My Boys

My Track boys made the paper! I'm so proud of them!

"A year ago, Coconino senior Jeremy Conigliari was on his own.


Nearly every meet, the high jumper set the bar for the Panthers' track and field team and finished fifth at state after clearing 6 feet, 2 inches--two inches short of his personal record.


This year, he has competition.


After Sinagua's closure, the Panthers' ranks were bolstered across the board and two, in particular, are giving Conigliari a run as Coconino's best high jumper.


Junior Steven Roessig and sophomore Luke Ross improved dramatically since wearing a Mustangs uniform and all three jumpers enter Friday's state track and field meet in a five way tie for the third-best mark in Division III at 6'4.


If they hit or exceed that height, the Panthers should be getting some big points in the team standings. It's been that way throughout the season for Coconino, which is a nice change of pace for the lone senior high jumper.


"Every year I had to search myself for motivation to do well," Conigliari said. "It was more an individual thing but this year, having these teammates, we're thriving. They always push me to do better."


The trio tries to make practice a bit more interesting by turning everything into a competition. They'll often try to outpreform one another, whether it's their normal practicing routine or creating their own game.


"The thing that's fun is that it's real competitive, " Roessig said.


"We're good sports so we don't get mad at each other, but there's definitely that competition between us... You're working a little bit harder if you're competing."


Earlier this week , they held a contest to see who could clear the bar the highest from standing position.


Conigliari won, but not by much.


"It came down to the wire," he said. "I was one height higher."


Roessig and Ross learned plenty of tips from their senior teammate, along with assistant coach Tera Larsen. Their form and visualizing the jump-- along with some natural growth--were the biggest reasons they've excelled since joining Coconino.


Jeremy's a fantastic leader," head coach Diane Sorden said. " He's the consummate professor. He'll sit and watch professional jumpers on YouTube and he studies to the Nth degree. He's able to parlay that back into what he needs to do physically and how to help some of the other kids."


Conigliari is the most consistent of the three, having cleared the 6-4 mark multiple times this past two years. Roessig was the first to clear the mark this season, but he also excels at the triple jump, where he's in a tie for fourth place in state at 42'11. Ross, the youngest and tallest of the trio, cleared 6-4 for the first time last weekend.


"For somebody his age, that's a big jump," Roessig said.


It gave the underclassman some extra confidence with his older peers.


"I bragged a ton," Ross said.


Sorden hopes to get the sophomore in more events next year. For now, he competes in high jump exclusively but is open to trying something else.


"We'll have to push him next year because he's just a baby sophomore," Sorden said. "We'll try to get him to hurdle and do a few other things."


Roessig, meanwhile, hopes to compete in the decathlon meet next weekend.


While the Sinagua transfers couldn't clear six feet last year, Conigliari helped spur them to get better, enjoy the vent more and to aim higher. The school record of 6-6 is looming target for each of them.


The senior, however is down to his last opportunity.


"I have to get 6-6," Conigliari said. "I feel like I'm over the bar and barley skim it and it makes me really mad," Conigliari said with a smile. "We'll see. I have one more chance."