AMBOY – The Amboy-LaMoille-AFC boys track and field team is going to have to do some mixing and matching this season.

The Clippers have experience in seniors Kyler McNinch and Kelton Schwamberger, who have been on the track team for four years, as well as Zane Murphy, a senior at Ashton-Franklin Center.

Then there are gaps in the event card that will be filled by freshman and sophomores. 

Coach Jeramey Wittenauer knows it won’t be easy to find the best lineup but having the talent and potential up and down his list of names to maneuver on the card, makes his job a tad bit easier. 

“I think for my seniors, I kind of know what I have with them,” said Wittenauer, who has led the Amboy track and field program since 2007. “With some of the younger ones, we will see how they mature in one year of competitive track and field events. There are a lot of changes from freshman to sophomore year and even more from sophomore to junior year. I’m excited and interested to see what happens as we start the season.”

McNinch will be a top distance runner for the Clippers along with sophomore Atticus Horner.

Murphy will be inked in for sprint events, while Joel Billhorn, who transferred from LaMoille to Amboy this past year, will be asked to pick up points in the 400-meter dash.

Relays could see a mix of everyone.

“All around, I have some good, young talent that I’m hoping to put together for competitive relay teams,” Wittenauer said. “Zane Murphy will be a part of the relay teams. Besides him, I’ll have sophomores and freshmen trickled in here and there. I’ll also have a four-year guy in Kelton Schwamberger compete in relays also. So, I’ll have a nice group of experience and youth. We should be competitive.”

In field events, Schwamberger will be a long jumper and LaMoille junior Ian Sundberg will throw shot put and discus. In his two previous throwing seasons, Sundberg has performed better in discuss but Wittenauer is looking for top finishes from him in both events throughout the season.

LaMoille’s Ed Fry will compete in the high jump and be part of relay teams.