The Kokomo Tribune from Kokomo, Indiana • Page 17

Call us Dave Mitchell Sports editor, ext. 260 489-3121 or (800) 382-0696 Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. PREPWATCH Inside Kokomo Tribune Thursday May 11, 199S Rookie crashes at Indy 02. Pacers preview C3 County softbafl statistics C4 Cl Young leaping to be Indiana's best Wildkat senior has his eyes set on 3rd state title, national mark By DAVE KITCHELL Tribune sports editor he United States Army attracts young men and women into its ranks by challenging them to "be the best you can be." Kokomo High School's Frankie Young has taken it a step farther.

He's trying to be the best there ever was. Young is the Wildkats' two-time defending state long jump champion and state meet record-holder, who in the next month has the opportunity to bolster his resume with more high-flying credentials. He could arguably be called Indiana's greatest long juniper already, since he holds the state meet record at 24-7 3 A. He could strengthen that claim by becoming just the second Hoosier athlete ever and the first in modern history to win three straight state long jump titles. Only Robert Scott of Gary Froebel (1930-32) has accomplished the feat.

Young could leave an indelible mark as Indiana's best if he could win his third state title and along the way, pass the all-time best mark from an Indiana jumper a wind-aided set by Gary Tolleston's Eli Myers in 1965. Myers' leap isn't considered a state record because the IHSAA recognizes only performances from the state meet. Midway through his senior season, Young owns the third (24-10'A) and sixth (24-8) best jumps ever made in Indiana. The latter came this season in a dual meet against North Central. Last spring in the IHSAA Regional at Walter Cross Field when Young flew 24-10 1 it was the nation's best jump from a prep athlete during the 1994-95 school year.

According to the National High School Sports Record Book, Young's effort just beat the second-place finisher Phillip Hayes of Carrollton, Texas, at 24-9. Already the best long jumper from a high school that has produced more state long jump champions (eight), than any other, Young is anxious to soar where few mortals have. "Last year my goal was 24-10 and I got it," he said. "This year my goal is 25-10, but I'd like to get the national record (26-4 3 set by James Stallworth of Tulare, Calif in 1989) as well. "I'm not where I want to be quite yet, but it's coming together.

Last year at this time I was around 22-8, so I'm two feet ahead of that now and it's still early in the season." Young attributes his success to a number of things a number of people. He has the God-given long jumper's body pounds) that possesses the necessary speed and strength. He's also been blessed with excellent coaching throughout his career, especially since arriving at Kokomo High School. "My coaches (head coach Larry Ruch and long jump coach Craig Bennett) have done a great job pushing me," Young says. "You never win state championships on your own." Young also credits teammate Jauron Pigg who figures to be right there with him when the IHSAA state finals are run at the Indiana University Track in Indianapolis on June 2.

Pigg has been state runner-up to Young in 1993 and 1994, but their friendly rivalry goes back much farther. "Jauron was the first person I ever saw long jump and that was about the sixth grade," Young said. "I remember thinking, 'He can't beat Young said the two competed against each other as seventh- graders and Pigg not only beat him, but beat him badly. "Six feet sometimes," Young said with a laugh. Once teammates in eighth grade, the two continued to push each other to great achievements.

The way they do to this day. "I don't know if I would have won a state championship without Jauron, but I do know having him push me has certainly helped," Young continued. "It seems like when Jauron isn't there, I'm only jumping around 22 (feet). When Jauron is competing with me, it's a whole mental thing. I just know I have to do better." Two of Young's coaches know all about Young as a competitor.

"He isn't one to jump up and down and scream, but he has a competitiveness that most people don't see," said Willard Rice, who was Young's football coach. "So many athletes of the 1980s and '90s are prima donnas and that's not Frankie. He had a few minor injuries in football, but he never missed a practice in three years and you never had to get on him about anything. He practiced hard and played hard and that's very refreshing these days. He's also a very nice kid we'll miss him." Ruch, himself a state pole vault' champion at Warsaw High School, understands the commitment needed to excel at the state level.

He sees that in Young. "Frankie has a tremendous work ethic," Ruch said. "One of the keys to his success has been his consistency and that comes from practicing hard. Frankie is a true perfectionist and it shows." Young will take his talents to Indiana State University next fall and he'll tell you he has dreams of someday being an Olympian. But right now, he's winning and having fun along the way.

"I love long jumping," Young says. "I'd be out there in the long jump pits even if I wasn't any good because I just enjoy doing it. I'm just one of the lucky ones who is good at it." Taking the direct approach ByJOHNDEMPSEY Tribune sportswriter Frankie Young hopes to become Kokomo's first three-time state track champion. photo by Joshua Hodxm) Hard work, competition and a love for long jumping it's proven to be a successful prescription for Kokomo High School. In the past five years, Wildkat jumpers have won four state titles and finished as runners-up the past two seasons.

In 91 years of state competition, Kokomo owns eight state titles two more than both Gary Froebel and Gary Roosevelt. Craig Bennett has coached field events for more than 20 years at KHS. During that time, he's had several outstanding long jumpers. "David Hogan and Dennis Anglin, both of them went 22 feet plus. They liked the long jump and won the conference.

We've had a lot of good long jumpers but what used to be good turned into great," he said. "When John Alsup came, he brought a love for the long jump. He is the one who willingly put time into practicing long jump. That carried into Pat Pierce," Bennett said. "I think that helped Pat's work ethic a bit.

