Competition across all four divisions is expected to be intense in the boys Lackawanna Track Conference this spring.

Several standout individuals with championship experience and teams with deep rosters are expected to challenge for titles.

Elk Lake senior Kendel Jones headlines the long list of returning All-Region and LTC Coaches’ all-stars. A distance running star, Jones earned The Times-Tribune Boys Track and Field Performer of the Year honor.

He is one of 13 athletes who received All-Region honors last season.

Division I

Valley View gained the slight edge as the preseason favorite in the LTC Division I. First-year head coach Lisa Paone has a talented roster, and as is seemingly the case every spring, the Cougars are strong in the sprints.

Gavin Oprishko is a returning All-Region sprinter who won a bronze medal in the 200-meter dash at the Robert Spagna Championships.

Scranton Prep could contend for its first boys LTC division title since 1999.

Vincent O’Malley was a Division I-II all-star in the mid-distance races last season. Anthony De Los Santos is a consistent winner in the throwing events for the Cavaliers.

Abington Heights is the defending division winner. The Comets will be strong in the throws with Carter Plantz and Derek Williams, and distance runner Owen Morgan.

Division II

Wallenpaupack, which won the last two division titles, has a talented team returning to defend its title.

Ryan Vargo is a returning All-Region thrower in the discus. He already shattered a long-standing school record with a heave of 173 feet, 4 inches in a preseason invitational.

Aiden Janowicz and Nick VanBuskirk are a pair of LTC Division I-II all-stars and District 2 Class 3A champions for the Buckhorns. Janowicz won the 1,600, and VanBuskirk won the high jump.

North Pocono junior Cole West is a returning school-record holder and All-Region selection after qualifying for the PIAA Class 3A Championships in the triple jump.

Western Wayne’s Aiden Matthews, the District 2 Class 2A champion in the pole vault, and Robert Carrelle, the top all-around athlete in the LTC who suffered a late-season injury last spring, are also two standouts to watch.

Division III

Mid Valley established itself as a force in the conference. The Spartans are the five-time defending division champions and are favored to make it six in a row.

Matthew Repecki, an All-Region runner, and Kevin Borrelli lead a strong distance group. Wyatt Youngblood is a returning all-star in the pole vault, and Mason Vinansky was an all-star in the sprints for the Spartans.

Dunmore is expected to challenge Mid Valley. Jumpers Josh Dudick and Carter Sload were both All-Region last season. Xavier Burke was an all-star in the hurdles, and the Bucks get a boost from Weston Yannone, who is one of the fastest athletes and best hurdlers in the conference.

Riverside can also make an impact in the division race. Brayden Rose is a returning All-Region jumper and a District 2 Class 2A champion in the long jump, and Michael Schimefenig is a standout in the distance races.

Holy Cross returns senior Kevin Vincent. The District 2 Class 2A champion and seventh-place medalist in the triple jump at the PIAA Class 2A Championships is a returning All-Region performer who is headed to Bucknell University.

Lakeland sophomore Rocco Spataro is a returning All-Region thrower in the javelin. He won the title at the Robert Spagna Championships.

Division IV

Elk Lake is the favorite to win the Division IV title.

Jones leads the way for the Warriors. Cody Adams is a returning All-Region distance runner. Both had great seasons in the fall when Elk Lake won the PIAA Class 2A team championship.

Susquehanna has to replace several key athletes who helped it win back-to-back division titles. Maxx Kelly is one of the top distance runners in District 2.

Max Kuwaye, a standout sprinter, leads Montrose. Nico Christian is strong in the sprints and mid-distance races for the Meteors.

Lackawanna Trail returns distance runner Avery Ronchi, who was an All-Region selection last season after winning the title in the 3,200 at the Robert Spagna Championships.

EUREKA — Josh Lambertsen and Kricket Bridges of Eureka broke a lot of tape Friday, and Troy’s Aspen Orr and Hot Springs’ Ben Aldridge also won big at Eureka’s season-opening Spring Fever track and field meet.

Lambertsen won the 100 (11.62 seconds), 200, 400 and pole vault (11 feet, 6 inches) for the Lion boys, who piled up 102 points to win the team title. Next at 60 was Hot Springs, followed by Noxon (28) and Troy (26).

Bridges, like Lambertsen a senior, won the pole vault, 100 and ran legs on both of Eureka’s victorious relays. The Lions won the girls team title with 71.5 points while Troy came in at 57.5. Hot Springs scored 40 points and Noxon’s girls, 39.

