With a mostly inexperienced group, the Helias Crusaders and Lady Crusaders will have a new look for the track and field season.
It starts with a new head coach as Brad Hake gets ready for his first season at the helm after leading the Helias cross country program the past couple of years.
"I went to the school and told them I would be willing to be the coach because I knew it can be tough on the high school level to find a coach and a teaching position," Hake said. "I was willing to help, I will do whatever I can do to help this school.
"They looked for a coach and came to ask me if I would do it and I said I would."
The Crusaders and Lady Crusaders open the season today with their annual dual against Jefferson City at Adkins Stadium.
"We always want to go to the first race and if nothing else, get experience and work out the nerves," Hake said. "Just compete the best we can. Get a time set, get a distance set on a throw, get a mark, set on a height.
"Then we can work off that the rest of the season and set some goals. We're so young, we're going to need to get in as many meets as we can. The team results don't matter."
Helias does have pockets of experience returning on the boys side, where the Crusaders finished tied for 11th at the Class 4 state championships last season.
The strength of the Crusaders figures to be in the distance running events.
Jack Crull, a junior, was a four-time state medalist for Helias last season. He finished third behind two seniors in both the 800- and 1,600-meter runs and is the lone returner on the 4x400- and 4x800-meter relay teams that both finished fourth.
Crull is coming off a third-place finish at the Class 3 cross country championships at the Oak Hills Golf Center. It was his third all-state honor in cross country.
"We've seen how special he is in cross country and that's going to carry over into track," Hake said. "He has the potential to be one of the premier 800- and 1,600-meter runners in the state.
"He's been working hard after cross country and he looks like he's going to have another very good track season."
Jenson Starr, another junior who was all-state with a 17th-place finish at cross country, is out for track.
Also out from the cross country team that took sixth at state are senior Riley Scott, sophomore Matt Abbott, freshmen Payton Kirchhoff, Noah Voss and Logan Mathews.
"It's a good bond with that group," Hake said.
Zach Vanderfeltz, a senior, returns in the throws for the Crusaders.
On the girls side, the Lady Crusaders don't return an individual point-scorer from a team that finished fifth at state last year.
"We'll be fine, it will take a while," Hake said. "We're probably not going to look good at the start of the season, we know that.
"But once we get some experience, we should be good. We're just going to put them out there and let them compete."
One group that figures to be strong for the Lady Crusaders are four juniors - Emily Harrison, Holly Hentges, Emma Veltrop and Taylor Woehr.
"I call them my 4-by," Hake said. "They're going to run at least a couple of relays for us."
Martina Lorang, a senior, figures to be strong in the hurdle events. Meagan Engelbrecht, another senior, will compete in the pole vault when she returns from an injury suffered in basketball. Rylee Kolb, a junior, will be among those in the jumps for the Lady Crusaders.
There are 40 boys and 30 girls on the track teams this season.
"The kids are all buying in and working hard," Hake said. "The weather hasn't been the best so far in practice, but they've done everything we've asked and I believe that will pay off down the road with results.
"The one thing I am sure of is they all will compete."
In his first season, Hake is leaning on his assistant coaches.
"I've put a few more responsibilities on them to help me out," Hake said. "They've all done a great job so far."
One of them is former Helias head coach Tom Emmel, who is working with the jumpers.
"He's been great and a great help," Hake said.
Helias will host a JV meet at the Crusader Athletic Complex this season, the first at the new facility.
"It's going to be a test run to see if we can get some varsity meets in sometime in the next couple of years," Hake said.
Looking toward the postseason, Helias will travel east instead of south for districts for the first step toward the state championships.
"We have the capability of getting more than a few people to state," Hake said. "We're just trying to figure out what's best for the athlete and for the team. We've got a couple of months to figure that out."
Action against Jefferson City will begin at 4 p.m. today.