MHS boys eye Skyland Conference Relays crown
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Greg Gottfried is ready for a big season, and it got off to a promising start at the Somerset County Relays last Saturday.
The Montgomery High School senior combined with fellow senior John Keller to jump 38-feet-7¼ to win by more than six inches the team long jump.
”That was the first time that John and I were jumping together this season,” Gottfried said. “We can definitely throw out great numbers coming up. We just have to get everything down to a science and everything perfected. Once that day comes, we’ll be throwing out really big jumps.”
Montgomery also won two other events. Kyle Merz, Vlad Castillo and Cooper Schembor combined to throw 133-6½ to crush the nearest competitor Hillsborough’s 122-7½. Martin Esser Munera and Nick Hespe cleared 23-6 and won the pole vault by a tiebreaker of fewer misses.
”We thought the shot put relay, we thought that was ours,” said MHS head coach Zoran Milich. “We thought we had some of the best shot putters in the county and conference. As long as they did what they should, we should win. Pole vault, we knew we were in the mix too, but you never know how that goes. The long jump, we felt good about as well.”
MHS’s 84 points was second overall to Franklin’s 91 for the overall team title. The Cougars just missed a win in the 400 relay by three-tenths of a second, and their 4×200 relay lost by only one-tenth of a second. The high jump lost first place on overall misses. MHS was fourth in the 1,600 relay, sixth in the sprint medley relay, fifth in the distance medley relay, fifth in the shuttle hurdles and intermediate hurdles, sixth in triple jump, second in discus and fourth in javelin.
”We’re not at full strength yet,” Milich said. “We didn’t have Andy Adamovics. He makes a difference in DMR and SMR. One of our top throwers, Ross Baginski, he didn’t throw (javelin) because of some shoulder problems. If we’re at full strength, I think we have a chance to win.”
Gottfried and Keller are both finally healthy, which is a big key to their success. For Gottfried, it was a case of improving his strength.
”I feel my body is lot more prepared this year than last year,” he said. “It’s more muscle to prevent injuries. I met an awesome guy, Kyle Newell, in Hillsborough. It’s personal training, Newell Strength. That prepared my body like nothing else. I came in extremely fit and ready to go.”
Gottfried has been running track since he was in middle school at Montgomery. He found success after switching from another sport.
”I started in baseball very young and I was stealing bases left and right all over the place,” Gottfried said. “So I went out for track, and it just fit.”
Now the former center fielder is a consistent scorer in any of the four events that he does. At the county relays, he competed in the 4×100, 4×200, shuttle hurdles and long jump.
”My favorite thing is definitely the long jump,” Gottfried said, “but then it’s really spread between the 100, 200 and high hurdles. I love them all. My 100 time dropped almost a second from last year. I definitely like it a lot more this year being able to go a lot faster.”
Gottfried’s improved strength has helped him move past a plateau. He is looking to improve in his events when he returns to the track to help the Cougars go after the Skyland Conference Relays on Saturday.
”I want to see a win — that’s it,” Gottfried said of his goals. “We’ve got everything we need, we’ve got everything to win it. It comes down to how hard we push ourselves. And me personally, I want it more than ever.”
Gottfried was disappointed that the Cougar boys couldn’t wrap up their first county win last weekend, but he sees a lot of potential with this year’s group.
”We lost a few good people, like Joe Messick, but besides that, I think our team has wanted it more than ever,” Gottfried said. “That’s what changed it and made us better. We’re all out to get it. I think you’ll see that later in the season.
”It’s a nice mix, but there’s more talent than ever,” he added. “All the kids are definitely pushing themselves way harder than they have in practice. We all push each other, which is great.”
Gottfried’s senior leadership helps, and in competitions, his versatility and ability are expected to boost the Cougars’ chances. They are relying on his experience to push them to new heights.
”Greg is a competitor,” Milich said. “He’s healthy this year. He’s a lot more healthy. When you’re healthy, you’re going to be better. He’s a senior captain and he’s working harder. He can get better. He’s very consistent. If he has a bad day, it’s not that bad and if he’s good, it’s very good.”
The county and conference relays are giving MHS a chance to show how deep it is. Matt Hagemann already looks strong in the hurdles. The addition of athletes like Gavin Columbia, a basketball player in the winter, has bolstered their chances.
”He’s busted out,” Milich said. “He was our slam dunk champion, and we figured he’d help in our high jump. He said, can I try some sprints? He’s running like 11.1s. John Keller is healthy for the first time in a while, which is nice. We have a great nucleus. Gottfried has been with us for years. (Coach Sean) Carty has done a great job with our relay guys and the sprints.”
Gottfried is looking forward to even bigger days for the Cougars. They will be his last at MHS before he heads to Florida Gulf Coast University, the school that became a media darling after its men’s basketball team won its first two games of the NCAA tournament. Gottfried didn’t need that little nugget; he just felt most comfortable with the school.
”I applied months ago, but they don’t have a track team,” Gottfried said. “If they do, I’m going to be all over it.”
Until that day, Greg Gottfried is content to pour his energy and dedication into his final spring track and field season with the Cougar boys. They looked good in their first significant challenge of the season, and their second-place finish has strengthened their resolve to make history.
”The past years have been getting ready for this year,” Gottfried said, “and this year we’re laying it all out on the line.”