Returning Database All-Team Rankings (Based on Average): 35th
Returning AIA D4 Team Rankings (Based on Average): 4th
The Veritas Falcons have a solid nucleus in Matthew Barney, Nicholas Logan, and Jon Barney. Matthew was ranked 5th in the State among D4 Boys for 3200m this season, while Logan was ranked 10th 1600m thanks to his 8th place finish at the AIA Track and Field State Championships. Following the three-pack at the front Timmy Soukup and Ian Rathsburg close out the Falcon's 1-5 spread less than 15-seconds behind Matthew Barney. Their returning depth makes them capable of finishing among the top two Division IV boy teams at Cave Creek Golf Course in November.
Coach Jared Holmberg Says…
Who are your top returners?
This season, the Barney's are gonna be up there along with Nicholas Logan. Ian Rathsburg and Peter Schillinger should be in the top five, and Timmy Soukup will hopefully contribute as well.
Do you have any impact freshman or incoming transfers?
We have some freshman coming in but they're still adjusting to the program.
What kind of mileage are you guys doing and what has been the focus of the current phase of your training?
They all had an incredible summer. Matt and Jon both logged hundred mile weeks at the end of July, which was their goal last year.
A lot of my philosophy has changed over time from doing more race pace stuff, to increasing the mileage. We've cut down on the number of workouts we'll do this season and to this point, almost all of our workouts have been strength based with low intensity and high volume. Easy miles per week, one workout and a long run per week.
(Left: Nicholas Logan [5774] and Matt Barney [5773] return as the Falcon's top boys from last year. - photo by John Hays)
What meets are you keying in on this year?
I broke it up into four stages for the guys. Our first meet will be the Chandler Invitational, then we'll focus on Doug Conley really and there's a Great Hearts Invitational in the works hopefully before Sectionals. A big goal for us is to be competitive against North Phoenix at Sectionals to get an idea of where we're at before State. It's not me pushing it on them, but they know that the ultimate end goal is to at the very least finish top five at State.
What's the most important thing you want young people to learn through running?
I want them to understand their identity and how it drives every single thing in their life. How the walk in the halls how they talk to their friends. One of my favorite things to do as a coach is to see them in raw moments and to use that reaffirm their belief in who they are. I believe that my boys are champions and I encourage them to be the champions that they are capable of being. I really believe it's really about using running to unlock who they are.