Wildcats Track at Gilmer
Wildcats Track Coach Matt Young said it was great for his athletes to compete at a Gilmer meet last Friday (March 9). He called it the East Texas Junior Olympics and he added it featured the best of the best in East Texas including Carthage, Paris, Pittsburg, Liberty-Eylau and Gilmer. Coach Young said in just about every race, there were kids who would be going to the State Meet. The meet was the first for Wildcats’ field athletes. In the high jump, Jeremiah Roland cleared 6-foot-4 and finished first. Landry Tyson also cleared 6-foot-4 and he finished second. In the triple jump, Carter Monk was second with 42-feet, 6-inches. In the shot put, Ian Blanch threw 45-feet and got second. Coach Young said that’s the distance Blanch finished with last season when he got fourth in district. Logan Caton was fifth in the discus with 110-feet to earn points for the team. Coach Young said the Wildcats also had a couple of 19-foot long jumpers that he’s working with. He said his distance runners were all at the Lovejoy Distance Festival on Friday. Coach Young said he promoted some distance runners to the varsity. In the 4 X 100-meter relay, Coach Young said the Wildcats’ hand offs were a little slow. The relay team of Andy Eddins, Simeon Taylor, Damiyon Dugan and D’Corian Young finished fifth. In the 110-meter hurdles, Kylan Wade was third with a time of 15.3 Tyson was fourth with a time of 16.1. In the 4 X 200-meter relay, Coach Young said the relay members were in the race until a bad last hand off ruined things. He said the relay team was made up of Bryce McQueen, Eddins, Wade and Taylor. In the 300-meter hurdles, Coach Yound said Ryan Humphries played in a baseball game and then drove to Gilmer where he arrived, quickly warmed up and then went out and won the race with a time of 41 seconds. Tyson was actually ahead in the race after five hurdles but then fell and suffered a broken wrist. Coach Young said Tyson is in a cast but has been cleared by a doctor for track events. In the 200-meter race, Taylor won the race with a time of 23 seconds. Coach Young said the 4 X 400-meter relay had some solid legs but was still basically a work in progress. Overall, the Wildcats finished fifth in the meet and scored 77 points. Coach Young said with the points he usually expects from distance runners, he feels the Wildcats would have finished about third in the meet. He said he is excited by the Wildcats’ possibilities. The Wildcats will run next at a Paris meet on March 22.
Lady Cats Track at Gilmer
The Lady Cats’ track team finished third at a Gilmer meet last Friday (March 9). It was the first meet for the field competitors. Lady Cats Track Coach Triston Abron said finishing first in a meet of this caliber was an accomplishment. Coach Abron said discus throwers Danielle Godbolt and Abbi Beggs picked up points. Imani Taylor was first in the long jump going over 17-feet. N’sya Dugan was fourth topping 16-feet. After not high jumping for a couple of years, Taylor ended up tied for second in the event. Coach Abron said he wants Taylor to be his jumping specialist. He said Taylor told him she would do whatever event he wants her to to help the team. Coach Abron held Taylor out of the triple jump Friday but he indicated she would do the event at the team’s next meet. Coach Abron said the team missed the points usually brought in by distance runner Sydney Washburn. He said Washburn ran in the Lovejoy Distance Festival Friday and he said she finished in the top 15 in one race and the top 25 in another against strong Metroplex competitors. In the 4 X 100-meter relay at Gilmer, the Lady Cats were second. All of last year’s relay team return: Dugan, Taylor, Abbi Baier and Sadavia Porter. In the 100-meter race and the 200-meter race, Porter finished first. Porter had a time of 11.98 in the 100-meter race. Dugan was third in the 100-meter race. Coach Abron said it was fun to watch Porter and Dugan compete with each other. He said both Baier and Faith Hatley ran the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. Baier was second in the 300-meter hurldes Coach Abron said Hatley had a good run going in the 100-meter hurdles but a slight strumble hampered her effort. He said he has high expectations for Baier and Hatley in the hurdles races. Coach Abron said he knows his defending district champs are competitors and will work hard for meets coming up. Some Wildcats and Lady Cats’ track athletes showed up during spring break for workouts on Tuesday and Thursday (March 13 and March 15). The Lady Cats will join the Wildcats at a Paris meet on March 22.
