SHIPPENSBURG – A brisk spring morning turned warm by mid-afternoon on the artificial turf of Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium and the orange bucket of water dumped over the head of Chambersburg High School track and field coach Bob Walker was refreshing.
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Walker basked in the glow of the Trojans first PIAA 3A team track and field championship, which they earned with 48 points, far outdistancing Mid-Penn Conference and District 3 foes State College and Susquehanna Township.
Walker recalled an August meeting in the athletic director’s office with all the school’s head sports coaches.
“He had us all stand up and say what we hoped to accomplish this season,” Walker said. “I thought about not saying it, but I said it. I said I think we could contend for a state title this season. We’ve been dreaming about this since August.”
And, consider that fact that back-to-back state championships or even a three-peat isn’t out of the question.
The preponderance of evidence is that the Trojans are young squad, full of talented juniors, sophomores and freshmen who got the job this year.
“We have the talent. They worked hard. They performed, too,” Walker said. “It’s easy to make some mistakes at this level. They had a day. They really had a day.”
Sophomore JJ Kelly certainly had a day to remember, warming up with a bronze medal in the long jump in the morning, followed by a rapid heat with the gold-winning 4x100 relay team. Kelly took a quick respite before winning another gold in the high jump.
“He’s the most incredibly talented athlete I’ve ever seen at the high school level,” Walker said. “There’s no limits to what this kid can do. I’m just honored to be a small part of getting him to where they can be.”
The 4x100 relay team, comprised to three sophomores and freshman, should be able to write its own ticket for the next three seasons.
“We’re hoping they break 41 (seconds) next season,” Walker said.
Walker said that this win honored all the talented Chambersburg track and field athletes that have gone through the program.
“There are a lot of them here watching this. They finally made history and won a state title. There are a lot of people happy right now in this community,” Walker said.
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