Polo senior Taylor splitting spring season between track and baseball

Spring for a high school senior, regardless of any participation in sports, is generally a time to remember the last 4 years while looking forward to the next step in life.

The mind can look fondly on the past and the future, but the present still needs to be dealt with. This spring, Polo’s Reid Taylor needs all his concentration put on homework and a pair of sports.

Taylor figures to be a key cog in Forreston-Polo’s track & field team, all while helping the Marcos’ baseball team on the mound as a pitcher in the regular rotation.

He earned NUIC Upstate first-team honors as a running back and linebacker this past fall in football, and did a little bit of everything for Polo on the basketball court this winter.

“I realized with the last two sports how much I’m going to miss them, even though I’m going to play football in college,” Taylor said. “I missed my baseball teammates, and I saw this as an opportunity to be with my best friends from both schools.”

Taylor will continue his football career at Central College in Pella, Iowa, next fall, and hopes to also compete for the Dutch track & field team. However, his wish of playing baseball and competing for a strong F-P program first had to first be cleared with Cardinals coach Bob Wagner.

“I said that I wasn’t real happy with it,” Wagner said. “I told him we’d talk about it the next day once he brought me a schedule. My point was that I didn’t want to see it hurt him getting downstate in the triple jump.”

To make the arrangement work, ground rules were established. Wagner said Taylor could miss some practices, but not miss any meets, and once sectionals got closer, the senior would turn his focus to the track.

“Right away, I thought [Wagner] wasn’t going to let me do it, to be honest,” Taylor said. “I was kind of expecting that. But when he came back and said we’d talk about it, I can’t tell you how happy I was. It was awesome when he said I could.”

Taylor played baseball from tee ball up until eighth grade, when he chose to swap his cleats for a pair of track spikes. So far, health hasn’t been an issue.

“It definitely takes a toll,” Taylor said. “I go home and ice from head to toe. I feel like the walking ice man. But it’s worth it to me. I love them both.”

Wagner also chose to let Taylor do both based on his own previous experience. The second-year F-P coach did both baseball and track for 2 of his high school years, saying it “was a heck of a lot of fun.”

“Reid is really easy to manage. He’s a great kid, and I know he’ll work,” Wagner said. “I’m OK with it so far, but the verdict is still out. I want to see how his triple jump progresses.”

Taylor is a two-time state qualifier for Forreston-Polo, having made it to Charleston as a sophomore as a part of the Cardinals’ 800 relay. Last spring, he joined teammate and eventual state champion Mason Wright by making it downstate in the triple jump. The Cardinals eventually claimed third place in Class 1A.

“If I don’t make it down to state, it will be a big blow to me,” Taylor said. “The expectations I’ve set for myself is a medal.”

In those two trips downstate, Taylor has fallen just short of reaching the 1A finals. He was the only individual to beat Wright in a March meet last spring, but watched his teammate from the stands on the second day of state.

“I’ve always been a little more of a hot-head than Mason, and he kept me cool last year,” Taylor said. “I have to incorporate that a little more this year. I’m trying to pass that down to the younger guys.”

Wagner wants to see Taylor go from 42 feet in the triple jump to 44 or 45 by the end of the year, and possibly help lead a relay team to the big blue track.

“What we do at practice helps a lot,” Taylor said. “If you’re in shape to jump, you’re in shape to run a relay. The only thing that’s hard is getting handoffs down.”

Taylor understands that both Wagner and Polo baseball coach Jeff Sands will have to sacrifice at times because of the senior’s choice. Ultimately, Forreston-Polo’s chances at capturing a second straight sectional title and another 1A trophy down in Charleston could hinge on Taylor’s health and progression as the spring wears on.

“I really feel like 2 years ago, Forreston-Polo had a better team. Everything had to fall right last year,” Wagner said. “You don’t walk away with a third-, second- or first-place trophy without some luck.”

Taylor file

School: Polo

Year: Senior

FYI: Playing baseball for Polo and competing in track & field for Forreston-Polo this spring. … 2-time state qualifier in track. … Ran for 718 yards and 10 TDs for Polo football team as a senior. … Averaged 7.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 steals per game as a senior for Polo basketball team.