Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

Numbers up and down for track

Kennebec Journal Staff

STAFF REPORT

Most high school track and field teams are challenged each season to put together deep teams.

"You can never have enough kids," Winthrop coach Ed Van Tassel said.

Coaches say it's tough to compete with the popularity of lacrosse, not to mention the assortment of other spring sports.

Still, some report they've seen a dramatic rise in numbers this spring.

"We have 35 boys out and that looks pretty good," Mt. View coach Kevin Petrak said. "This is a big, big improvement. This is the biggest team I've had in five years."

Petrak added that his team drew around 15 boys when he took over the program five years ago.

Maranacook coach Ronn Gifford says he has 28 boys and 18 girls out.

"My girls have doubled in numbers," he said. "Both numbers are up significantly, and I think these numbers will stay. This year, I'm starting out with a list of 50 total. I think there's 45-ish who will stick. It's outstanding."

Carrabec coach Dan Ross said his boys team, which features about 15, is "the highest I've had here in three years."

Of course, not everyone received a boost in numbers.

"Our numbers are extremely low this year," Mt. Blue coach Kelley Cullenberg said. "We've lost kids. In our school this year, track and baseball's numbers are down while lacrosse and tennis are huge."

Gardiner coach Eric Hall also said his numbers are a little down from a year ago.

"We're competing with a competitive lacrosse team and a top one or two baseball team," he said. "It's not easy."

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The Hall-Dale boys track and field team enters the season with two key point producers sidelined with injuries suffered during basketball season.

Senior Ben Gerant is recovering from an ankle injury. He is one of the team's top distance runners.

"We're hoping he can build up some fitness and return to form," Hall-Dale coach Joe Viselli said.

Viselli said senior Patrick Ellis could also miss the season after suffering a knee injury during basketball season as well.

"It's a big blow to the team," Viselli said.

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The Richmond baseball and softball teams will play at Vinalhaven in their season openers on April 17 on the same field.

In the past, the baseball teams have played doubleheaders, but Vinalhaven has added softball this year. After those teams play, a portable mound will be brought in to the all-dirt infield and the baseball teams will battle.

• • •

Former Cony baseball coach Ray Vallee is serving as an assistant coach at Oak Hill. Vallee is working with the infielders while former Oak Hill pitcher Chad Stowell is coaching pitchers and catchers. Head coach Chad Drouin is working with the outfielders and hitters.

"It's very organized," Drouin said of his practice plan. "(Monday) we had one of the best practices we've had in several years."

Vallee coached at Cony for three seasons, leading the Rams to the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference title in 2009 and the Eastern Maine Class A championship last spring.

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Erskine baseball coach Lars Jonassen is back on the field this year after taking a leave of absence last season for medical reasons. Jonassen, who has a painful condition known as fibromyalgia, showed up for home games and practices when he could, but didn't travel with the team on the road.

In his absence, assistant Dan Grady coached the team. Grady is back as an assistant this season while Jonassen returns as head coach.

"I'm thrilled to be back doing this," Jonassen said.

• • •

First-year Monmouth boys basketball coach Lucas Turner helped turn the Mustangs around this season as they qualified for a tournament prelim game for the first time in several years. Turner is also coaching boys tennis this spring but inherits a team expected to be strong since the Mustangs return the nucleus of a team that reached the Western Maine Class C final last year.

"Hopefully we're going to make a run at things," Turner said.

Turner played both basketball and tennis at Penobscot Valley High School before going on to play two years of tennis at the University of Southern Maine.

"I was definitely a better tennis player than a basketball player," he said.