Orr, a freshman, had a banner day for the Lady Trojans, winning the long and triple jumps, 200 and 400 meters. Her time in the 200 was 28.71.

Troy had another multiple winner in senior Jaylee Myers (800, 1,600). Noxon junior Sandy Bonney won the javelin and high jump.

On the boys side, Aldridge, a junior for Hot Springs, won the javelin, both hurdles races and the long jump. His time in the 300 hurdles was 43.92.

Noxon’s Vance Brown swept the shot put and discus.

Full meet results can be found at athletic.net.

Woodrow Wilson’s boys track team lost a bevy of state champions from a season ago, and replacing their production is among the objectives for head coach Steve Kidd.

Which is why the result of Thursday’s Coach Willie B Invitational was so important.

“Well, we won,” Kidd said. “That’s a good thing.”

The Flying Eagles fought off Shady Spring and Independence for the boys team championship, scoring 131 points. Shady finished a single point ahead of Independence (114-113) for second and third.

Wins are always nice, of course, but Kidd also puts it in perspective.

“This early in the season,” he said, “you’re not really trying to determine your wins and losses, but trying to get better every week and every race.”

Rebuilding the relay units is among the focal points for Kidd this season.

The Flying Eagles have always had strong relay teams, and last year was no exception after coming away with state championships in the 4x100 and 4x200. What’s more, one of the members of the foursome, Gabriel Kidd, also won the 100-meter state title. Christian Stewart was fifth and Daniel Walling eighth.

All three have graduated, leaving senior Myles Walters as the lone remaining member of those title-winning teams.

Woodrow was second and third in the 4x100, while the 4x200 teams were second and seventh on Thursday. The top 100 foursome was made up of Walters, Oak Hill transfer Curtis Cunningham, Jackson Schroder and Jackson Gray.

The second group in the 4x100 was Jaliel Sharpe-Washington, Maddox Morris, Christian Wilson and R.J. Cobbs. Zaccardi Dozier took Wilson’s spot in the 4x200.

“That top seven or eight is pretty competitive,” Kidd said. “Those guys are actually pretty close, and you’ve got some of the younger kids who never ran and things like that, who we are teaching. I’ve got 54 kids between three coaches. It’s a lot.”

The Flying Eagles also got strong production in the distance races, with Vance Lindley and Kyle Peters finishing 1-2 in the 1,600. Lindley also won the 800 and Peters was third, behind Shady Spring’s Logan Malott.

“Those guys work hard. They deserve (success),” Kidd said. “They come in and work. They don't say a whole lot and go about their business. They've been very good.”

Kidd said the team got a shot in the arm with the track debuts of Gray and Schroder. The speedy duo were teammates on the 2024 Class AAA state championship and 2025 Class AAAA state runner-up soccer teams. And the presence of seniors Preston Clary and A.J. Thomas, stars for both the football and basketball teams, continues to pay dividends. Kingston Clark and J.W. Wynes can be added to the list.

The Flying Eagles will participate in the Oak Hill Invitational on April 2.

l l l

Shady Spring’s boys had their second consecutive strong showing after winning the Spartan Relay Plus Warmup last Saturday. … Taylor Dove had a big day for Independence. He won the 100 and 200 with personal bests of 11.00 and 22.75, respectively, and was a member of the winning 4x100 (45.45, with Kaden Bradbury, Michael Hess and Christian Linksweiler) and 4x400 (3:39.14, with Bradbury, Linksweiler and Jeffery Watson). … Annie Whited of the winning Greenbrier East girls team was also productive. She won the 200 (25.03) and 400 (1:02.35) — the event she won a state championship in last season — and was the anchor on the winning 4x200 team (1:46.00, with Kiana McClung, Noelle McClintic and Avery Thompson.

Coach Willie B Invitational

Thursday

Pete Culicerto Track, Woodrow Wilson HS

Boys

Team scores

1. Woodrow Wilson 131, 2. Shady Spring 114, 3. Independence 113, 4. Princeton 69.5, 5. PikeView 63, 6. Greenbrier East 44, 7. Oak Hill 34, 8. Greenbrier West 28, 9. Bluefield 24, 10. Richwood 22.5, 11, Wyoming East 11, 12. Summers County 5, 13. Westside 2

Individual results (top 8 where applicable)

100 meters: Taylor Dove (I) 11.00; Nate Suttle (GE); Kaden Bradbury (I); Kamarion Reed (Pr); Myles Walters (WW); Jamirion Owens (B); Dashaun McMillion (WE); Alex Cox (Pr)

