Colton High School does not have its own track and field team this year. The district said there were not enough students signed up to fund a team for this season.
Fortunately, Molalla High School’s head track and field coach, Kenny Schoenfeld, willingly acc¬epted the CHS students who wanted to compete onto his squad.
The new Molalla Indian track and field athletes include senior Laramie OeDell (discus, javelin, shot put), junior Peyton Craven (hurdles, high jump, relay), freshmen Robby Smith (discus, javelin, shot put), and Makiley Wharton (long jump and pole vault).
Joining a new school team meant quite a few changes for the students. For one, CHS has an 8:20 a.m. to 4:08 p.m. school schedule and Molalla track practices begin at 3 p.m. This meant the CHS students would have to miss classes on a daily basis in order to make track practices in Molalla.
However, Colton School District arranged for the track students to take make-up classes using the district’s online school program through Greenways.
Another difference was the large size of the Molalla team which has numbers in the 60s, as well as competing at the Class 4A level, not the 2A.
“It was intimidating the first day and a real eye-opener,” Wharton said. “But we discovered we get more instruction. There is less one-on-one, but there are coaches for each event. We have learned a lot, practiced a lot and are enjoying being on the team.”
Peyton Craven attends Country Christian School and had competed for Colton High School previously. As a sophomore, she showcased her hard work, determination, and talent by winning the 2A state title in 2023 in the 100-meter hurdles. This season she is continuing that track success, winning multiple 100 and 300 hurdles races, as well as the high jump and running on the 4x100 relay.
When discussing the change in school teams, Craven said “Coach Purdue was great last year in Colton, but I really like having multiple coaches specializing in my events this year. Going from a small team to such a large team has been a lot of fun. The coaches and everyone on the Molalla team have been welcoming and kind. I already knew a few teammates through the community. I’m excited to have more competition against larger schools. I hope to keep improving.”
One of the other concerns for Colton students who wished to compete in track was transportation to and from the neighboring school, but the athletes were able to sort that out successfully.
Schoenfeld acknowledged transportation was a deterrent for some of the CHS signups, as was missing class, especially for those in their senior year, but said “I like offering these kids a place to train and compete and they are a welcome addition to our team. These kids work hard, have an excellent attitude and are looking good at meets.”
Colton School District Superintendent Dave Kline said in an email, " As a former head track coach, we want to provide opportunity for our student athletes, yet the district cannot provide a robust program without an adequate quantity of athletes, of which the high school had fewer than 10 who initially had an interest and then it dwindled further in numbers. We want to thank Molalla High School for supporting our Colton track athletes this year."
For now it is about students from different districts working together to challenge themselves and to enjoy the camaraderie of teammates.
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