Storm on track with Hartz

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Nick Hartz is certainly no stranger to Bureau Valley High School athletic program.

He played football from 1993-95, graduated in 1996 and has been assistant cross country coach since 2002.

Now he will be come the new head boys’ track coach at Bureau Valley, replacing for Dave Moore who left Bureau valley to become head football coach at Princeton. He was named at Monday’s board meeting.

Hartz has helped produce the track talent at Bureau Valley as a junior high track coach at Bureau Valley South since 1999 and feels this is the next step for him.

“I think it’s a natural progression,” said Hartz, who teaches eighth-grade social studies at the Buda school. “We got some pretty talented kids coming back. Should be a good experience.”

The Storm coach, who was recognized as one of the Assistant Coaches of the Year by the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association last year, said he would like to get more kids back to state.

Also Monday, Matt Pistole was approved as assistant football coach and Duane Price as assistant golf coach.

• Hall soccer: The fledgling soccer team at Hall High School will not get the boot. The Hall school board elected to continue the program by a 4-3 vote at Wednesday’s meeting.

Lower than desired numbers of participants brought the program back up for discussion. The soccer program had been discontinued in 2007 for low numbers, but the board agreed to try again this fall.

Shawn Russell, who has been serving as the acting coach, said he has 20 athletes, boys and girls, out for the sport. There were 13 at the mandatory fall sports meeting on Monday, Superintendent Mike Struna said, and 16 at Wednesday’s practice.

Six JV games have been scheduled this fall, beginning Sept. 9 at DePue. Other matches are scheduled with Mendota, Ottawa, L-P and Princeton.

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