Although the Spartans will be without some of their former stars, such as state champion pole vaulter Peter Hegarty, Sanford boys coach Kevin Way likes the talent that he has seen so far this preseason.
Replacing the graduated talent will be a challenge, but Way is has faith in his returners as well as the newcomers that are already making an impact. Not only does Way believe his squad can match last year’s production, he also thinks this group may be able to exceed it.
“Great looking group of athletes — talented kids coming in,” said Way. “(We) graduated school pole vault record holder Pete Hegarty … (We’re) looking to the leadership from the upperclass with the strong young group of up and comers to push the improvement bar up.”
Some key members of the 2017 Spartans include three-sport athlete Ethan Belanger in sprints, along with Mason Scully and Nicholas Adornetto. Jason Gil and Abbott Joy also look to impress in the throwing competitions, while Brendon Tremblay looks to fill the void left by Hegarty in the pole vault.
“The future looks bright, and (our goal) of course is to qualify as many kids for the state meet as possible … looking forward to it,” said Way.
The Sanford girls also look poised to compete at a high level this season, with many returners also coming back for the red and white.
The Spartans return Summer Camire, who was part of the seventh-place relay team at states in 2016. They also bring back Colleen Belanger, Gabrielle Bickford, Julia Cyr and Nichole LeBlanc, who took home fourth in the javelin at the state meet.
Sanford girls coach Steve Walker expects a handful of his athletes to compete at the state level, while also adding a few more to the total from last year.
“Those who made it to the state meet should go back, and hopefully bring some more along,” said Walker.
— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.
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