Team recognition honor for all CCS track

Chase County Girls Track Head Coach Troy Hauxwell was honored as one of the 2023 National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s top eight track coaches over the summer.
The NHSACA’s annual convention and clinics ran in conjunction with the Nebraska Coaches Association’s annual convention in Lincoln. For the NHSACA, eight coaches from across the country were up for coach of the year in each of 19 sports.
CCS boys track Head Coach Carl Zuege was named the Nebraska Boys Track Coach of the Year, while Hauxwell was up for the national award.
For Hauxwell, the honor shows how much the CCS track teams have accomplished over the past eight seasons.
“This is about more than just a season. So many kids and coaches have contributed,” Hauxwell said.
As the leader of the girls program, in 2021 Hauxwell was named the NCA Girls Coach of the Year, National Federation of State High School Association’s Nebraska and Regional Coach of the Year and the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
Since Hauxwell became the girls head coach in 2015 through 2022, the Longhorns have beaten 707 teams and lost to 13. With the exception of the Ogallala meet near the start of the 2015 season, the only meets Chase County hasn’t won have come at Omaha. The Longhorns won state championships in 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2022, plus tying as runners up in 2023 and 2019 and a fourth place finish in 2018. In 2015, CCS was eighth.
Chase County has also won the SPVA conference title every year Hauxwell has been head coach.
“You have to be surrounded by coaches and kids who buy in,” Hauxwell said.
He continued, “We’ve had a good string of kids that work really, really hard”.
The importance of an athlete being valued as a person, not just for their contribution to the team, is a vital part of Hauxwell’s approach to athletics.
In his NHSACA coaching bio, Hauxwell said CCS really stresses the importance of everyone on the team being valued.
“I try to communicate the message that your identity does not come from your performance but the way you live your life each and every day. I pick a theme for the team each year. Many of those are titles of books and usually I have the Seniors read the book and we spend much of the season talking about specific life lessons that come from the reading,” he said, adding  many girls stop by his office to reread or take a book they have not read.
“This has helped some of them with school and other sports as well. We stress doing the little things correctly daily. Attitude and Effort,” Hauxwell continued.
None of the success would happen with out a strong group of coaches who assist with the program.
Hauxwell is quick to recognize a long list of coaches that have contributed to both the boys and girls track programs.
Coaches, both paid and volunteer, include Zuege, Dan Lenners, Debbie Dahlkoetter-Richardson, Beau McConnell, Justin Anderson, Matt Jablonski, Karli Hale, Josh Fries, Sam McNair and Paige Milner. Hauxwell also named Drew Ahlers and Sam Kennedy who have moved on as coaches at other schools after their time at CCS, as well as the late Al Zuege.
Hauxwell was also grateful for the junior high coaches who have helped build a strong base.
“There’s so many coaches who contribute,” Hauxwell said.
With a 2023 Class C State Championship under the CCS boys belt, Hauxwell said Chase County has solidified itself across the state as a track school.
“The success of the boys and girls programs goes back for years to Fred Bessler and Al Zuege,” Hauxwell said.
The contributions of the community and parents are also recognized by Hauxwell.
“They donate snacks and meals and run errands at meets, he said.
“The success of our programs isn’t limited to one thing,” Hauxwell said.
With the support of families, the community and the CCS board, Hauxwell said the track team shows the strength of small communities.