By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

CHINA GROVE — It was a track and field year in which Rowan County lost its greatest track legend — former North Rowan coach Robert Steele — so the newly named Robert Steele Rowan County Championships carried even more weight this time than usual.

Every Rowan track team enters a season with state-title dreams, but winning the county meet is the next thing on every team’s list of goals.

The county meet with its tradition dating back more than 50 years is still a huge deal for every school. Carson’s boys won their first ever team title in 2023 largely based on the efforts of junior Carson Aman, who won three individual events and was second in another.

There’s no doubt South Rowan distance man Eli Julian turned in the finest single performance of the local boys track season with his 9:20 clocking for second place in the 3200 at the 3A State Championships, but for an all-round, exhausting effort that lifted his team to the top of the county, Aman is the Post’s choice as the Rowan County Male Track Athlete of the Year.

“Eli is a fantastic runner,” Aman said modestly. “I’m just a guy who is pretty good in a lot of stuff.”

That may be the case, but Aman added to his county stardom with MVP honors in the South Piedmont Conference Championships. He won the long jump, placed well in his other three events, and was the meet MVP. Carson had the best showing (fourth place) of the Rowan squads.

“As far as the jumps, our conference was much tougher than the county,” Aman said. “Concord has some really strong guys. My grandparents came to that meet, the first time they saw me in track, and I wanted to do well for them.”

Jonathan Lowe became Carson’s head football coach last summer and made an effort to get some of the school’s football athletes to come out for track. Aman was one of those guys who answered the call.

At almost 6-foot-2, but light at 165 pounds, Aman is a rangy, swift defensive back for the football Cougars. Lowe knew he could help the track and field Cougars in the relays, and anchoring relays is what Aman was doing as this track season got under way.

But there was a day in March when Lowe was auditioning jumpers. Carson had a solid distance crew and if more points could be found in other places, the Cougars might be able to challenge at the county level.

“Coach asked us to try jumping, so I ran as fast as I could and just jumped,” Aman said. “I had zero training and I had zero technique. I long-jumped 21 feet on my first try. The coaches were surprised. It was like, ‘Hey, Aman can jump.'”

Twenty-one feet is the regional qualifying standard. There are good jumpers who have worked at it for years who will never jump 21 feet.

When Aman attempted the high jump and was able to clear the bar at 6 feet, Lowe smiled. He knew Carson had a realistic chance to win the county.

“I tried the high jump and it was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, Aman can really jump,'” Aman said with a laugh.

On April 12, about a month after that audition day, Aman wasn’t in any of the relays at the county meet. He was entered in the long jump, triple jump and high jump and in his best sprint event — the 400.

He made six jumps each in the long jump and triple jump pit and won both events. His effort of 20 feet, 3 inches was good enough to take the long jump, while 40 feet, 2 inches claimed the triple.

“I think it was the most drained I’ve ever been,” Aman said. “All those jumps and then it was time for the 400, and the 400 is a very tough race. But anything I get into, I’m all in. I don’t hold back anything. I gave everything I had.”

The 400 is a tough race, arguably the toughest of all, basically an all-out sprint for a full lap.

Aman finished second in the 400 to Salisbury’s excellent 400 man Jamal Rule.

“I threw up a few times on the side after that 400, and then I headed back to the high jump pit,” Aman said.

Aman won the high jump, clearing 6 feet. That gave him three first places and a second, a total of 38 points, a rare effort that would lead to a Carson celebration at the end of the day.

So what’s next for Aman? Well, football is still the priority.

“Lenoir-Rhyne has talked to me about doing football and track there,” Aman said. “I know I’d like to get better at track, to see what I can seriously do there. I’ve just been free-balling so far. If I worked at it, trained for it, I think I could qualify for states, at least in the long jump, but for now I’m focused on having a big senior football season.”

Aman has been through tough times and is more driven than the average, carefree teenager. He lost an older brother in 2021 and he lost his father in 2015.

“I imagine my dad is in the stands sometimes,” Aman said. “I’m smiling because he’s yelling something stupid at me like ‘Run faster, Carson!’ or ‘Jump higher, Carson!’ But everything I do, I do for him and my mom. Everything I do is to make them proud of me.”

Salisbury’s Sean Young also turned in a strong season with some versatility. Young won a lot of 100s and 200s and was the Central Carolina Conference triple jump champion.

 

All-Rowan County boys track

The basic criteria for All-Rowan County is first or second place in an individual event in the Rowan County Championships or first in a relay.

The Post also recognizes boys who won an individual conference championship, even if they aren’t in the top two in that event in the county meet.

Any state meet qualifiers who don’t meet the first two criteria are recognized.

South: Eli Julian, Sawyer Sifford, Bricen Burleson, Grayson Cromer  

West: Landon Jacobs, Braxtyn Barger

East: Seth Drake, Carson Greene, Cole Eagle, Cameron Ritchie, Jacob Butler

North: 4×100, 4×200, KaMahri Feamster, Quintin Wilson

Carson: 4×800, Carson Aman, Jorge Clemente-Garcia, Connor Price, Nehemiah Baldwin, Damir Miller, Gabe Honeycutt

Salisbury: 4×100, 4×400, Jamal Rule, Sean Young, Damian Brandon, AJ Huffman

Coaches of the Year: Jonathan Lowe, Carson (Rowan County champions) and Romar Morris, Salisbury (CCC champions)