Eric Keppeler '85
Sports Writer
The St. Joe’s track and field team entered last season as the defending Monsignor Martin Athletic Association champions – and while they were unable to defend that title, the Marauders appear ready to reap the benefits of that experience in 2026.
“We’re going to make a good push,” St. Joe’s coach David Rozak said. “The league is wide open this year because a lot of the other teams graduated a lot of talent while we were rebuilding. Now it’s our turn again.”
Leading the way will be the distance runners, made up of cross-country guys who won the league and went to states in the fall.
Senior Anthony Scarozza and sophomore Weston Peirick will anchor that group, while senior Dylan Forant is adding hurdles and shot put to his repertoire to be the school’s first pentathlete in many years.
Rozak is also an assistant coach on the St. Joe’s football team, and he brought along a bunch of linemen to the track team where he’s assembling his “army of throwers.”
Junior Payton Keighron went to states last year in the shot put, while juniors Max Dispenza and Lukas Bollman are already putting up good distances in the same event and figure to only improve.
Junior Aidan McGuire has developed into the team’s top threat at discus.
“We’re working with the other sports programs, like cross country, football, basketball, soccer, hockey,” Rozak said. “We’re getting the best athletes in the school to compete in all of our sports and that’s a huge advantage.”
The sprinters are a mostly veteran if somewhat younger group, including junior Jayson Wagstaff (sprints), senior Braun Borgese (100, relays), sophomore Camrhyn Chinn (100, 200, 400), senior Davion Becker (jumps), junior Jonathan Becker (jumps) and junior Jaxson Addeah (400).
Rozak feels that his team has a legitimate shot at the MMAA title this year, which would send the whole team to the Catholic state championships.
Barring that, some of his athletes are more than able to qualify as individuals, he said.
The St. Bonaventure-bound Scarozza is a multi-year state competitor and is likely to make another run this spring.
Rozak expects Keighron to go back to states and take as many as two other throwers with him.
Wagstaff, Chinn and Addeah also will make a run at states, he said.
“Our distance runners are really strong this year and the throwers are an exciting group,” Rozak said. “Our runners and jumpers are very athletic and young – we’re going to be counting on a lot of sophomores and juniors, but they’re some of the most athletics kids we’ve had in a long time.”