Rick Mitton had a successful eight-year tenure coaching track and field at Lyman Memorial High School. In his first year, he had 20 runners, compared with 80 by the time he left Lyman this year to take over as girls indoor track coach at Bacon Academy.

He was still nervous about taking over the Bobcats this winter. Mitton said that former Bacon coach Charley Hughes left big shoes to fill.
“To me, it is always tougher to come in and fill for a coach that was successful, but I love challenges, and these girls are doing well at all of their practices so far,” Mitton said at Bacon Academy during a practice last week.

Bacon’s athletes haven’t known Mitton long, but many of them are already impressed with the coach.

“He learned our names after like the second day, which was really surprising because I don’t even know all of the girls’ names yet,” Senior Abbey Tedford said.