Times Observer Photo by Cody Elms Corey Copley, Sheffield athletic director, presents the Wolverines’ 2022 boys track and field team with a plaque commemorating its record-breaking 11-2 season Tuesday evening.

SHEFFIELD — In March 2021, Sheffield high school hired alumnus Jason Snell to take over as head coach of the varsity track and field team.

Snell, who spoke openly at the time of his hire of being able to relate to kids’ hesitancy to join the team in previous years, and it was his mission to create a successful and fun atmosphere where personal bests and medals were important.

“One thing for me personally as a coach is personal bests,” Snell said during a 2021 interview. “Some of these kids aren’t the elite athlete in life and they get discouraged. If these kids have an individual number to get better every time, then they can be their own opponent.”

For Snell and the Wolverines, expectations were exceeded as Sheffield has put forth two years of both strong participation and even stronger performances. Most notably is the 2022 boys team, which spent Tuesday evening prior to the Wolverines varsity wrestling match receiving recognition for their school record-breaking season.

“My goal was to double the wins every year,” Snell said following the presentation of a commemorative plaque from Corey Copley, Sheffield athletic director. “The first season we had, we won four, so my goal for last year was eight, and we got 11, so it was outstanding. We’re strong in numbers. Sheffield has always had great athletes. It’s getting all the great athletes to come together and believe in something and go after it, and hopefully we’re going to grow even bigger this year.”

The boys were able to rack up 11 wins and lost only twice, eclipsing the 2012 school record of 9-1-1 that was led by PIAA state champion and one-time 200-meter state record holder Kalil Slaughter.

Team members of the 2022 squad in attendance that will be returning for the 2023 season were Colby Barr, A.J. Barnes, Owen Cable, Ethen Confer, Alex Eaton, Brian Greer, Dylan Hardwick, Andrew Holden, Christopher Joblon, Andrew Kyler, Chase Kyler, Bryden Letendre, Matthew Lobdell, Chetty Madigan, Alex Marfink, Lucas McNeal, Drew Morgan, Gage Mott-Macalush, Jeremiach Richardson, Conner Winslow and Leihden Wotorson.

Also in attendance were graduated athletes Michael Mihalic, Cyrus Sears, and Sheffield wrestling assistants Danah Campbell and Cooper Traister. The Wolverines’ lone graduate member not in attendance was Landon Mead, who was unable to make the presentation due to his Thiel College wrestling team obligations.

When asked about what he is expecting from his 2023 team, Snell didn’t hesitate, quickly stating, “Northern Tier champions, all the way.”

The Wolverines were just 20 points away from the top spot in 2022, and Snell believes that with much of his record-breaking team coming back, that Sheffield can close the gap.

“We have an amazing freshman class coming up,” said Snell. “And also we have some first-year juniors and seniors that saw some success, and they want to jump on the train and have some fun too.”