It will be hard for the Annandale boys track team to top last season, but they are going to try. The Cardinal boys are returning to the track with much of last year’s team still with them, but coach Jim Schimelpfenig isn’t counting his chickens before they hatch. “We had an extremely successful season last year, but that means we have to work that much harder to achieve that this year,” he said. “Other teams have improved too. “We don’t take last year’s success for granted. It’s a whole new season. The guys have to earn it all over again.” Last year the Cardinals placed third in the True Team Championships, second in the Wright County Conference and first at the subsection and Section 5A meets. To top it off, the boys 4×200 meter relay team earned a state championship. Returning from that team this season are David Queck, Luke Hinz and Ryan Koenigs. They lost Tom Ogden to graduation. Schimelpfenig expects the team to be strong overall in the sprinting area. Last year their entire crew advanced to sections, which means they placed in the top four at subsections. They are all experienced. Most have been involved in track since the eighth grade. The Cardinals distance crew are old hands as well. Adam Hoffman, Jim Schultz, Ryan Grambart and Joe Yotter are all returning and Schimelpfenig expects solid performances out of all of them. The field events will feel the loss of Ryan Zylstra, a shot put and discuss thrower. Coaches expect senior captain Mike Hemminger to step up and fill his shoes. “We’re missing some of our depth from last year due to seniors graduating and some kids not coming out this year, but we have a good number of seniors and juniors and a great freshmen crew who are going to be able to score some points for us,” Schimelpfenig said. As always the team goal is to take the Wright County Conference championship and advance as many athletes as they can on to state. That won’t be easy to do, as Annandale is in one of the toughest conferences around. Last year Waconia beat the Cardinals for the WCC title and they will be tough again this year. Delano is always a contender and Glencoe-Silver Lake will be coming on strong, Schimelpfenig said. In the Class 5-A Subsection, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City will be among five or six tough teams to beat and the section meet will feature athletes from at least 32 very competitive teams. “The competition is always intense,” he said. The Cardinals were scheduled to start their season on Tuesday, April 6, with an indoor conference meet at Becker. On Thursday, April 8, they will host their first home meet. The annual Annandale Quad Invite will start at 4 p.m. at the high school track.