Plenty of track potential

The Turkey Valley girls track team is poised to make some noise in 2021.
Not the pots and pans sort of rattle but fast times that could shatter all-time marks in Trojan lore.
TV is that good.
"This will be our best season since I took over as coach," said Trojan head coach Dalton Hackman. "Our goals are set high and we have the athletes to do it."
Hackman is beginning his third year as head coach and running down in Des Moines at state on the blue track at Drake Stadium is high on the priority list.
"School records are up for grabs and the Drake Relays have been in the back of their minds," said Hackman.
Without question, Turkey Valley sports one of the fastest distance runners in the state in the form of junior Jalyssa Blazek.
She's got the resume to prove it out on the cross country course with back-to-back third-place state finishes to go along with a sixth-place showing at Fort Dodge her freshman year.
The problem is Blazek and her talented teammates didn't get a chance to prove their worth last year because of COVID-19. The state meet was cancelled and the long layover without any meets under the Trojans belts has lasted a whole calendar year — times two.
While it's been almost two years since the Trojans have put a track meet in the books, Hackman is expecting to see his speedy bunch run near the front of the pack all season in a number of events.
"The Turkey Valley girls will be in the mix for the conference race. We have a very good track conference, sending multiple teams and individuals down to the state meet every year. But I believe we have the firepower to be right there with others," said Hackman.

Blazek anchored the state-placing distance medley squad of Josie Weber, Karissa Schmidt and Kourtney Schmidt. The three freshmen that ran on that eighth-place team that medaled are back minus Karissa Schmidt, who graduated.
      --The rest of the story may be found in the March 30 Tribune.