While running track and cross country at Riverview High School, Dave Hackworth used to think about being a coach. But teaching wasn't what he wanted to do with his life.

"I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had a coach, Fred Favo, who was a local businessman. As a kid, I realized he was giving up his time to help us," Hackworth said. "I thought if I had a job that was flexible enough, I'd give it a try."

Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Canevin track coach David Hackworth, left, coordinates his stopwatch with assistant coach Pat McGuire Click photo for larger image.

The opportunity came this spring. Hackworth, an industrial engineer, is with a company that gave him that flexibility, and Bishop Canevin was looking for someone to start up a track program.

It was a perfect match.

"The plant works early, 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., which is just about perfect," said Hackworth, who graduated from Riverview in 1987 and went on to run track and cross country at Pitt.

His first season at Canevin, however, has been anything but routine.

For starters, there was the team ... which was new to the high school. The Crusaders had not fielded a track squad in more than 30 years.

Then there were the practice facilities ... Canevin doesn't have any. There is the outline of an old cinder track around the football practice field, but it isn't close to being the standard 400 meters. The single pit that is used for long and triple jump practice looks more like a kid's sand box.

And the athletes, because most never competed in track and field events before, have a few insecurities.

"I don't know how many times I've had to answer the question 'What's the next event?'" Hackworth said.

That's understandable, considering a lack of a track IQ by team members.

"It's like having an entire team of freshmen," he said. "My first year of high school track, I didn't know everything that was going on but there were seniors who would show you the ropes. But with us, it was new to everybody, even the seniors on the team."

It was a recipe for disaster, but that isn't what happened. Canevin's first-year track team has not done poorly.

Canevin competed in Section 4-AA against Brentwood, Burgettstown, Carlynton, Cornell, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Quaker Valley, South Park, Sto-Rox and Wilkinsburg.

The boys' squad has won three meets and the girls managed a couple of victories. Hackworth has a squad of about 35, which isn't bad considering Canevin has less than 300 students in the top three grades.

"I've been pleased with what we've accomplished, especially when you consider it's a new spring sport at the school and there are established teams like baseball and softball," Hackworth said. "We also had to compete with things like the school play. That was Friday night, the same day we went to the Mars Invitational.

"But I can't complain given that kids are pulled in so many different directions this days. They have part-time job and so many other things going on that the big challenge is to keep them focused."

Canevin used to have a track team, but that was a long time ago, according to athletic director Bob Jacoby.

"In fact, I was the track coach. I think I did it for a couple years," said Jacoby, who coaches football and softball for the Crusaders, with a laugh. "That was 30 some years ago."

Canevin had tried to start a lacrosse team last year but the participation numbers weren't there. Jacoby said a survey of the student body showed that there was an interest in track.

"We've got good numbers, considering," Jacoby said. "We had some cross country runners who were excited to get it started."

Practices have been held on the ground around Canevin. Hackworth, who ran on WPIAL Class AA championships 3,200-meter relay teams as a sophomore and senior at Riverview, has improvised as much as possible.

"We run anywhere we can get in a good workout," he said.

With the section season ended, some of Hackworth's athletes have drifted away. But he plans to take close to 18 to compete at the Pine-Richland Invitational tomorrow night.

He added that some of his athletes have been intimidate at the bigger meets. Hackworth said that was the case at the Mars Invitational and that many of his competitors ask if there will be smaller schools, like Canevin, at Pine-Richland.

"The fact there are Class AAA schools there worries them," he said. "Getting over that is just part of the learning process for us.

"I can remember being apprehensive my first big meet as a freshman at Riverview. The difference was that there were seniors who were leaders and would show you the way. We've got three or four seniors but this is their first time, too."

Hackworth, 37, lives in Sewickley and plans to return to coach at Canevin next season. He hopes some of the team members will get involved with track clubs or at least take part in summer conditioning programs.

"We've talked about commitment," he said. "Some of them play soccer and a couple play basketball and they'll be involved with those this summer. But I think this has been a positive experience for most of them and that they'll work to get better.""We run anywhere we can get in a good workout."