Nodaway Valley boys working hard ahead of 2022 track season

First-year boys track and field coach Chase Green has 18 boys out this spring at Nodaway Valley.

The squad, led by five seniors, has been working hard ahead of the upcoming outdoor portion of the season. The Wolverines take to the track Friday, weather permitting, in a meet at Winterset.

Nodaway Valley also logged a couple of indoor meets to start the season.

“We’re ahead of schedule on our workout plans and we’ve got some boys who are really starting to shape up,” Green said. “I really didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t see a lot of those boys running in the past. The last indoor meet we went to, it was a beautiful location. The boys got to run a little and I could see what their different skills are, where they’re the strongest.”

Of state-qualifying events last year, the only returnee is distance runner Doug Berg, now a junior.

Coming off another state-qualifying season in cross country also, Green said Berg is having a great preseason. Berg medaled in the 3,200-meter run in one meet and the 1,600-meter run in another.

Other potential leaders Green sees on the roster on and off the track are Caelen and Boston DeVault and seniors Adam Ayase and Nathan Russell.

“Doug is definitely going to be a big point-earner this year, definitely a leader. He sets the tone for hard work,” Green said. “There’s a lot of guys who are stepping up to make things happen this year.”

Green said that with each day, he’s hoping his squad will continue to learn what its strengths are.

“There’s a few runners Friday who I might put in events I never run them in again. I just want to see what their time is in that event,” Green said. “I’m also trying to see what kind of balance we can get. There’s a lot of events I want to see if we can do well in, I’m just trying to use our personnel in a way that’s efficient and logical. I also want to see what events we will be focusing on as we go along.”

Green said he has a specific workout plan he employs, so he’s excited to see how that pans out for the program going forward, along with the able help of assistant coaches Seth Comly and Darrell Burmeister.

“It’s just been a good year. I’m enjoying the process,” Green said. “I realize my workout plan, wherever I’ve been, it’s taken about six years to get to where you’re top-5 success in your class, but I’m hoping it doesn’t take that long. There’s a lot of talent on the team.”