Rebels Have The Numbers to Build on Track Success

When it comes to the upcoming spring track season, Coach Patrick Mahan said his Rebel boys squad is looking to take what they learned in the past and improve that in 2011. 

Having finished the last year with a 2-5 mark, there is plenty of room for improvement, but the coach is hopeful that the runners, throwers and jumpers that he has will help the team work its way through the gauntlet that is the A North division.

"The returning Rebels are looking to build off of last year's experience to reach new personal best marks on both the track and the field," Mahan said. "The newcomer Rebels are looking to make their mark by having a great first outdoor season while pushing the upperclassmen to new heights."

When it comes to his roster for the coming year the coach has plenty of familiar faces to call on that will help them move forward.  That includes nine returning starters in the senior class alone. The nine seniors are Dillon Cafiero, Brandon Cerretani, Billy Donahue, Chris Errichiello, Tyler Gillies, Matt Motto, Mike Porter, Eric Snyder  and Andrew Spampanato. 

From the senior class alone the Rebels will have plenty of participants in all of the events, but there is also a pair of returning members of the class of 2011 who will be looking to make more of an impact this year. While Billy Baunach will be mostly a runner, Ryan Fresolone will be a runner and a thrower for the team. 

The Howell squad will also have its fair share of juniors on the roster this year, though they do not have quite as much experience as the older members. The returning starters are Drew Kinghorn in the running events, Steven Nunziato as a runner as well and Joe Zientek who will look to soar in the pole vault. Although he was not a regular starter last year, Sean Del Galdo will be back as a runner for the juniors looking to build off last year while preparing for next season. 

One of the largest groups on the team comes from the sophomore class who will all be looking to learn as part of their progress. Tommy Cafiero will be a runner along with Jeremy James, David Jimmerson and Rupak Mehta. Meanwhile, Ryan Dee will focus on the jumps while Peter Zwolinski will be a thrower for his team.

With those numbers alone the Rebels would have plenty of athletes ready to go for the year ahead, but there are also a litany of runners, jumpers and throwers who will be making their Howell debuts this spring. Members from each of the four classes have signed up to help the team succeed this year, which should give Coach Mahan plenty of options as the season goes on. 

The season starts this weekend with the annual Rebel Relays when the squad will welcome most of the top teams in the area for the annual rite of spring. The dual meet season starts April 5 with a battle against division rival Middletown South.