JACKSON TWP — Many of the names will be different. The concept remains the same.

The second annual Butler County Classic — showcasing boys and girls high school track and field teams in Butler County — will unofficially kick off the start of the outdoor track and field season Saturday at Seneca Valley High School’s NexTier Stadium.

Eight schools from the county — Butler, Seneca Valley, Mars, North Catholic, Freeport, Karns City, Moniteau and Slippery Rock — are expected to compete. The meet begins at 11 a.m. and is expected to wrap up by 4 p.m.

The county meet debuted last year at Butler. Mars was the only school that didn’t attend. As of this writing, Knoch was not expected to be at this year’s meet.

“Every school in the county has standout athletes in track and field,” Seneca Valley assistant coach Wess Brahler said. “This is a fun way to bring them all together ... big schools, small schools, three different districts represented.

“Everybody knows everybody. It’s going to be exciting.”

Many of the event winners from last year were seniors. Some of the underclassmen who won last year will not be in the meet Saturday. Karns City’s Ashley Fox won the girls javelin a year ago, but will be playing softball for the Gremlins at noon Saturday.

“She was able to do both on that Saturday last year,” Karns City girls track coach Roger King recalled. “But the game is at noon Saturday and softball is the sport she’ll be playing in college.”

Butler’s CJ Singleton won the 1,600 meters last year, but is sitting Saturday’s meet out. The Golden Tornado’s Guinness Brown won the 200 and 400 meters at last year’s Classic, along with running a leg of a winning relay, but is not expected to compete in more than one or two events Saturday.

“We had a long indoor season and we’re limiting those guys in this meet,” Butler boys track coach Mike Seybert said. “This meet is for everyone. A lot of our depth athletes will have a chance to show what they can do and we’re excited about that.

“In some team sports, if you can’t crack the starting lineup, you’re stuck on the bench. In track, whether you’re running, jumping or throwing, nothing is holding you back.”

Seneca Valley head track coach Ray Peaco considers this meet a showcase to give the sport some much-sought publicity.

“You don’t see track meets on the news or highlighted all that much,” Peaco said. “Everybody is going to be here. Every school has athletes who can compete in an event like this.”

Like Butler, Peaco said his athletes will be limited in terms of how many events they can participate in Saturday.

“We have big squads and I recognize the fact that some of the smaller schools may put kids in three or four different events,” he said. “That’s fine. That’s understandable. Our approach is to give as many kids a taste of competition as we can.”

No team scores will be kept. Timing will be done by Wolf Creek and results will be continually updated on the Penn Track website at pa.milesplit.com.

Moniteau coach Sue Scialabba will not have two of her top athletes available for the meet, but still has kids who can be successful.

“Rylee Long and Ciona DePrano can do well in the triple jump for us,” she said. “This meet provides a unique opportunity for our athletes. The way they run it is nice for us. It’s a good experience for the kids in our program.”

Slippery Rock coach Tom Meling sees the Butler County Classic as an opportunity for county athletes to renew acquaintances.

“A lot of these kids know each other from other sports,” Meling said. “Maybe they’re on the same AAU team, compete together in club volleyball or soccer.

“We scrimmaged Seneca Valley this preseason, so we somewhat know what to expect there. Getting such quality competition for our kids so early in the season is ideal for us.”

And Meling says he has some athletes who can hold their own, much like Maryann Ackerman and Anna Kadlubek did in becoming multiple event winners in last year’s Butler County Classic.

“Gianna Bedel in the (girls) high jump, Seaton Wozniak in the (boys) shot put and discus, both hope to do very well Saturday,” Meling said. “We have some momentum coming off our indoor season.”

Butler girls track coach John Williams is co-meet director with Peaco.

Williams said the Golden Tornado girls have a relatively young team this season and looks forward to seeing how some of them perform Saturday “once they’re in uniform and that gun goes off in a competitive atmosphere.”

Butler’s Alli Morrow (long jump) and Megan Baggetta (triple jump) return as defending Butler County Classic champions.

Tornado freshman Aubrey Rock set junior high records in the long jump and triple jump. Carlie Baker, a junior, will be competing in her first varsity meet after losing her first two seasons to torn ACLs. She set the Butler eighth grade record in the discus at 105 feet.

“She’s finally healthy and I’m anxious to see how she does,” Williams said.

Plans are to rotate the Butler County Classic to a new site within the county each year. Many coaches are up for the idea of hosting the event.

“Our track only has six lanes instead of eight, but we could make it work,” Meling said of Slippery Rock. “We have the facilities.”

“We would love the opportunity to host this meet,” Scialabba said of Moniteau. “If they give us the opportunity, we’ll take it.”

Seybert relishes the idea of moving this meet to a new site each year.

“I’d love to get out to some of these other facilities in the county we’ve never been to, never seen,” he said. “That’s part of it. This Butler County Classic really turned into a neat idea.

“I love the word ‘Classic,’ because that’s exactly what it is.”