qualifier returning is junior Connor Hunt, who already has six OHSAA Division II state titles on his resume after repeating as the 100-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter seated state champion last season.
“State champion, national champion and now he has the 100-meter national record,” noted Pfleger. He is just an outstanding athlete, and he just got a new chair this year and I know he has been whipping around the track in that and he is looking as strong as ever and it should be another successful year for him and hopefully all three as usual.”
Pfleger said that there also will be plenty of depth in throwing events on the boys’ side, with freshman Ryder Cain, sophomore Gavin Bernard, juniors Richie Shackelford and Mike Huebner among those expected to contribute heavily.
“Every group is striving to get to that next level, whether it is making the district squad or making the regional meet or moving on to state,” Pflger said. “Every athlete we have wants to get onto that next level.”
After opening their season with a home dual meet against MVAC foe Ravenna Southeast on Tuesday, the G-Men will hit the road to compete in Cardinal’s 5th annual William E. Fisher Invitational Friday in Middlefield at 4 p.m.
