Thanks to former coach Dave Thomas for getting me on this story. It was fun to talk to the guys (and the fact that they aren't much older than me made me realize how old I am getting! LOL)
Athenian alumni look back
Jon Sicotte
Journal Review
It’s not the same track where Brian Johnson and Dave Henthorn competed on, but the memories of being a part of the Crawfordsville boys track and field team in the late 1980s and early 90s came flooding back last Friday evening.
The two were among the former athletes honored over the public address system before the start of the Athenian Relays.
“We ran at Hoover. We had grass in the first lane and concrete in the last lane,” Johnson said with a laugh. “I think there was a hill somewhere in there — I don’t know how they snuck a steeplechase in there — but it was an adventure at our old track.
“Kids from other teams were scared to run at Hoover,” added former coach Dave Thomas. “They couldn’t plant their spikes.
“That was the real secret to our success,” said Henthorn.
The track really didn’t have much to do with it as from 1989-1991, the Athenians won the county championship all three times. Twice they captured the Sagamore Conference title and in 1989, the team won the sectional title at Terre Haute South. That was the last time that Crawfordsville has raised a boys track sectional title as well.
Seven school records were set in that span — with five still holding on the board and two others in retirement — just a few meters from the track where the locker rooms and concession stand is. During this span, 16 individuals were First Team All-Conference.
Those records include Sean Haskett, high jump (6-10.25); Carl Burkhart discus (167-3) and shot put (52-4.5); Henthorn, 110 (14.84) and 300 hurdles (39.24) and Matt Jackson, 400 dash (49.84). Henthorn, Jackson, Jesse Martin and Johnson own the 400 relay (43.74).
“I was just lucky enough to have a great group of kids to come through that worked hard,” said Thomas, who coached the team for five seasons. “It wasn’t really the top guys that got us over, it was the middle tier guys that excelled for us and made us that great. That’s why we were a good team.”
Along with getting back into the high school camaraderie mode, the guys also heaped praise on their former coach.
“This guy is a great man, one of the big influences in my life,” Johnson said. “He is one of the role models for my life and I am blessed to have a guy like that in my life during a crucial time like high school.”
Thomas recalls the 1991 season and makes a point about the team not just being led by “stars.”
“We had to run in Noblesville in a make-up on Wednesday and turn around and race the Athenian Relays that Thursday,” Thomas said. “There were guys like Jesse Martin, I remember he finished one of the races, fell down and threw up on the back stretch. I told him he was done for the day.
“He wiped his mouth and said he was ready to go and they turned around and set the record that year in the 800 relay. We took five of the six relays that year.”
They all smiled and joked and hugged and laughed. Most of guys admitted it didn’t feel like it had been nearly 20 years since the group of 20-25 guys had been together as members of the Crawfordsville boys track and field team.
“My body tells me it’s been 20 years,” said Burkhart, “but it doesn’t feel like it’s been 20 years.
“We had a great time together and its good to see some of the old teammates and talking about the good old days back in high school.”
Some stayed in the area, like Burkhart, who threw at Vincennes University and now helps his family run a funeral home in Crawfordsville. Henthorn now lives in Texas while Johnson is in the Chicago area.
“When you have been away for so long, you come back and realize how much fun you had,” said Johnson, who was a Division III All-American in the 400 hurdles at North Central College and almost made the Olympic track team. “Some of us are still close, but with the ones we haven’t seen, we just picked up where we left off.”
“This guy is a great man, one of the big influences in my life,” Johnson said. “He is one of the role models for my life and I am blessed to have a guy like that in my life during a crucial time like high school.”
Thomas recalls the 1991 season and makes a point about the team not just being led by “stars.”
“We had to run in Noblesville in a make-up on Wednesday and turn around and race the Athenian Relays that Thursday,” Thomas said. “There were guys like Jesse Martin, I remember he finished one of the races, fell down and threw up on the back stretch. I told him he was done for the day.
“He wiped his mouth and said he was ready to go and they turned around and set the record that year in the 800 relay. We took five of the six relays that year.”
They all smiled and joked and hugged and laughed. Most of the guys admitted it didn’t feel like it had been nearly 20 years since the group of 20-25 guys had been together as members of the Crawfordsville boys track and field team.
“My body tells me it’s been 20 years,” said Burkhart, “but it doesn’t feel like it’s been 20 years.
“We had a great time together and its good to see some of the old teammates and talking about the good old days back in high school.”
Some stayed in the area, like Burkhart, who threw at Vincennes University and now helps his family run a funeral home in Crawfordsville. Henthorn now lives in Texas while Johnson is in the Chicago area.
“When you have been away for so long, you come back and realize how much fun you had,” said Johnson, who was a Division III All-American in the 400 hurdles at North Central College and almost made the Olympic track team. “Some of us are still close, but with the ones we haven’t seen, we just picked up where we left off.”
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