Track sprinters, jumpers and throwers sometimes make you imagine them running, covering or blocking on the football field. Some athletic exploits translate to success in both sports.

Football and track also can be more similar than you might expect from a mental standpoint. Toughness, endurance and grit can carry over as well.

"Track teaches you how to win personal battles," Genoa football and track coach Paul Patterson said. "In track, it's personal battles with yourself to improve your time or battle with the kid next to you.

"In football, it's the same concept. You have to win your battle for the team to succeed. The big correlation is the personal battles. You have to do your 1/11"

Patterson sees no drawbacks to competing in both sports. There are plenty of benefits.

"You can mold track into speed training," he said. "The opportunity to get into the weight room is there. You can make yourself a better athlete with track. Both present physical and mental challenges.

"It's how you approach those challenges. At some point, it hurts or you're tired and it's how you get through. There is no negative to doing both."

Eastwood has historically had athletes who compete in both sports, and Patterson said there's a correlation for the success of each. The Eagles football team dominated the conference before Genoa's resurgence several years ago.

Port Clinton juniors Brandon Moore and Nathan Stubblefield and Genoa's Andrew Belcik, a senior, and Josiah Bradfield, a freshman, started track with football in mind.

"Football helps us get bigger and track gets our form good to be faster," Stubblefield said. "Football is the muscle and track is the form. I definitely got faster. That helps on the football field.

"Track helps me condition. I'm pretty much training all year long. I love track, but if I didn't love track I would still do it to help with football."

Moore was going to play baseball his freshman year, but Stubblefield convinced him otherwise. Moore would have it no other way.

"It's a huge benefit," Moore said. "Track makes you faster and stronger. Track has a huge impact on the way I perform in football. Your legs get bigger and stronger. It's made me faster, and it makes me want to compete more. I love it."

Bradfield started with track in the eighth grade, whereas this is Belcik's first year. Belcik will play football at Capital University, and coaches told him to run track to condition.

Bradfield wanted to continue to develop chemistry with Patterson.

"Running and form and getting faster," he said. "I love to compete. I got faster. Competition motivates me to get better and get faster and try to win."

Patterson encourages multisport athletes

Many of Genoa's football players also are on the baseball team.

Patterson doesn't advocate specialization.

"I want kids who are well-rounded," he said. "I want kids to do other things and compete."

Some athletes are encouraged to participate in only one sport so they can maximize their exposure, skill development and practice time with that sport. Others argue that more than one sport helps an athlete avoid burnout and possibly injury.

"Football and basketball to track use different movements, and that's good for the athlete," Patterson said. "Specialization sometimes uses the same muscles all the time, and it doesn't help you as an athlete overall."

Athletes like Moore train differently for track and football, even if certain tendencies cross over.

"You can't show up and run track," Patterson said. "You have to train properly. ... Throwing works on balance and footwork. That's good for an offensive lineman."

Despite all the connections, Patterson's job as coach is vastly different between the sports. He's constantly scurrying from one event to another trying to see everything and check on everything at meets.

Football can be hectic in its own right, but there's less travel.

"It's all in front of you and you're not running around," he said.

Patterson also has time to make adjustments when it comes to football.

"There are certain skills you can work on at practice during the week, and when the gun goes off, there are no adjustments," he said. "In football, you can adjust as the game goes on. Once the gun goes off, it's up to the kid to push."

The team dynamic is different for Patterson and his athletes from track to football.

"Track has a team component, but it's getting the most out of the individual," Patterson said. "It's individual drive. In football, there are no stats for offensive linemen. They block so the running back can get yards or the quarterback can make a throw.

"The individual focus on making yourself better is more prevalent compared to football, where you have to do your best but it's a team success."

Rockets' Cecil sees multisport correlation

From a girl's perspective, Oak Harbor junior Andrea Cecil says she is a better basketball player because of her participation in track.

Cecil, who verbally committed to continue her basketball career at Bowling Green State University, actually competes on the track team and for her AAU basketball team at the same time during the spring.

"A lot of it has to do with just staying in shape," Cecil said. "No sport keeps you in shape like track. You work on your vertical and acceleration — that helps on the basketball court a lot."

Cecil ran track in middle school but took her sophomore year off in high school. She competes in jumping events, hurdles and sprints.

Cecil also does track with the intention of keeping busy. With AAU teammates from various locations in the state, basketball practice is sometimes a trick to organize.

"When I don't do track ... last year I honestly got bored," she said. "It keeps me busy. Track keeps me occupied and I'm always getting stronger. I'm in the weight room and getting faster."

Cecil competed in a track invitational last week and an AAU tournament the next day.

"It's kind of challenging going from a track meet Friday to waking up for a tournament Saturday morning," she said. "Sunday comes and I'm worn out."

And better for it.


Twitter: @MatthewHornNH