Before Dontel Highsmith starts his college basketball career next year at Northern Illinois University, he has some unfinished business to take care of for the Dowagiac boys track team.

He began his journey towards a successful year Tuesday in a Wolverine Conference meet against Coloma. The Comets won the boys meet, 85-48, and the girls meet, 68-64.

“I’m trying to go for the school record in the long jump,” said Highsmith. “23-7 is the record. I also want to knock two seconds down on my 100 time. I want to try to get down to 10.6.”

On Tuesday, Highsmith placed first in the long jump with a leap of 22-1/2 and finished first in the 100 meters with a 11.02 clocking. The Chieftain athletic standout also finished first in the high jump (5-6) and was part of the first place 400-meter relay team (46.49).

“He’s driven,” said Dowagiac boys track coach Mike Stanger. “He’s not a kid that just sits on his laurels. He’s out here because he wants to be. He wants to dominate in three sports. He’s been All-Conference in football, he was All-State last year in basketball and he was All-State last year in track. It’s great to see that because he’s making the most out of his high school career.”

Sophomore Caleb Zimmerman also shined in several events for the Dowagiac boys team. Zimmerman placed first in the 110-meter hurdles (17.2), 300-meter hurdles (48.71) and in the 400-meter relay (46.49).

“He took a few lumps last year learning the hurdles,” Stanger said about Zimmerman. “This year, he’s running with more confidence and doing a nice job.”

Lack of depth hurt the Dowagiac boys against Coloma.

“We had 10 first places out of 17 events,” Stanger said. “We just don’t have much depth. It’s frustrating. But, it’s part of the meet and our kids understand that. We’ve just got to keep getting better and improving and in the conference meet push up a little bit.”

The Dowagiac girls got a great day from freshman Nijah Russell and junior Crieona Rodgers. Russell was a four-time champion, coming away with first place showings in the 100 meters (12.38), 400-meter relay (59.52), 200 meters (28.01)and 1,600-meter relay (5:25.03).

Rodgers was a triple winner, finishing first in the long jump (16-1 1/2), high jump (5-2) and 400-meter relay (59.52).

“We’ve seen Crieona have meets like this before,” said Dowagiac girls track coach Ken Jordan. “She was the conference high jump champ last year and was runner-up in the long jump and third in the 100 so we knew she’d be really strong this year.

“Nijah ran cross country with me this year, even though obviously she’s a sprinter. You could see she was going to be strong for us on the track.”

Jordan will take a young team into track meets this spring.

“We only have one senior,” Jordan said. “Only about one-third of our roster has ever been in a high school track meet before. We’re pleased that things are on the rise. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re young and we’ll get better as the season goes along.”

 

Boys Meet

Coloma…85

Dowagiac…48

High jump: 1. Dontel Highsmith (D) 5-6, 2. B. Smith (C) 5-6, 3. N. Cobb (C) 5-3; Long jump: 1. Dontel Highsmith (D) 22-1/2, 2. D. Taylor (C) 20-1/2, 3. Lucas Petro (D) 18-101/2; 3,200 relay: 1. Coloma (T. Sage, B. Olsen, D. Ampe, H. Mazigan) 10:43.38; 110 hurdles: 1. Caleb Zimmerman (D) 17.2, 2. A. Bruder (C) 17.34, 3. Z. Stephens (C) 18.09; shot put: 1. Tristan Howard (D) 41-9, 2. W. Seabury (C) 41-3, 3. Todd McIntyre (D) 40-8; 100: 1. Dontel Highsmith (D) 11.02, 2. N. Cobb (C) 12.03, 3. JS Irwin (C) 12.43; discus: 1. Dallas Hale (D) 98-1, 2. D. Payne (C) 92-1, 3. W. Seabury (C) 91-0; pole vault: 1. Z. Stephens (C) 8-0; 800 relay: 1. Coloma (D. Taylor, D. Selby, R. Engle, A. Sypian) 1:44.69; 1,600: 1. R. Cade (C) 5:23.61, 2. C. Moxley (C) 5:30.54, 3. B. Olsen (C) 5:40.83; 400 relay: 1. Dowagiac (Lucas Petro, Todd McIntyre, Caleb Zimmerman, Dontel Highsmith) 46.49; 400: 1. D. Taylor (C) 58.94, 2. R. Engel (C) 1:01.2, 3. Travis True (D) 1:01.96; 300 hurdles: 1. Caleb Zimmerman (D) 48.71, 2. A. Bruder (C) 50.17, 3. Z. Stephens (C) 52.12; 800: 1. C. Moxley (C) 2:25.95, 2. T. Sage (C) 2:34.94, 3. N. Tallman (C) 2:47.65; 200: 1. Todd McIntyre (D) 24.45, 2. D. Selby (C) 26.47, 3. JS Erwin (C) 26.65; 3,200: 1. R. Cade (C) 12:23.25, 2. J. Harvey (C) 12:48.68, 3. B. Olsen (C) 12:30.35; 1,600 relay: 1. Coloma (D. Aytlor, A. Sypian, T. Sage, R. Engle, C. Moxey) 4:06.50

 

Girls Meet

Coloma…68

Dowagiac…64

Discus: 1. C. McLean (C) 93-7, 2. D. King (C) 86-9, 3. M. Graffenius (C) 84-0; long jump: 1. Crieona Rodgers (D) 16-1 1/2, 2. Neisha Douglas (D) 14-7, 3. N. Coombs (C) 14-1; 3,200 relay: 1. Dowagiac (Sara Long, Katie Murphy, Jennifer Schau, Marissa Springmann) 13:41.27; high jump: 1. Crieona Rodgers (D) 5-2, 2. C. Napier (D) 4-6, 3. E. Churchill (C) 4-0; 100 hurdles: 1. N. Coombs (C) 17.41, 2. Rosadio Murray (D) 17.92, 3. B. Sypian (C) 22.50; shot put: 1. C. McLean (C) 36-1/2, 2. M. Graffenius (C) 30-4 1/2, 3. Hazel Kennedy (D) 27-5; 100: 1. Nijah Russell (D) 12.38, 2. Crieona Rodgers (D) 13.64, 3. Neisha Douglas (D) 14.03; pole vault: 1. M. Graffenius (C) 7-0; 800 relay: 1. Coloma (R. Hart-Wilson, O. Barney, E. Churchill, N. Coombs) 1:58.57; 400 relay: 1. Dowagiac (Raven Brown, Neisha Douglas, Nijah Russell, Crieona Rodgers) 59.52; 1,600: 1. Sidney Sample (C) 6:49.10, 2. Sara Long (D) 7:08.06, 3. Katie Murphy (D) 8:04.67; 400: 1. R. Hartman (C) 1:09, 2. Marissa Springmann (D) 1:16, 3. L. Kolberg (C) 1:31; 300 hurdles: 1. N. Coombs (C) 54.91, 2. Rosadio Murray (D) 55.21, 3. E. Churchill (C) 59.79; 800: 1. Sidney Sample (C) 3:07.82, 2. J. Hewing (C) 3:18.83, 3. Jennifer Schaus (D) 3:21.04; 200: 1. Nijah Russell (D) 28.01, 2. R. Hart-Wilson (C) 29.32, 3. Jenesis Green (D) 30.25; 3,200: 1. Sidney Sample (C) 15:30.44, 2. Sara Long (D) 15:52.37; 1,600 relay: 1. Dowagiac (Nijah Russell, Marissa Springmann, Jennifer Schaus, Katie Murphy) 5:25.0