Naugatuck High School has won the indoor track and field season for the past two years in a row. For the previous few years, the boys have been on an NVL winning streak, and, as for the girls, after a couple of seasons lacking one recently won another NVL title in 2023. Coaches Jason Sonski, Ralph Roper, Bill Hanely, and Coach Taylor are optimistic that they will win yet another NVL title for both boys and girls this indoor season.
During the 2023 indoor season, there were several exceptional runners, particularly among the boys: hurdlers, Daniel Anderson and Barrington Parker, long distance runners: Shayne Hasipi, Brenden Lyles, and Zachary McCasland, long jumper: Jayden Bartelle, thrower: DJ Ottowell, and pole vaulter: Cordell Jones. With their remarkable accomplishments, all of these track and field athletes contributed significantly to the 2023 season.
With the majority of the guys graduating this year, we focus on our upcoming all-stars, Zachary McCasland in his senior year, Jason Costa and Luke and Eddie Dalton in their junior years for longer distances. Our top runner, Matt Davy, recently graduated, but coaches are expecting a large number of sprinters. Tremel Morris is the most efficient sprinter this indoor season. Coaches are also pushing fresh athletes to try out for the events after losing our top pole vaulter and long jumper.
Now it’s time to shine a spotlight on our female track and field athletes. Our women’s indoor season in 2023 had a lot of potential and strong runners. Lauren Kropo, then a freshman, stood out above the rest. Lauren ran sprinting distance as well as 300 and 600 meters. Lauren was the standout female runner.
Lily Dalton and Gwen Marenghi were the most outstanding runners for the long distance females. For the hurdlers: Lily Jason, Divine Kabongo, and Serene Parker. For our Sprinters: Jaesah Perry, Wilnye Joseph, and Zahra Bayonne. The girls didn’t really have lots of long jumpers, but when they did, the best performances were from Divine Kabongo and Lily Jason.
Ralph Roper, the head coach, has been coaching track and field for nearly 20 years. But before he started coaching, he served in the military for quite some time. After retiring in 2018, he and his assistant Bill Hanley had more time to coach the high school boys and girls.
Jason Sonski, who also coaches for the track and field team and works at Naugatuck High School, generously consented to an interview with The Greyhound.
Coach Sonski was actively involved in sports in high school despite the fact that there was no track and field team. He claims to have always enjoyed athletics, which is why he began coaching.
“I just love sports. I love the meets but my favorite part is definitely the practices. Just seeing all the students put in that hard work, to release everything on the track once we get to the meets. Especially the indoor season, you know It could be icy outside, snowy, rainy, freezing cold, just seeing all the athletes continue putting in that work no matter the circumstances or weather just makes me happy.”
Sonski was never really interested in track and field until his daughter, Lauren Sonski, who graduated last year and is currently attending Iona as a freshman, became intrigued. Her hard work and dedication really made an investment on her father and the team.
Another former Naugatuck High School student who played a big part on the track and field team, Serene Parker, recently came back from boot camp and graduated from The United States Marine Corps.
She shares that track and field helped her a lot before she joined the United States Marine Corps.
“It was easy to watch yourself grow overtime. Not just about the team but yourself. Every Time I went to a meet I would drop time. I would PR (personal record). You know it was nice to watch myself grow. It’s just exhilarating every time I stepped onto the track. It was just so much fun and I miss it so much. If i didn’t do track I would’ve barely made it during boot camp. I still would have done what I had to do, you know. but track played a big part in my hard work at boot camp,” she explained.
Jason Sonski and Serene Parker sharing their personal running experiences with track and field. But one important, underrated experience wasn’t shared yet. The throwers. The four traditional throwing events — shot put, discus, and javelin — all entail the usage of devices of varying weights and shapes that are flung for distance. The throwers are traditionally on the field rather than on the track. Briana Rubas is one of the best female throwers on the track and field team. Now finishing the season off in her senior year, she hopes to become the top thrower in states and win for NVLs this indoor season.
When asked if there was a specific coach or athlete they had looked up to, they all replied with their coaches. But when asked the same question, Rubas replied with not someone from the team but athlete Sarah Cooley, thrower at Woodland High school.
“I really look up to Sarah Cooley. She placed number one at NVLs. I got to share the podium with her which was great. I was really proud of that. I’m really inspired by her and how committed she was to throwing. One of my major highlights was actually sharing that podium with her. But coach Taylor really pushed me to become the thrower I am today, you know. Every Time I was struggling or anyone was struggling he would always yell at us in the best way possible and tell us to keep doing what we’re doing. So he really inspires me too,” Rubas shared.
“It was different every year,” Parker said. “You know I always looked up to Roper, he pushes me to become better. And now I’m looking up to Schumann too, you know he has a baby now and he does all this stuff with AP classes, coaching the cross country runners, getting them ready for indoor season, and also coaching indoor and outdoor season. He has a lot on his plate. And Sonski, he’s just so supportive emotionally, you know. If I was ever struggling he was always there to give me a pep talk about how I can do it and I need to believe in myself. They all played a big part in my track experience.”
Ralph Roper’s motto for the track and field season has been “Go forth and do big things.” Parker wanted to honor Roper by designing her graduation cap with the same phrases once she graduated. displaying how her and Roper’s friendship was strong and how he had a significant impact on not only her track and field experience but also her high school general experience.
Rubas is now in her senior year of high school and still plans on competing for indoor and outdoor season of track and field. Once she graduates , she plans to join the USMC.
Roper, Sonksi, and the other dedicated coaches continue to coach the Naugatuck track and field squad. We shall soon see the Naugatuck high school team compete as the indoor season approaches.
