Whether it's in the 110 hurdles, long jump, or triple jump, Palmer's Reginald Allison is one of the best in the 5A ranks. Photo by Alan Versaw.
For the last few years, Palmer has not been especially deep in talent, but they have still been able to score a lot of points in big track meets.
Last year, it was three young men doing most of the damage--Reginald Allison, Andrew Goodman, and Ben Goodman. They're all back this year. And, if back means better, they're even more of a force this year than last.
Allison dabbles some in the 300 hurdles, but is most at home in the 110 hurdles and horizontal jumps. PRs of 14.91, 21-9.5, and 47-2.5 puts him in the top-three ranked individuals in 5A in all three events coming into the season. If you've watched him, you know that he excels in body control; you won't find much in the way of wasted motion from this young man. And he's a dangerous person to send to the state track meet.
Palmer also figures to get a lot of mileage--literally and figuratively--out of the brothers Goodman. Andrew has finally reached his senior year. He has been a fixture at 800 and 1600 for Palmer almost since he entered high school. Last year's state meet, however, was a bit of a disappointment and there is doubtless a ton of motivation pointing toward a more satisfying finish this year.
Ben Goodman raised a lot of eyebrows, and rightfully so, with a spectacular track and field season last spring. As a freshman, Ben ran 48.81 in prelims and 49.27 in finals to finish second in the 5A 400. That leaves a lot of us wondering where the ceiling might be for this coming season. Brandon Parson of Fountain-Fort Carson has moved away, leaving Ben Goodman as the preseason favorite in the 400. Winning it is another matter altogether, but nobody will be taking him lightly.
With Ben and Andrew Goodman have solid seasons at the middle distances, it's a little surprising to realize that Palmer accumulated a grand total of one point at state in the 4x400 and 4x800. To make a run at a state title this year, Palmer needs better production out of these two relays. Palmer is heavy in high-end talent but desperately needs contributions from more than the big three.
If they get those additional contributions, things are going to look a lot brighter very quickly.