The Warrenton boys and girls track and field teams will have small rosters this spring.

The boys squad enters the season with just 15 athletes. They typically have 30-35 athletes on the roster. The girls welcome five new athletes and return seniors Avery Shaw and Morgan Marschel, who were state qualifiers as sophomores.

Warrenton’s track season begins at 4:15 p.m. on March 25, when the girls and boys teams compete at the Montgomery County Early Invite.

With fewer athletes on the boys team, Coach Mark Thomas has adjusted his approach, focusing more on individual development rather than team-wide goals.

“We’ll work with the ones that are here, coach them up and find what they’re best at,” Thomas said. “We’re working towards individual goals rather than team trophies. It’s nice for them because they are going to get more one-on-one coaching.” 

The Warriors have a mix of newcomers, mainly freshmen, and a solid group of returning sophomores and seniors. 

Thomas noted he is excited to watch senior Isham Keeper, a newcomer, compete this year. 

Keeper always had the sport in the back of his mind, even before high school, but with his asthma, he strayed away as a precaution. However, with being a senior, Keeper thought, ‘Why not?’ 

“He’s never done track before. Now that basketball is done, he’s given it a shot and he’s pretty hungry,” Thomas said. “A lot more technique goes into it than I thought but I’ve been blessed with athleticism, so it comes pretty easy to me,” Keeper added. 

Thomas will look to put him in jumping events, but also noted he is a fast sprinter. 

“I want to compete wherever I can win, so if that means doing everything, I would do everything,” Keeper said. 

Thomas also has high hopes for Kadin Stroer who recently made his return to the sport after being out for a long period. 

“We had a really hard workout yesterday and I could hear (Stroer) telling them, ‘hey, just get through it. It’s what we have to do to be ready to run in meets,’ so it’s nice to have the kids be able to communicate that and not just the coaches,” Thomas said. 

Sophomore Marcus Greene, the conference champion in shot put last year, is another key returner. 

Greene said he feels more confident coming into this season and hopes to reach sectionals. 

“He did really good in districts for us last year as a freshman, so now as a sophomore, he kind of leads the throwing group over there,” Thomas said. 

Despite the small team, Thomas has been impressed by the dedication of his athletes.

“We’re working hard for low numbers,” he said. “I am pleasantly surprised at how hard they’re working and listening to us and trying to do what we ask.” 

Even with the increase in numbers, Coach John Jeskey added the overall numbers on the girls team are still a bit low, which will have an impact when it comes to team scoring in meets. 

“Right now, I’m going to set our expectations to at least a couple of state qualifiers,” he said. 

Shaw, now a senior, went to the state meet as a sophomore and was one place shy from qualifying as a junior. 

The experience she faced last season has only allowed her to come back more confident and motivated. 

“Whenever I think about not making it last year, it makes me angry enough and helps push me to throw a little farther and train harder,” Shaw said. 

Outside of state, Shaw has set her goals high and wants to break the school record for the discus throw. She currently holds the record for shot put and javelin throw. 

“I just really want to make it to state,” Shaw said. “I also want to try to hit over 12 meters a few times this year and sweeping another meet would be really cool.” 

“She’s been putting in the extra work and is already in midseason form,” Jeskey added. 

Marschel’s motivation to get back to state stems from a different experience. 

“I had a torn meniscus last year. I didn’t really know how it happened and I had surgery right before districts,” Marschel said. “Before, I ran in conference and I actually placed second with my injury.” 

Marschel went to the state meet competing in the 400-meter race. Her offseason training, including intense stairmaster sessions and sprint work, has prepared her to come back stronger. 

“I’m pretty nervous but I know I’ve prepared a lot,” Marschel said. “I probably spent 45 minutes on level nine on the stairmaster almost every day. If I wasn’t doing that, I was running two miles or working sprints outside on the track.” 

Jeskey will look to the senior duo to help lead the way for the underclassmen, an area that is big in numbers. 

“They all clearly want to be the top, and all of our seniors are really stepping up trying to be that top one,” Jeskey said. “We had a really tough workout yesterday and we didn’t have people that were quitting on us. They were all trying to push themselves and get better.”