Trojan track wants to return to state

Troy’s track team isn’t the biggest the school has ever seen, but coach Neil Newton said the kids they have are working hard and he’s looking forward to a great season.

“We’ve got a small team, we don’t have many kids, but we’ve got some good kids out,” he said. “The ones we have want to work hard and they get better every day.”

The boys team is led by three time all-stater Sean Opland.

“It’s Sean’s senior year and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do,” Newton said. “He’s a three-time all-state athlete. We’ve also got some younger kids on the team as well, and we expect good things from them.”

Newton has more girls on the squad this year than boys, led by returning state qualifiers Allie Coldwell and Olivia Roach.

“We’ve got more girls than boys this year,” Newton said. “We’re going to have a good run there.”

Newton said the team has come together well and is working hard, under the direction of assistant coaches Jeff Hawk and Jim Dasios.

“We’ve got a great group of kids,” he said. “We’ve been looking forward to the season, working hard and things have come together.”

A rules snafu kept the team from traveling to Bonners Ferry last weekend, so they open their season at the Ronan meet tomorrow. Troy doesn’t host any meets this year, so their next local appearance will be at the Libby Invitational April 23.