West Iron County boys track team photo features spring roster

A roster photo with real season weight

West Iron County’s boys track team is entering the spring with more than a group picture. The latest team photo from West Iron County High School gives Iron County families a clear snapshot of who is carrying the program this season, and it arrives as the Wykons continue building on a recent surge under coach Jeff Taff.

The photo places Taff seated in front, then identifies every athlete by row, turning a simple spring feature into a public record of the team’s depth and identity. In a small-school setting like Iron County, that matters. These are the students who will represent West Iron County at meets across the Upper Peninsula, and the roster shows a program that is no longer trying to scrape together numbers just to compete.

Who is on the team

The photo caption lists Christian Robles, Brady McDonald and Kyle Tape in the second row. The third row includes Eduel Spencer, Liam Meske, Saul Kobussen, Gavin Groff, Remy Torres and Alex Ghiggia. The back row features Solomon Stubrud, Blayze Schueler, Tanner Nordstrom, Seth Oberlin, Jessiah Smith, Joseph Martin, Wyatt Brozak and Brayden Bennett.

That full lineup gives the community a useful spring reference point. It also shows how wide the roster stretches across the group, with enough athletes to fill several rows and give Taff options across track and field events. For a program that has worked to rebuild participation, the number of names in the frame is part of the story.

A program that has regained momentum

West Iron County’s boys track team has been described as seeing a resurgence under Taff, and that progress shows up not just in the photo but in the numbers attached to recent seasons. The Wykons scored 10 points at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals in 2024, then improved to 30 points in 2025. That jump suggests the team is not only adding athletes, but also adding competitive impact.

The school’s track page lists Taff as the boys head coach and Kristi Berutti as the girls head coach, underscoring the structure now in place at West Iron County Public Schools. On the athletics side, Wykons Athletics continues to serve as the organizing home for the program, which matters in a season built around both individual development and team scoring. In a sport where depth can change from year to year, the stability of the coaching setup gives the boys a better chance to keep climbing.

Why this roster photo matters now

The timing of the photo gives it added value. The West Iron County track team was scheduled to open at the Florence Invitational on Thursday, April 16, in Florence, Wisconsin, setting the tone for the season early. For local fans, that is the first real marker of where the team begins testing itself against regional competition.

The team’s goals also point to a broader arc. After the 30-point finish at the 2025 Upper Peninsula Finals, the boys were hoping to push their total higher at the May 30 Upper Peninsula Finals. That target is the clearest sign of what this season is about: not just participation, but continued improvement in the meet that crowns the strongest teams in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

That context makes the roster more than ceremonial. It shows the names behind a team trying to move from rebuilding to contending. It also reflects how far the program has come since a previous season in which the boys team had as few as eight participants in 2023. Against that backdrop, a fuller roster is a meaningful step.

One standout returner to know

Among the names in the photo, Saul Kobussen stands out for a reason beyond recognition. Athletic.net lists him among West Iron County’s all-time top 200-meter performers with a 24.46 time at the 2025 MHSAA UP Division 1-2-3 Finals. That mark gives the roster a clear individual anchor and suggests the Wykons have athletes capable of making noise in sprint events.

Kobussen’s presence on the roster adds another layer to the team’s outlook. A program grows not only through numbers but through athletes who can score in key events, and a top performer in the 200 meters can help shape relay strength, open sprint depth and overall meet points. For a team chasing a higher total at the Upper Peninsula Finals, those kinds of event-level advantages matter.

What Iron County can expect this spring

The picture from West Iron County High School is straightforward, but it tells a bigger story about the season ahead. The boys have a deeper roster than some recent years, a coach who has already helped revive the program, and a record of measurable progress over the last two Finals. That combination puts the Wykons in position to compete more strongly as the spring schedule unfolds.

For Iron County residents, the key names are now on record: Taff on the sideline, Robles, McDonald, Tape, Spencer, Meske, Kobussen, Groff, Torres, Ghiggia, Stubrud, Schueler, Nordstrom, Oberlin, Smith, Martin, Brozak and Bennett on the team sheet. The next question is how far that group can carry West Iron County when the meets get tougher and the championship season arrives. The roster photo says the foundation is there, and the season will show how high it can rise.