200: Taylor Dove (I) 22.75; Kaden Bradbury (I); Kamarion Reed (Pr); Jamarion Owens (B); Nate Suttle (GE); Brennan Brooks (OH); Myles Walters (WW); Andrew Patton (PV)

400: Jacob Hall (Pr) 53.59; Seth Farmer (SS); Grant Lawson (SS); Tyler Huffman (PV); Brennan Brooks (OH); Nate Suttle (GE); Benjamin McDaniel (GW); Elijah Russell (GW)

800: Vance Lindley (WW) 2:08.89; Logan Malott (SS); Kyle Peters (WW); Jeffery Watson (I); Kaden Duff (WW); Eli Keaton (PV); Ethan Dowdy (SS); Brody Lester (We)

1600: Vance Lindley (WW) 4:44.79; Kyle Peters (WW); Jeffery Watson (I); Dakota Pettry (SC); Ethan Dowdy (SS); Logan Malott (SS); Caleb Rose (SS); Drew Breeden (WW)

3200: Caleb Rose (SS) 11:34.83; Charles David Northrup (SS); Blaise Lambert (I); Nathaniel Lyons (OH); Reid Neal (Pr); Jonah Nolan (PV); Caleb Phillips (PV); Ryder Stovall (SS)

110 hurdles: Christian Linksweiler (I) 15.60; Jayce Gum (Pr); Garren Armentrout (SS); Levi Hall (OH); Tristan Weidensall (WW); Brady Christian (PV); Elijah McMillion (WE); Bryson Butner (OH)

300 hurdles: Christian Linksweiler (I) 41.95; Garren Armentrout (SS); Shane Plogger (GW); Jayce Gum (Pr); Tristan Weidensall (WW); Cameron Woods (Pr); Robert Tibbs (Pr); Levi Hall (OH)

4x100: Independence A (Kaden Bradbury, Michael Hess, Christian Linksweiler, Taylor Dove) 45.45; Woodrow Wilson A; Woodrow Wilson B; Bluefield A; Woodrow Wilson C; Bluefield B; Greenbrier West A; Wyoming East A

4x200: Princeton A (Jacob Hall, Cameron Woods, Brad Mossor, Kamarion Reed) 1:34.80; Woodrow Wilson A; Bluefield A; Shady Spring A; Bluefield B; Princeton B; Woodrow Wilson B; Greenbrier East A

4x400: Independence A (Kaden Bradbury, Jeffery Watson, Christian Linksweiler, Taylor Deve) 3:39.14; Shady Spring A; PikeView A; Greenbrier West A; Princeton A; Oak Hill A; Shady Spring B; Greenbrier East A

4x800: PikeView A (Eli Keaton, Luke Collis, Noah Cook, Tyler Huffman) 8:49.72; Woodrow Wilson A; Shady Spring A; Princeton A; Greenbrier East A; Independence A; Shady Spring B; Bluefield A

Shuttle hurdles: Woodrow Wilson A (Preston Clary, A.J. Thomas, Christian Wilson, Tristan Weidensall) 1:03.31; Greenbrier West A; Shady Spring A; Princeton A; PikeView A; Oak Hill A; Bluefield A; Shady Spring B

Shot put: Brendon Hunley (PV) 45-5; Andrew Sweeney (WW); Grant Burdette (GE); Jacob Fleaming (I); Michael Crouch (SS); Kaiden Helmer (SS); Charles Acord (I); Trey Franklin (GW)

Discus: Brendon Hunley (PV) 119-7; Grant Burdette (GE); Kaiden Helmer (SS); Maddox Morris (WW); Patrick Bostic (GE); Josh Hedrick (PV); Jacob Fleaming (I); Zayir Lee (GE)

High jump: Carson Treadway (I) 6-0; Kingston Clark (WW); Preston Clary (WW); Fawkes O’Dell (R); Antonio Fructuoso (WW); Ian Crowder (R); Travis Johnson (R); Braiden Vodros (Pr)

Long jump: Trace Lilly (SS) 20-10.5; Ian Crowder (R); A.J. Thomas (WW); Fawkes O’Dell (R); Christian Wilson (WW); Jaliel Sharpe-Washington (WW); R.J. Cobbs (WW); Andreus Johnson (OH)

Girls

Team scores

1. Greenbrier East 178, 2. Woodrow Wilson 151, 3. Shady Spring 141, 4. Oak Hill 73, 5. PikeView 36, 6. Bluefield 26, 7. Princeton 13, 8. Summers County 10, 9. Richwood 8, 10. Greenbrier West 4, 11. Liberty 3, 12. Wyoming East 1

