Mar 26, 2007 By Kevin Harrison For The 4 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – Connellsville boys head track coach Jeff Galand has high expectations for the Falcons as they prepare for the 2007 season. Galand not only thinks his squad will challenge for the section title, he thinks he has several athletes capable of qualifying for the state meet.

“Right now our main focus is the health and safety of the athletes,” he said. “We’ve got to get them in shape and improve their techniques. Once we get into the season, we’ve got to make sure they are warmed up properly because the season is so short and an injury could wipe out the year.”

Galand pointed out some of his athletes were close to qualifying last year, but did not put in enough work and came up a little bit short in the qualifiers. He thinks that experience opened some eyes of what they could do if they gave the effort.

Galand said his returning seniors have worked hard during the off-season and are ready to step up and take over the leadership role.

“We lost a couple of great kids from last season,” he said. “Brad Showman and Tyler Nicholson stood out because they did so much for the team. They not only put up points in their primary events, they sacrificed for the team to earn points in several events for us.”

Galand is looking to have big years from several people, especially Aaron Meade in the jumps, Dan Martin in the weights, and Scott Jones in the hurdles.

“I think Scott is one of the finest hurdlers in the area and possibly the state,” Galand said. “Meade and Martin have both put in a lot of time during the off-season and should pick up a lot of points for us during the year.”

Galand also said that middle distance runner Joe Villanueva could have a big year and could pick up a lot of points from the 400 to the 3,200 meters.

One thing Galand is pleased about is having better numbers on the boys squad this year.

“This year I can say we have about two quality kids in each event. That’s something I haven’t had recently,” he said. “Having more depth will give us a chance to pick up more seconds and thirds which add up and will help us win a lot of meets.”

Galand is pleased with the work of the underclassmen out for the team.

He says there are some athletic kids coming in, but the main focus is improving their techniques because track is a little different. It helps to be naturally strong and fast, but proper form will help improve times and distances.

To help bring the Falcons along, Galand give s lot of credit to his coaching staff.

“My coaches were not under contract during the off-season and donated their time and paid out of their own pockets to attend coaching clinics to help the kids,” he said. “I’ve worked hard to find and keep quality people with the program. I believe without a shadow of a doubt this staff is one of the most knowledgeable and they are dedicated to giving these kids every chance to be successful.”

Helping Galand this season will be volunteer assistant Dan Hough in the jumps. Jace McLean will work with the sprinters, Steve Kuhns in distances, Sarah Painley in the jumps and pole vault, and Rich Evans in the weights.

Galand says all their help will be needed this year because their section will be a lot more competitive.

“Last season we battled Laurel Highlands and Uniontown and beat each other by a couple of points,” he said. “This year it will be a little more competitive because we’ll not only have to battle those schools but I think anyone in our section can challenge for a playoff berth, so we have to be ready to run every day.”

Galand thinks working through the section and a couple of invitationals will help the kids be sharp for the individual qualifiers at the end of the season.

“You don’t have to be a state champ to get a track scholarship for college,” he said. “However, a lot of coaches attend the state meet and a strong performance there could help a lot of kids find a way to pay their way through school.”