Tigers’ track & field team to focus on individual marks

By JEREMY TEPPER

MVI Sports

McKeesport track and field, like a number of teams across the state, is dealing with smaller roster numbers this year. Due to that, Tigers coach Mark Bacco said the main focus this season is for his kids to achieve as much as they can individually.

“We’re focusing a lot on just getting the kids ready and trying to hit the times they need to hit to get to WPIALs and do well at WPIALs and make it to states,” Bacco said. “That’s pretty much our goal.”

Bacco said his team might have 60 to 70 athletes in a normal year. This season, the Tigers have about 50, which isn’t enough to compete with the best programs from a team perspective.

“Right now we’re just trying to field as deep of a team as we can,” Bacco said. “The overall team aspect, I don’t see us competing with the volume of points that we need to win the section, for example. 

“We just don’t have enough people to do that.”

Many of the athletes the Tigers do have are quite talented. Among them is Colin Lyons, who has committed to play football at Akron. Lyons is a thrower for the Tigers, and he excels at the discus. 

“He placed fifth in the state in the discus as a sophomore. He might be the best discus thrower in the WPIAL. He’s tremendous,” Bacco said. “He consistently throws over 160 feet. He’s gotten a lot more consistent. He’s much stronger and bigger now. His bad throws are way better than what he used to get.”

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