Last year, the boys track and field squad qualified several athletes for state finals. They’re hoping for a repeat of that success this spring.

“We have a much smaller boys team this year, so we’re going be looking at the depth we had coming back from last year,” Coach Michael Sudrovech said. “We have several state qualifiers, and we want to have them repeat and maybe have some surprises here and there from (those coming up from) the middle school.”

Seniors Sam Murray and Anthony Romeo along with juniors Trey Townsend, Scott Masterson and Shane Ross are expected to be some of the team’s leading scorers this spring. Sudrovech and Head Coach Matt Johnson said these boys will heavily contribute to the team’s strength in field and middle-distance events.

The boys and girls are all focusing on form in practice right now, and some students are trying to prove themselves as captains.

“We graduated 18 seniors last year and a lot of those seniors were really strong leaders,” Sudrovech said. “We’re developing that leadership in the group that was pretty quiet last year, but also performed, and getting them to draw out some of the attitude, intensity and confidence.”

But it’s not all about scoring points.

“That’s the difference right now – having captains that are captains because you see them scoring points or are captains because when you need something, that’s who you go to,” Sudrovech said.

In their first meet of the season, the boys took a 91-37 loss to the Lake Orion Dragons. Despite the tough score, 71 personal records were set by Wildcat boys throughout the night and athletes like Townsend, Masterson, Murray and Ross lived up to the high expectations set for them by picking up high placements in their events.

The boys and girls will be back at it on April 10 when they host Clarkston. Sudrovech and Johnson also encouraged the community to mark April 27 on their calendars, in which Oxford will host its annual Elmer Ball Oxford Invitational. Twenty teams are already signed up for the big meet.