“Enthusiasm has been running high, but it remains to be seen if we can translate that enthusiasm into the hard work we will need to sustain throughout the entire season to reach our goals,” Ed Shephard, head track coach, said about this upcoming season.
As the weather improves and spring starts moving into town, the Freedom track team is ready to get this season started. With some freshmen and upperclassmen giving it their first go and returning participants from previous seasons, there’s just as much expected from the team as in past seasons.
“We lost some big competitors from last year’s team, but overall we should be a more complete team and be competitive in more events than last year. Like most seasons, we expect the team to make playoffs and hopefully our newest additions will enable us to get to the playoffs and advance to the WPIAL team championship meet,” Shephard said.
There are also higher expectations for those that are returning to the team. Those who are returning and made playoffs and/or WPIAL individual championships in a previous season are obviously encouraged and expected to qualify again and do even better than last time.
“[Senior] Trevor Adams and [Junior] Jarrett Boyd both qualified for the state championship meet last year and I expect them to make it back this year,” Shephard said. “Trevor was the WPIAL runner-up in the shot put and placed seventh at the state meet. This year he has an excellent chance of winning the WPIAL championship and improving upon his finish at states.”
There are similar expectations for Boyd, who qualified for states in the 800-meter run last season. This season he is aiming to advance in both the 800 and the 1600-meter runs. His biggest competitor in the WPIAL and states is Dom Perretta of Beaver Falls, a two-time WPIAL and state winner in both of Boyd’s events.
Many track athletes are skilled at several events. However, they need to decide which events they will be placed in for meets. Each competitor is only allowed to participate in four events in a single meet.”
Both the boys’ and girls’ teams are expected to do very well in this upcoming season.
“Our girls’ team is probably the strongest team we’ve had since 2009, when our girls were the WPIAL team champions,” Shephard said about the 2016 girls’ track team.
As for the boys, their team has the opportunity to match and even improve upon the accomplishments of the recent Freedom track teams.
Both the coaches and athletes, alike, are ready to get to work and see where this season takes them.