BY JIM THOMAS

It should be an exciting spring as area high schools get preseason workouts under way for the coming season. It should be status quo for all the programs as there are no new head coaches at area schools.

Spring teams officially started practice Tuesday, Feb. 22, although some of them will not start quite yet because the winter sports are not yet finished and many athletes play spring sports.

In Class 4A, Montezuma-Cortez High School will compete in boys and girls track and field, boys swimming, baseball, girls soccer, and girls tennis. In Class 2A, Dolores and Dolores County will compete in boys and girls track and field, and baseball while Mancos will participate in boys and girls track and field only. There is a grass-roots effort to get a baseball program going at Mancos but that won’t happen for a little while.

Everything is status quo as far as the coaching situation goes at MCHS. Bob Archibeque will head the boys track program for a second season after leading the Panthers to the Regional title last year. Doug Anderson will begin his third season at the helm of the girls track program. Jeff Bollinger will start his second season as head baseball coach. Ricky Carver, who gave up coaching boys tennis last fall, will start his fourth campaign with the girls. Barbara Cullington will begin her second season at the helm of the girls soccer program.

At Dolores High School, Jim Everin will start his 12th season as head baseball coach. Mitzi Wallace will start her sixth season leading the track and field program.

Once again Ken Soper will guide the fortunes of the Dolores County baseball team. The dean of area coaches, he is starting his 34th season. Katie Banks will lead the boys and girls track and field units.

Mancos’ boys and girls track and field team will once again be under the direction of Tim Dunham. This will be his second season.

For most sports, the season will get under way the first or second weekend of March.

The State championships in Class 4A for track will be held at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The baseball site will be in Denver. Swimming will be at Eldora Pool and Ice Center in Fort Collins. Soccer will also be in Denver.