Individual results (top 8, where applicable)

100: Amya Seay-Grasty (OH) 12.41; Kiana McClung (GE); Noelle McClintic (GE); Zyneria Grant (WW); Mia Rowan (GE); Mykah Judy (GE); Carly Persinger (SC); Aizlynn Ellison (WW)

200: Annie Whited (GE) 25.03; Amya Seay-Grasty (OH); Amiah Richardson (WW); Andrea Smith (OH); CeAra Mitchell (WW); Alicia Thomas (GW); Carly Persinger (SC); Zoey Davis (OH)

400: Annie Whited (GE) 1:02.35; Kiana McClung (GE); Carly Fisher (WW); Gabriella Lowe (WW); Lacy Farmer (WW); Caroline Perilli Hancock (GE); Raelyn Carr (SS); Jamiyah Rogers (WW)

800: Neena McClintic (GE) 2:24.04; Baylee Garrett (SS); Kaydan Mooney (SS); Jilian Styles (GE); Raelyn Carr (SS); Kate Adkins (GE); Maddie Lilly (GE); Elliana Meadows (SC)

1600: Neena McClintic (GE) 5:15.04; Baylee Garrett (SS); Maddie Lilly (GE); Kaydan Mooney (SS); ZiMeng Ren (WW); Lakin Houck (WW); Taylor Hilton (WW); Charlotte Glende (SS)

3200: Berkley Davis (SS) 13:36.27; Morgan Booth (WW); Clara Swank (OH); Mackenzie Kindle (B); Tessa Collins (SS); Addisyn Heasley (SS); Isabella Roark (PV); Peyton Bowling (OH)

100 hurdles: Avery Thompson (GE) 16.32; Emma Erskine (GE); Bella Gevenosky (SS); Brooklyn Brogan (SS); Lexi Thomas (WW); Mykah Judy (GE); Penelope Campbell (GE); Tagyn Milam (SS)

300 hurdles: Avery Thompson (GE) 48.72; Bella Gevenosky (SS); Brooklyn Brogan (SS); Sophie Ferrell (OH); Neveah Hicks (WW); Emma Erskine (GE); Aizlynn Ellison (WW); Alicia Thomas (GW)

4x100: Woodrow Wilson A (Zyneria Grant, Amiah Richardson, Bria Donatelli, Lexi Thomas) 54.74; Greenbrier East A; PikeView A; Shady Spring A; Oak Hill A; Summers County A; Shady Spring B; Princeton A

4x200: Greenbrier East A (Kiana McClung, Noelle McClintic, Avery Thompson, Annie Whited); Woodrow Wilson A; Woodrow Wilson B; Oak Hill A; Shady Spring A; Princeton A; PikeView A; Liberty A

4x400: Shady Spring A (Gwynn McGinnis, Baylee Garrett, Brooklyn Brogan, Bella Gevesosky) 4:32.34; Greenbrier East A; Woodrow Wilson A; Oak Hill A; PikeView A; Woodrow Wilson B

4x800: Shady Spring A (Berkley Davis, Bre Crouse, Kaydan Mooney, Baylee Garrett) 10:41.50; Greenbrier East A; Woodrow Wilson A; Oak Hill A; Shady Spring B; Woodrow Wilson B; PikeView A

Shuttle hurdles: Greenbrier East A (Mykah Judy, Mia Rowan, Emma Palmer, Emma Erskine) 1:08.59; Shady Spring A; Woodrow Wilson A; PikeView A; Oak Hill A

Shot put: Cadence Reid (WW) 35-9; Ava Spangler (B); Marlee Wills (WW); Tahjay Woods (B); Reagan Mann (SS); Lamar Lawson (WW); Adalynn Williams (SS); Kiley Bostic (SS)

Discus: Hydee Wykle (GE) 93-3; Ava Spangler (B); Cadence Reid (WW); Adalynn Williams (SS); Ava Marshall (WW); Carlie Powers (WW); Braelynn Clemons (Pr); Reagan Mann (SS)

High jump: Bella Holly (OH) 4-8; Mia Rowan (GE); Gabriella Lowe (WW); CeAra Mitchell (WW); Sophia Ellis (4-6); Layla Farmer (PV); Charisma Dye (PV)

Long jump: Zyneria Grant (WW) 16-0; Adrianna Miller (R); Layla Farmer (PV); Alexis Snodgrass (SS); Madelynn Anderson (Pr); Emma Willard (PH); Tagyn Milam (SS); Izzy Hinault (Pr)