Coach Price Keeps Rockets On Track

Wakefield legend comfortable as a Rocket

Luke Benson ('23), Orbit Contributor
February 1, 2023

“When people hear I got the track job at Reading they don’t know whether to congratulate me or say sorry.” – Scott Price, head RMHS track coach

This is the story of a coach claiming a throne from a legend. Hal Croft won 29 Middlesex League Championships in a row and created a powerhouse program from the ground up. When he retired, everyone knew there was enormous pressure on his successor.

So who is that successor?

Well, in 2014 the question was answered when Reading hired Croft’s 7-year assistant Scott Price.

Athletic Career

10.7 seconds.

That is Scott Price’s record breaking time in the 100 meters at Wakefield High School in 1994. Compared to any runner he has coached at Reading, no one is close to that time. The record at Reading is held by recent 2022 graduate Michael Harden at 11.12 seconds. Michael currently runs track at UMass Amherst, the alma mater of Price. At Wakefield, Price holds the record in both the 100 and 200 meters. Price’s 1994 track season was astounding. He was named to the all-league team in the long jump and 200 meters and was named the MVP of the league. In addition to track, Price competed in both football and basketball at Wakefield. After high school, Price went on to run track at Division one UMass Amherst. Price excelled at UMass and was named an all conference performer in 1997. He then went on to break the record in the indoor 200 meters in 1998, which he still holds today.

3 Different Lives

Wake up. Teach at an elementary school in Andover. Drive down to Reading to coach the track program. Come home to a middle school son.

“

The best part of my job is having guys come back and say I really impacted their lives.

— Coach Price

This is a typical day for Scott Price. Price enjoys being around the youth of the community and teaching them lessons they can use on and off the track. He said, “Both keep me young. I’m not running anymore but it’s great to be around the guys and joke around a lot. I enjoy the immaturity and being around 4th graders inspires me to be creative, while being around the high school guys inspires me to mold them into young men.”

Coach Price believes that teaching goes hand and hand with coaching. Impacting lives is what ultimately defines a great coach. Price said, “The best part of my job is having guys come back and say I really impacted their lives.” It’s a unique life that Coach Price has, as most high school coaches at Reading teach at the high school. He chose to work in elementary as he felt he could really make a difference there, as there are not a lot of male teachers at the elementary level. Price is around kids all day and has made a massive impact on his students and athletes. Senior Captain Tyler Lloyd said, “Coach Price truly cares about you and wants you to be the best you can be.”

Coaching Career

“It’s daunting looking at the track banner and seeing all 29 years of our streak and then looking at 2015 and 2022. I look at that and think that’s me.” – Coach Price

Price has continued the Reading track powerhouse name by winning 2 outdoor track league championships. Additionally in 2016 Reading won the Division 2 State Meet as well as the Division 2 State Relay. The past two years Reading has also won the indoor league championship.

“

…he is the biggest reason I am at where I am in track today.

— Jack Dougherty ('23)

In addition to all of the championships he has had many athletes break Reading records. His favorite? Mark Porter in 2017. “He set the record at 194 feet in the javelin. To throw that he became a state champion and an all-scholastic.” Another amazing moment in his coaching career was when Michael Harden broke three Reading records in one season which he accomplished just last year. Reading remains a dominant track program with Price as their coach. The strategy remains constant between Croft and Price. That is to exploit the other team’s weaknesses and try to sweep in every event they can. A sweep involves getting first, second and third in the event, gaining 9 points for the team. If a sweep is not possible Price hopes to get a first place in that event gaining the team 5 points. This has helped Price propel the Rockets to victory.

This Year’s Team

The indoor boys track team is currently 3-1 on their season. Their only loss comes from a battle with Lexington losing by only 8 points. This loss unfortunately puts the Rockets in an upward battle to win the league for a third year in a row. The track team looks to place top 10 in the state meet coming up in a couple weeks. This winter Price is coaching the sprinters, long jump, high jump, hurdlers and the shot put so he certainly has a lot on his plate to coach everyone on the big team. Price has made an especially big impact in his best event: sprinting. Senior track captain and sprinter Jack Dougherty said, “Everything he has learned he has taught to me, and he is the biggest reason I am at where I am in track today.”

Once Price took the throne in 2014, he started just where Croft left off. Winning championships and helping his athletes succeed on and off the track. The pressure was enormous for him to succeed and he has proved he is the perfect coach for the job. Despite what people said to coach Price about taking the Reading job, it’s clear by now that congratulations- not condolences- are in order.