About 30 Scorpions are set to take part in this spring’s boys varsity track and field season at Sedona Red Rock High School program healmed by Head Coach Sean Eicher.
“We have kids who have been involved with their events for years that are trying to break through to maybe win a state championship this year,” Athletic Director Peter Brock said. “We’re super excited about those kids, especially Ari Tedrick, with pole vaulting, he was able to go to state last year. I think he’s going to be able to represent the school very well again. We’ve got some other kids that are exceptional long distance runners, that have been doing cross country as well … like Chokyi Carstens and Aubrie Doyle [on the girls team], so I’m excited to see how they run this spring.
“Tedrick, right now, is favored to win state in the pole vault,” Eicher said. “Last year, the two people that were ahead of him graduated and … he took fifth last year in the event so all those other people graduated, so he” has the potential for a standout year.
The season opens Friday, Feb. 27, at the Boulder Creek Jaguar Invitational in Anthem, followed by the Notre Dame Prep Freedom meet on Wednesday, March 11. SRRHS hosts a meet for freshman and sophomores on Tuesday, March 31, that is limited to a few schools. The Blue Ridge Invitational is on Friday, April 3, the RVN3 Bubba Nielsen Classic at Payson on Friday, April 10, a return to Notre Dame Prep on Wednesday, April 15, and the Yavapai County Track & Field Championships in Prescott on Thursday, April 23. The Scorpions close out the season at home on Saturday, April 25.
“In the four by four relay, we have our three varsity athletes from when we took fourth place last year,” Eicher said. “We have Keldon Cain, Ariel Bustos and Carstens. We are now looking for a fourth to sub in and take place, which is a hard replacement for Ramon Betancourt, but I might be going with Jean-Carlo Gonzalez who is a freshman soccer player.”
Carstens is also going to be in the 400- and 800- meter runs and Eicher said he might end up “in the top 10” in the state this spring in the future with a current personal record of 2:04:86 with a 4:46 mile.
“Javelin’s going to be pretty fun — we’ve got three very good ones: Steel Sturgeon, Vincent Smith- Shayawatt and Samuel Knigge, the exchange student,” assistant coach Harry Schneider said. “It’s going to be a battle every meet between the three of them.”
Steel qualified for the state championship in javelin last year with a 128-foot personal record, only to be sidelined by a sprained ankle before he could compete. In 2026 he said he is targeting a personal records in the 150s to 170s.
Smith-Shayawatt coming off the Scorpion football season as quarterback credits football for sharpening his technique in discus and javelin. He’s been working back from an injury and is also competing in shot put this season.
“Lew Hoyt was a big part of our program,” Eicher said about the late Sedona assistant coach and philanthropist, who competed in the high jump in the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympic Games. “He helped us get jackets last year for all our kids … and I’m actually getting a quote right now for sweatpants to go with our tops. “If anyone would like to reach out to me to help with that, we would appreciate it.”
Eicher can be contacted at eicher@sedonak12.org.
Roster Sedona Red Rock High School 2026 Boys Varsity Track and Field Team
Seniors: Chokyi Carstens, Jose Luis-Zavalza, Ben Metzger, Aldo Nino-Rodriquez, Ryan Pfaff, Vincent Smith-Shayawatt, Steel Sturgeon and Ari Tedrick
Juniors: Christian Dominguez, Sunny Flores, Keldon Kain, Samuel Knigge and Leland Lynch
Sophomores: Andre Antanasovski, Ariel Bustos-Landa, Paxton Corney, Daniel Garland, Hoyt Henderson, Vaycion Lily, Justin Pallarez, Alexis Quezada, Emmanuel Rodriquez, Javier Ruiz, Mateo Tenbrink and Miguel Villages
Freshmen: Hector Flores, Jean Carlos Gonzalez, James Hyer, Jordy Ramirez and Kainoa Stimple
Head Coach: Sean Eicher
