By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonaldmedia.com

SALEM, Ore.–  The Vikings are coming to Hayward Field with a vengeance.

Riding the hot hand of the Greater Valley Conference Athlete of The Year in freshmen Rebekah Miller for the 100 and 200 meter races, the distance running in Madison Willhoft, the cannon of an arm of senior David Johnson and not to mention the fantastic 4×400 relay team of Aracely Garcia-Chavez, Willhoft, Aaliyah Fitzke and Miller, confidence is high for a North Salem Track and Field team that finished third at the GVC District meet and had numerous athletes on the First-,Second- and Honorable Mention teams in 2016.

For Johnson, who qualified for State in the javelin with his 167’07” District Winning throw this past Friday, set forth at the beginning of the year of going to state and compete.

And in his second year throwing javelin, he found his big break.

“I won’t say it’s shocking, but I’m happy for myself,” said David Johnson. “I was trying to go to State in wrestling, but that didn’t go out to well and I wounded up placing fourth in my weight class.  But I told myself I had to make it to State in something, it wasn’t football or wrestling so I had to do it in Track.

“I have to place regardless,” he said with a smile.  “I can’t just go to state and not do well.  My whole point is if I’m going to go out, I have to show up my competition.  I know I’m not the top, I’m not close, I still want to go out with a bang. “

The legend that is becoming of one-Rebekah Miller, who won the Greater Valley Conference Female Athlete of the Year, broke records in her 100 and 200 meter race wins on top of qualifying for the triple jump during this past weekend’s GVC District Meet.

And putting aside that she’s just a freshman, this veteran is proving that the grade class is just a number on a sheet of paper.

“I feel like I’ve accomplished what I’ve wanted to accomplished,” said Miller.  “this year going in I was like, ‘it’s my freshman year let’s see what I can do right now’ and now that I’m excelling I’m like, ‘let’s now get serious and go from there.

“This whole year I’ve been running a 12.6 average, it was in the back of my mind that I could go to state but not totally, ‘I’m so going to state right off the bat’.”

For Willhoft, the sophomore is also showing that the ‘10’ next to her name is also a numerical figure next to her name as she took the 3,000 meter race and not to mention that freshman Fitzke is another youngster on the docket in the 300 meter hurdles race.

Willhoft, Fitzke and Miller all are joining senior teammate Garcia-Chavez on the 4×400 relay team, and Willhoft knows how big the moment is for Garcia-Chavez and they’ll do anything in achieving her goal before Garcia-Chavez graduates.

“Very important because she is very strong, I love her kick and I love her.,” said Willhoft.  “Aracely’s dream was to go to state and now we got her there.”

Through it all, Johnson knows that though him and his teammates are always have fun during meets and practices, when it’s go time, it’s go time.

“We’re always goofing off but we know it’s business too,” said Johnson.  “We have to go out there and try to achieve better, have a better mark.”

With the chance of running of in the heart of Tracktown USA that is Hayward Field, the athletes from North Salem High School know it’s a big moment, but remembering it’s just another day in the office.

“I’ve ran on the field for other races that were kind of bigger,” said Miller.  “But it’s my dream school so like this kind of is leading up to ‘I’m running here in the future’.

The State Tournament Starts Friday at Legnedary Hayward Field in Eugene and will go through Saturday.

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