Rockets have firepower for success at state meet

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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star

The depth of the Lincoln Northeast boys track team was evident last week when the Rockets won the Lincoln Public Schools meet for the second straight year.

But the Rockets also have those standout performers necessary to score points at the state meet, such as jumper Porter Groves, shot putters Jeff Bohlken and Cole Pensick, and middle distance/distance runner Trevor Vidlak.

Groves, the LPS long jump champion, leads the state chart in that event with the leap of 23 feet, 1 inch he had at the Grand Island Invitational last month. The junior is eighth in the state in the triple jump at 45-1.

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Groves, however, didn’t have his best day at the LPS meet last Thursday. His winning effort in the long jump was  21-10¾ and he took third in the triple jump.

Between helping Northeast win another city title and being the state leader in the long jump, “I felt like I was under a lot of pressure,” said the 5-foot-7 Groves, a cornerback on the football team and a standout wrestler  who finished fourth at state at 125 pounds.

“People told me I looked tight running down the runway,” Groves added. “I have high expectations and I’ve been trying to stay consistent over 22 feet. It seems like every week it gets harder.”

Groves’ ultimate goal this season is to break the school record of 23-8. His more immediate objective at today’s Heartland Conference meet is 23 feet.

“I want to be doing my best in early May, not early April,” Groves said. “If I can get my speed up on the runway, I think I can hit 23 (feet) again, and maybe better.”

Bohlken, a senior, and Pensick, a junior, give Northeast the best 1-2 shot put combination in Class A. The 56-8 Bohlken threw indoors at the Devaney Sports Center in March is second in the state this spring and tops Class A. Pensick, a Nebraska football recruit, won the LPS meet with a toss of 55-4. His best this spring is 55-9¼ (third overall in the state and second in Class A).

While track is an individual sport, Bohlken and Pensick try to work together as a team as much as possible.

“We don’t compete against each other, we’re helping each other out both in practices and meets,” Pensick said. “I’m happy with what I’ve done so far (this season). I’m throwing six or seven feet better than I did last year.”

With the 56-8 coming so early in the season, it seemed the school record of 57-11 would be within reach for Bohlken. So far, however, it’s proven elusive.

“It’s been a little frustrating,” said Bohlken, who threw 50-11 at the LPS meet to take second. “I’ve had some throws outside that would’ve been close (to the 56-8) but just barely scratched on them.

“I’ve been tired lately, and that’s affected my throwing,” Bohlken added. “Being my senior year, I’ve had a lot of school work and other things going on at school. It’s been hard.”

Vidlak, another junior, was a big point scorer for the Rockets last week, winning the 800- and 3,200-meter runs, and taking second behind Lincoln East’s Grant Duffy in the 1,600. Vidlak is focusing solely on the 1,600 today, a race that will have three runners currently on the state chart. Vidlak is eighth with a time of 4 minutes, 28.8 seconds, Duffy is sixth with a 4:27.47 and Fremont’s Jon Ronhovde is fourth with a 4:24.1.

“Last week my job was to get team points and help us win city again,” Vidlak said. “This week, with only one race, I can focus on time. I can’t wait to run against those guys (Duffy and Ronhovde) because they force you to run well. I’d like to run under 4:20 if I can.”

Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.