Marcus Greene has some unfinished business this spring.

The Warrenton junior, who finished in 12th place in the state in the Class 4 shot put with a distance of 14.88 meters, not only wants to do better in Jefferson City, but he’s also looking to cement his school legacy.

He’s taking aim at Eric Kessler’s 16.31 meters, which was set at the 1996 state meet.

“I definitely want to do better than last year,” Greene said. “I’m close to the school record for the shot, which is in the low-16-meter range. I’m close to that. I think I’ll get it. I just want to attack this season with everything I’ve got.”

While Greene is a seasoned veteran, there is a strong contingent of younger athletes looking to make their respective marks this season.

For sophomore Antwian Pierce, who runs the 400 meters and is on the 4x400 relay team, an exciting prospect this spring is the infusion of youthful talent in the sprinting corps.

“I think we’ve got the team to watch out for this spring,” Pierce said. “There are some really good, young sprinters here and our distance runners are better than ever.”

While the youth will provide depth and strength, Coach Mark Thomas said he’s expecting big things from a pair of upperclassmen who had a strong season last year.

That pair is senior Jonathan Sweitzer and junior Jordan Lopez.

“Jonathan was a sectional qualifier last year and has his eyes set on the 400m dash record,” Thomas said. “We have high hopes for Jordan in the high jump as well as running events. He was a strong competitor last year for us and he is looking very strong at practice right now.”

Just as Pierce said, Thomas feels there is a younger group of runners who could make their mark this season and beyond.

While enthusiasm is at a high, the program’s overall numbers aren’t the coach said.

“We have a solid group of sophomores and freshmen who are really listening, eager to improve, working hard and (are) receptive to technique critiques,” Thomas said. “Our numbers are not there across all events to compete for team plaques but we should have some individuals and relays that could be very competitive.”

Warrenton opens its season on March 24 at the Montgomery County Early Invite. The meet begins at 4:15 p.m.

The season can’t begin fast enough, Pierce said.

He’s excited to see just what the Warrenton boys’ track team can accomplish. 

“I believe we will get at least two people to state,” Pierce said. “We're going to be a team to watch out for in the upcoming seasons.”