After a solid first place showing at last year’s De Anza League Championships, the Palo Alto High School boys’ track and field team is hoping to repeat that remarkable finish despite the loss of several senior standouts.

The team’s coaches agree that the boys will need to train hard in the weeks before the first meet, but they all believe that their boys have the potential.

“For distance runners, we should be fine with [junior] Philip [Macquitty],” said head coach and jumps coach Jason Fung. Fung feels that the distance team will be hurt without senior Charlie Avis, but he is optimistic about senior Skyler Cummins, junior Peter Wilson, and other younger runners.

For the sprinters, Fung is excited that junior Daniel Jones and senior Paul Brown are back and healthy, and expects senior Bobby Holman to perform well.

Boys’ distance coach Joe Ginanni also feels optimistic about the team.

“We definitely have a solid team in terms of ability and leadership,” Ginanni said. “Our upper-class group is strong in terms of performing and setting a good example. We have a lot of breadth, with about 40 boys doing the 800, mile, and two mile. Within such a large group, at least a few guys should be able to qualify for the league meet and CCS [Central Coast Section].”

New sprints coach Jason Henry is excited to see what his runners can achieve.

“I think I have a great team with a lot of potential,” Henry said. “They’re ready to learn and I’m ready to teach.”

Meanwhile, all the coaches see room for improvement as the boys prepare for competition.

“We’ve lost quite a bit from last year,” Fung said. “We’ve lost big-time point-getters like Julius [Berezin] and Mike Scott.”

Nearly every event has graduated standouts, including Dennis Muaka for throws; Dom Powell for jumps; Mohammed Abid for hurdles; and distance runners Gilbert Choi, Brian Hsueh, Brian Karvelas, and Sam Jones.

Fung hopes that this year’s team can improve in terms of depth, especially in the jumps events.

“We’re real weak [in jumps] this year, and we need more depth in all jumps,” Fung said.

Ginanni is currently focusing on consistency and building a strong base for the season.

“I think that as far as improving, we need to focus on everyone being consistent with practice,” Ginanni said. “After cross country, some of the guys took an extended break, which may or may not be a good thing.”

Some runners feel that the team has been hurt by the loss of distance coach Jeff Billing, who left for Connecticut for personal reasons this past summer.

“We’re not that good because we lost a really great coach, Jeff Billing,” senior mid-distance runner Jay Nguyen said, “and then we kind of lost some motivation.”

In his first year as head coach of both boys’ and girls’ teams, Fung just wants to see both teams do their best.

“My goal for this year is to see if the boys can repeat at league champs, but this being my first year taking both teams, I’m looking to bringing the girls team up a little and seeing if we can compete with other powerhouses,” Fung said. “The bottom line is trying to win.”

Within the league, Fung anticipates that the boys’ toughest competitors will be Gunn and Los Gatos.

The boys’ track and field team will participate in an intrasquad meet Thursday evening. It will compete in its first dual meet at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, against Los Altos High School on the Paly track.