I'm not sure he would have been as good as he was. And then, Jauron (Pigg) hooked up with John also. Raking In the titles Kokomo High School's state champion long jumpers Applegate 1928 Odom 1939 James Frazier 1958 Fawcett 1990 Alsup 1991 Pierce 1993 Young 1994 Young "One thing with Frankie (Young) and Jauron is there is so much competition between the two. I think they have a lot of respect for each other as competitors. And all of them are competitors when they get into the meet." But, Bennett also believes that the Wildkats leapers are better prepared than those long jumpers from other schools.

"Larry (Ruch) does a great job preparing guys as runners. In the long jump, your approach has got to be 75 to 80 percent (of the jump) and most long jumpers we run across don't have as good of an approach as Frankie and Jauron. Their steps, the way they build speed and maintain it, I don't think most schools work on that as hard," he explained. "I think they're missing the boat. I don't think those two are as good of athletes as some of the guys they have beat in the state.

But, I feel they're closer to their potential than a lot of the other athletes they're jumping against." As an example, Bennett pointed to a meet last summer in Florida where the duo finished third and fourth and beat the top high school jumper in the nation. "Those guys were all 6-2, 6-3 and only the college guys beat them (Frankie and Jauron). They're only 5-11 or 6 foot. They're not physically overpowering but they get the most out of what they've got," he said. One of the secrets to Kokomo's success comes from surprisingly enough not jumping in practice.

"We never jump in practice," the coach noted. "We do that so we don't use our jumping leg that much and suck all of the juice out of it. This keeps it fresh." Another practice that has proven prosperous for Kokomo is box jumping. "We do a lot of box jumping, practicing form off of a box. We take the jump, break it down into parts and then work on each part separately," Bennett said.

"I went to a clinic in Chicago and learned Craig Bennett about (box jumping). I wasn't sure if I liked it or not but I decided to try it and found it was effective. We do it in the high jump too." Still the deciding factor goes back to the athletes themselves. "Frankie and Jauron, they have a great attitude toward track," he said. "They love track.

These days you don't find that a lot. They just love to run and jump." Providence better not forget to pack the road maps Kokomo's top-ranked boys track team continues to lead the state bests. Frankie Young and Bobby Pettigrew top the state bests in the long jump and shot put respectively. But, it's junior sprinter Rolando Tyler who owns two of the best times in the state. Tyler has the state best in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

Two other individuals each hold two state bests. Andy Begley from Westview High School is tops in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs while Warren Central's Jeff Martin ranks first in both the high and low hurdles. Only one other high school holds more than one best and that's Lawrence North with the best times in the 800 and 1,600 relay. Clarksville Providence's second game of the 1995 football season will be played outside Indiana. That's nothing unusual, normally, says Providence athletic director Don Zipp.

What makes this game so different is that the Pioneers will have to go to Virginia for the game. Richlands High School, located 30 miles east of the Kentucky border in the Appalachian Mountain region, agreed to take on the Pioneers for one year. The game barely meets the IHSAA rule of playing an opponent within 300 miles of your school. Richlands, is 270 miles from Clarksville. "We're an independent and all the schools around us are in conferences," Zipp said.

"We've tried to get into a conference but because of our size and other factors, we can't. Everyone's football schedule is locked up conference wise and that means we have to scramble to get games. "This year we had three openings and filled one with an Indiana team and one with a Kentucky team. We had to go to extremes to get this one." fc ifr. Problems came when the Louisville schools redistricted and some opponents had to drop Providence.

Then the Hoosier Hills Conference added Seymour, resulting in Jeffersonville, New Albany and Floyd Central each having to add the Owls to their schedules. "We're usually stuck in the middle," Zipp said. Looking ahead, "I don't even want to think about it. For '96, the second game will be open because this is only a one- yew deal. In '97, depending on whether schools renew the two- year contracts, we could have six openings." Which could leave the Pioneers blazing trails everywhere for a game.

Two area teams find themselves back in the state rankings. Western the state runner-up the last two years in girls Softball and Eastern who made it to the Final Four in 1988 are both ranked in the top 20 of this week's poll by the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association. The Panthers, sporting a 15-6 record, are ranked 12th while the 15-3 Comets made the poll at No. 20. Shawn Gallagher wanted to break the national high school record for hitting streaks.

Wilmington 1-aney High School wanted to win the game. Wilmington Laney came out on top, as ace pitcher Adam Gilmore intentionally walked Gallagher in his last trip to the plate Tuesday night, bringing Gallagher's record- tying hitting streak to an end after 51 games. Gallagher, a senior first baseman for Wilmington New Hanover High School, had flied out, popped out and walked before his last at- bat in the eighth inning. Gilmore said before the game that he would challenge Gallagher instead of issuing intentional walks to halt the streak. But when it came down to the eighth inning, the Laney team decided go ahead and intentionally walk Gallagher to set up a force play in the extra frame.

Coming into the game, Gallagher had hit safely in 51 games, tying the mark set by Stan Brown of Nobles' ille, Ind. Gallagher, obviously dejected the streak came to end, still agreed with Laney coach Trent Mongero's strategy. "I always had to have it in the back of my mind that something like this could happen," he said. Gallagher flied out to short left field in his first at-bat and popped up to second in his second appearance. He walked and was thrown out on the front end of a double play after his third trip to the plate.

His fourth time up, he never got in the batter's box. Mongero, much to the dismay of a sellout crowd, called for an intentional walk with a runner in scoring position. "Coming into the ballgame, we we're going to give Gallagher at least two, three, maybe four times depending on the circumstances Mongero said. "I feel for Shawn but we're playing baseball to win this conference. And right now we're tied for first.

I'm sorry it just worked out that way." Gallagher didn't break the hitting streak, but he can take solace in some of his other records. Aside from tying the consecutive-game hitting streak, he also shares the national record for home runs in a single game at five.