<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4FYPin_0sn4gssH00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4FYPin_0sn4gssH00" width="2047" height="1153" >“Congratulations.”Zach Kovell didn’t believe it when his track and field coach, Jeff Brunton, said those words to him. Neither did Ethan Pletcher, who described the moment as a “pinch yourself” experience.For the first time ever in Hopewell High School history, the boys track and field team will be heading to the WPIAL Championship. The WPIAL structure sees four teams advance to the final meet, with Hopewell taking down Shenango (77-73), South Side (88-57), Deer Lakes (102-43) and Trinity Christian (103-47) to claim a spot.Kovell was actually sitting near the scorer’s table with Brunton and assistant coach Tim Monske but didn’t believe that Hopewell actually won this past Wednesday until he heard it officially announced.“It was awesome. We came in the meet thinking our odds might not be the greatest, but we had to perform,” Kovell said. “I was sitting with Coach Brunton and Coach Monske at the scorer’s table. Coach came up and said congratulations. I had to hold my emotions until they announced it. I ran over and celebrated with all the boys.”Brunton said that making school history is a huge accomplishment for his athletes. Last year, the team was close, but narrowly missed the margin. After losing a handful of individual-championship qualifiers, Hopewell still knew they had a strong product for the current school year.That’s why Brunton’s motto for the team this year was, simply, “Level up.”“Last year, we had a really big year with both our boys and girls teams. We broke six school records between the two teams, and a lot of those seniors graduated,” Brunton explained. “So, I didn’t want any of the kids thinking we had to rebuild after them, because we developed a lot of young kids that came back this season. The theme was to level up, take the next step. We didn’t want to get back to where we just were but take the next step. The kids bought into that.”Brunton said that Hopewell’s most consistent event this year was sprints and hurdles. He credited Kovell for being a spotlight athlete on the boys team. Kovell qualified for the 200 meter and 400 meter WPIAL individual championship, along with with the 4-by-100 event.“Zach won all three sprints at the County Championships,” Brunton stated. “Right now, he’s tied for the lead in the 400 for the double AA in the WPIAL. He’s either one or two in the 200. He’s tied for number two in the PIAA for the 400. He’s one of those coaches dream athletes.”Kovell is a junior, and a leader on the team, but Brunton didn’t forget about two senior standouts, as well. Zachary Landry runs long distance, specifically the 4-by-800, the one mile and the two miles events. Meanwhile, in the field events, Ethan Pletcher is Hopewell’s leading male thrower in all three events: javelin, disc and shot put.Brunton said that this year, there is a strong balance between track events and field events – something the school hasn’t seen in a few years.“In years past, we would be really heavy with the field events, but not so good in track. And then, we got a lot better on the track, and got real young on the field,” Brunton explained. “Now, it’s starting to balance out. The sprints and hurdles are probably our strongest group, but the young kids in the throws and the distance guys have really come along this season and really carried us in some meets.“They did a lot of work running in extra events and scoring points,” he continued. “Yesterday, [May 1, the WPIAL semifinals], they scored 28 out of the 32 points in the distance events. They did a lot of work, and they deserve a lot of credit for getting us to the top.”Landry is the captain for the distance team, and is primarily coached by Monske – who was the Track and Field head coach at Hopewell before switching roles with Brunton in 2014, moving to assistant coach – who trains the distance runners.Landry said making the WPIAL Championship is a dream come true.“In the three years that I’ve been here, we’ve been striving for that. It’s cool that the team is developed and well-rounded,” the senior said. “It means a lot. We’ve been working really hard and working together for so long. It’s cool to bring it all together.”The distance runner said that the team is more well-rounded – especially on the distance side – than in previous years.“Last year, we lost Dom Flitcraft, and that was hard. He was very good,” Landry said. “But, it was pretty much just him and then it was a drop-off. This year, we all got better and it’s not just one person carrying us. There’s a group of us that help to score points. That really helped us this year.”Meanwhile, in field events, Brunton said that senior Pletcher is leading the way with strong throws, especially in shot put, where he threw 42.7 feet in the WPIAL semifinals. Brunton also gave Pletcher a strong compliment in regard to his leadership.“He’s our top thrower and he had a huge improvement this season over last season, especially in the shot put,” Brunton stated. “He’s throwing over 42-feet now. That could get him into the individual championship. He’s been our captain for two years. He’s probably going to be the future President of the United States. He led the development of a lot of guys.”Pletcher said that qualifying for the WPIAL Championship was a moment he had to pinch himself before he believed it was real. In his freshman year, he was a novice at throwing. However, throughout the last three years, he has spent more time fine-tuning his craft. Now, he wants to get consistent 40-feet throws in the shot put. He throws about 50 yards in javelin and disc.“I wasn’t too acquainted with how throwing worked my freshman year, but after that, I was the top thrower in all three of our events,” he said. “I have just been building up ever since then, to get better and score more points… I’ve never really tried to achieve for big meets like this. I’ve always tried to achieve for first place per meet, or good throws for a meet. So, even seeing the team has grown this far, without me even realizing it, is just amazing.”For coach Brunton, athletes Kovell, Pletcher and Landry, the focus now turns to the WPIAL Championship, where Hopewell will take on Greensburg Central Catholic, Quaker Valley and Ellwood City on Tuesday, May 6, at Peters Township Middle School. The event begins at 3 p.m.Brunton said he’s keeping a close eye on matchups, especially from Quaker Valley.“Quaker Valley is really strong. Ellwood City has a lot of versatility and depth,” Brunton shared. “We’ll look at the matchups and see how we measure up, see where we can get points, and, at the end of the day, it’s one more chance to get more personal records and try to qualify for individual WPIALs. We’ll put our best team out there, and we’ll try to win the close matchups, and beat the chalk where we need to.”Brunton said he’s really proud of all his track and field athletes. While the girls team did not qualify as a team, plenty of athletes from Hopewell qualified for individual events. Brunton, who went to high school at Hopewell and has been with the track program for a decade, said he wants Hopewell to be known as a tough opponent when others line up against the Vikings.“I have a lot of pride in Hopewell,” he said. “Anytime someone has Hopewell on their chest, I want people to say, ‘OH, that’s the person to beat, right there.’ Getting the program to the point where it’s getting that recognition has been a goal of mine since I first started coaching track. I never competed. I was a football player. So, when I started coaching track, I would go to these meets and see kids from Hempfield and Riverside, and I automatically knew they would be good.“I want Hopewell to have that effect on people. That’s been a goal of mine for the program.”</div></body>

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Hopewell boys' track and field makes WPIAL championships for first time ever

Zach Kovell didn’t believe it when his track and field coach, Jeff Brunton, said those words to him. Neither did Ethan Pletcher, who described the moment as a “pinch yourself” experience. For the first time ever in Hopewell High School history, the boys track and field team...

Hopewell boys' track and field makes WPIAL championships for first time ever

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