The Armuchee High School (AHS) track teams have kicked off their seasons with the start of the spring athletic season. The season started on March 3rd with a strong opening at Darlington, both teams ended with a podium finish. So far, both of the AHS track teams have had six meets, and they always place highly and have both won multiple meets.
High school track and field is becoming more and more popular across the country, as is shown by an article written by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The NFHS article said, “High school athletics participation increased by more than 200,000.” Armuchee track athletes routinely make it to the State Championship. Last year, Armuchee sent ten athletes to the state championship to compete in four different individual events and two relays. Additionally, school records are set in both the boys and the girls teams most years, showing the levels of athletic success both of these teams have.
Training for track is different from many other sports. It requires a great deal of effort and discipline. Head coach of the boys team, Joshua Duff said, “Field events require focus on technique and increasing upper and lower body strength. When it comes to running, training regimes include endurance training, speed work, and different types of strength training.” These strength training methods increase mobility and help build up core and upper body muscles. Many of these running athletes train year round. For example, freshman long distance runner Joel Fredrick ran cross country in the fall, and then he continued his training through the off season, which occurred during the winter. Joel said, “I tried to run around 40 miles a week during my peak with two speed sessions a week and a long run on Saturday. A lot of what I focused on during off season was anaerobic, and I mainly want to run the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m.” Track training, as seen in Joel’s training, is generally very rigorous, including rest and recovery days in your schedule. It is very important to prevent injuries. With track and field having new records set very often, such as the Armuchee boys 4×1 relay setting a new school record this season, it is made clear that dedicated training is becoming essential to being competitive.
Armuchee athletes are unique in that they want to be competitive both in track and in school. Senior Drake Ballard is a well known middle and long distance runner in the region. He is additionally a great student interested in attending colleges that are difficult to get accepted to. Balancing track commitments with academics and social activities is difficult, but Drake is working hard to do just that. Drake said, ¨ I plan to balance track with my academic life by maximizing what I do during the time I have at school. I also try to always use my free time wisely during the school day to study for my classes.¨ Junior Josie Harris shared similar thoughts as Drake on balancing track and academics. She said, ¨Training for track requires a good bit of time and focus. I think it’s important to stay on top of my academic work so I don’t get behind.¨
The Armuchee track team has big goals for the 2026 season. Many people have different reasons that motivate them to come out for the track team every year. Sophomore Ella DeHart said, ¨I wanted to stay in good shape and break records. I’m hoping to set a new school record in the 300 hurdles.” Junior Om Kansagara said his primary reasons for participating in track this year were because he wanted to get faster for football and he wants to stay humble. He also had specific goals for his favorite races. Om said, ¨I want to run under 11.7 seconds in the 100 meters and break 24 seconds in the 200 meters.¨ Through this season, he is making steady progress on his way to achieve these goals. On the other hand, Joel Frederick says he would like to focus most of his energy on the 3200 meter. This is because believes his strength and fitness is in long distance.
It has been made clear that there is a great deal of excitement for the season. One of the many motivating factors is because of the many physical strengths among all of the Armuchee track athletes. Freshman Ryker Sarratt believes his biggest strength is his work ethic. Many people handle the mental aspect of racing differently. Ryker said, ¨I simply think about nothing, and then I just run or jump.¨ Additionally, Sophomore Khloe Weekley is a jumper. She believes in the fact that she has good form in her jumps. However, she says that she needs to work more on her mental toughness. Drake Ballard is thought of by many to be one of the leaders on the track team. Different aspects of the sport motivate and excite everyone differently. Drake said, ¨I am most excited about going out on the track and giving all I have one last time before I finish out my high school career.¨
As head coach of the boys team, Joshua Duff keeps the Armuchee athletes on a rigorous training plan by demanding excellence. Coaches have different ideologies on how to keep a good team. Coach Duff said, ¨In track and field, we categorize the athletes into four distinct groups: throwers, 100/200 meters, 400/800 meters, and distance runners. Each group engages in tailored workouts that correspond to their respective events. Following their running workouts, the athletes then shift their focus to practicing their field events, hurdles or relay handoffs.¨ With the amount of talent shown on both the boys and girls track teams, many expect to see a great season. Hard work, teamwork, effort, and competitiveness are demanded by the coaches, runners and fans this season. With this motivation in place the team is demanding an excellent 2026 track season.
