The Trenton Bulldog track and field team enters 2015 with a new coach and a new outlook. Scott Stevens takes over the program from now Athletic Director Wes Croy, but don’t expect much to change as the Bulldogs transition to the new coach.
Stevens ran track with Croy as his coach and was a part of Trenton’s state championship team in 2008. Stevens knows the expectations of the program and plans on picking up where Croy left off.
“I was very lucky to run track under a great coach in Wes Croy,” Stevens said. “He really launched the Trenton track program to what it is today. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to continue that tradition now. I was able to learn a lot from Coach Croy, how he did stuff himself, how he did workouts, how he was a leader and that’s all stuff I want to portray.”
Stevens inherits a team that lost its lone state qualifier from a year ago in Charlie Hoffman, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t talent coming back. Trenton returns seven athletes who scored over 50 points last season and three more that were over 40. Trenton also has a group of first-time runners who should be able to step in and help fill the void left by Hoffman.
“It’s always hard when you lose a guy like Charlie,” Stevens said. “But, at the same time, we have a lot of guys out this year who have never been out before. For example, Bailey Owen is out this year and I think he can help us a lot and it’s the same with Aaron Anderson. Then we have the guys who have been doing this year after year like Terrin Ellis who, hopefully, we can get some points out of in the shot put. He has really improved a lot as well as guys like Travis Leeper and Jonathan Lamp, just to name a few. Those are guys who are really going to help us.”
Last season, Lamp scored nearly 70 points and Leeper hit 49. Both should factor into the sprint and jumping events this year. Dalton Ellis is the team’s leading returning point getter, having accumulated 102 points last year. Ellis should factor into the hurdles once again this season and be a steady points provider throughout the season. Trent Crawford, who scored 83.25 points last season, will be Trenton’s top distance runner, competing in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
Athletes like that group should give Trenton a lot of points on the track and Stevens believes that is where a majority of his team’s points will come from in 2015.
“I think the majority of our points will come on the track,” Stevens said. “I think we will be able to score some points in the field, because we have been improving a lot there, but definitely we will be scoring a lot of points on the track.”
Thomas Mack will give Trenton another possible point producer in the middle-distance events. After a successful wrestling season and scoring over 40 points in track last season, Stevens sees Mack as yet another contributor for the Bulldogs.
“Thomas is a guy who has been here, it is his fourth year,” Stevens said. “With what he did in wrestling, I expect that to just propel him even more. I expect big things out of him this year, especially in the 4×800-meter relay and the 1,600-meter run.”
Relays should be a big part of the Bulldog team this year. Trenton expects to be very competitive in all four relays and sees those teams as groups that could pile up points at meets this season.
“I am super excited for the relays,” Stevens said. “For me, the most exciting part of a track meet is watching the handoffs in the 4×100 and 4×200. It’s a team event which I think is an awesome part of track. Those are not individual events and I think we will be really strong in the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 and we have some new guys stepping in who I think will do a really good job in the 4×800.”
Trenton’s goals for the season are to pick right up where the teams left off under Croy – winning track meets.
“Obviously we want to win track meets,” Stevens said. “A lot of people think of track as an individual sport and there are individual aspects of it for sure, but we want to go as a team, get points as a team and get those fifth and sixth place finishes that are going to win us meets. Our goals are to go in, win track meets, do well at districts and sectionals and take a bus to state, not just a van.”
Trenton opens its 2015 track campaign on Thursday, hosting the Trenton Early Bird Relays at C.F. Russell Stadium. Action begins with field events starting at 4 p.m.
2015 THS Track Schedule
3/26 Trenton Early Bird 4 p.m.
4/2 @ Smithville Invitational 4 p.m.
4/7 @ Higginsville Invitational 4 p.m.
4/10 @ Joe Shy Relays (Chillicothe) 2 p.m.
4/13 @ Lawson JV Quad 4 p.m.
4/14 @ Brookfield High Quad 4 p.m.
4/16 Trenton Relays 4 p.m.
4/21 @ Cameron Invitational 3 p.m.
4/24 @ Brookfield Relays 10 a.m.
4/27 @ Nick Sloop Invitational (Lawson) 4 p.m.
4/28 @ LeBlond Relays (St. Joseph) 4 p.m.
5/5 @ Maryville Relays 4 p.m.
5/7 @ Lafayette Relays (St. Joseph) 3 p.m.
5/11 @ Benton Relays (St. Joseph) 3:30 p.m.
5/16 @ Districts (Chillicothe) TBA
(Home Meets in Bold)