DV boys out to defend state track crown

It's not often coaches encourage their athletes to think about themselves above the team. Yet that's exactly what Desert Vista track's Ryan Stanley and Chris Hanson have been drilling into their athletes the past few weeks leading up to this weekend's Class 5A-Division I state meet at DV.

That's because the Thunder, defending 5A-I champions on the boys side, figure that if they take care of the individual accomplishments, the rest will come.

"You can't focus too much on the team," said DV co-coach Ryan Stanley. "You've got to focus on each person's individual event.

"You've just got to have that mentality that you're competing for every place, every inch, every 10th of a second matters."

It's a lesson DV learned at the 2006 5A-I meet, when the Thunder boys lost out on a state championship by two-10ths of a point to rival Chandler. Had any athlete placed up by one in any event, DV would now be two-time defending state champions.

"You want them to compete," Stanley said. "Every place matters."

The Thunder, who are also the defending national champions as rated by the Nike Web Nationals, are stacked on the boys side.

Allante Battle is the defending state champion in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races. He was also part of the state champion four-by-400 relay squad.

"It's hard to think back and think that I did that," Battle said. "Hopefully I can do it again."

He enters the meet with the best marks in the state to date in the 200 (21.45) and 400 (47.64), and third-best in the 100 (10.7). Yet Battle, who was recovering from finger and shoulder surgery earlier in the season, is just now hitting his stride.

"I feel a lot better," Battle said. "Throughout these practices, I've been working on my form, trying to get that fast twitch back. I'll be ready."

DV's relay teams all currently hold the top mark in the state, including three-second margins in both the 400 and 800 relays.

John Kline also holds the top mark in the 800 - the 1:51.33 he ran at Arcadia is a state record - and is favored in that event.

Matt Boughton and Chris Conway should score some points in the distance events, as should Chris Ingrassia in the hurdles. At 6-7, Ingrassia also holds the top mark in the high jump.

Joel Lang and Cory Kraft check in at 1-2 in the pole vault.

Then there's Steven Figueroa, favored once again to win both the shot put and discus events. Figueroa was also favored to capture the crowns the past two state meets, but either scratched or didn't perform as well as he thought he should have.

"We're excited because, right now, our best is better than everybody else's best. Our best is better," DV co-coach Chris Hanson said, playing on a recent Nike commercial. "We certainly hope everybody has a great meet. We know that'll help push us."

The boys team is also well on its way to defending that national crown. The Thunder currently check it at No. 1 with 8,383 points, ahead of No. 2 Vista Murrieta (Calif.), which has 8,003.

Not to be overlooked, the girls team is currently leading the Southwest division of the NWN, and sit 11th nationally.

Their approach for the 5A-I meet is the same as the boys.

"We don't have to worry about our team," said Jndia Cleveland, who has the top 5A-I time to date in the 300 hurdles. "We'll just worry about our race or how to get better, how we need to perform. Basically, by focusing on yourself, our points are going to add up, because you're going to do what you have to do."

Cleveland took third in the 100 hurdles at the prestigious Chandler Rotary before winning the 300s later in the day.

That day also serves as a source of confidence for the entire team. The DV girls were second to Chandler at Rotary, which draws teams from all over the state.

"The girls have definitely bounced back from our lull from last year. Our low point for the past seven years was last year," Hanson said, referencing the girls' seventh place finish at state a year ago. "We're excited to be back where we belong and be competitive."

Leading the charge has been Cleveland and a contingent of pole vaulters expected to score big at state.

Sophomore Shaylah Simpson and junior Alex Weatherly sit 2-3 in terms of 5A-I marks to date, with Simpson clearing 12-0. Heather Arseneau and Emily Heisler should also provide points in that event.

"Our girls, they've just stepped up so tremendously this year. We're so proud of what they've done," Stanley said. "The future's bright on our girls side. We're going to go in and try and compete for a trophy."