After 33 years as a schoolteacher and coach, the last 32 in Jefferson, Kelly Simpson is taking early retirement at the end of this school year. The longtime girls’ track & field and boys and girls cross-country coach for the Rams, Simpson was asked what the goals for the four Greene County girls’ events at the Coed State Track & Field Meet were. “The same as it’s been the last 32 years. We’re going to go down there and we’re going to try to run our PRs (Personal Records) and season bests, and everything else will take care of itself.”

The Rams have 2016 Class State Champion Megan Durbin high jumping at 4:30 p.m. today, and Olivia Hansen will be in the prelims of the 200 meter dash, also at 4:30 p.m. Janelle Brophy will long jump tomorrow and the sprint medley relay of Megan Doran, Durbin, Melanie Doran, and Hansen will run Saturday morning.

Simpson isn’t much of a sentimentalist when he thinks about coaching for the last time here. “Maybe next year at this time I’ll be kind of realizing what I’m missing, or maybe what I’m not missing. I figure it’ll be a year before it’ll all soak in.”

Action starts at 9 a.m. with athletes in Classes 1A and 4A competing. The 2A and 3A schools start field events at 2 p.m. and running events at 2:40 p.m.