The Rockdale High School track and field teams began their third week of practice on Monday after school at the new Tiger Stadium.
“In my nine years of coaching, this is the most excited I’ve ever been,” said Lewis Edmonson, RHS head boy’s track coach. “At this point in the school year, I’m usually coaching basketball, and I have to jump into things really fast going into the season.”
“But now that I’m jumping into track early, we’ll have the time to get our bodies conditioned at a much slower pace, and avoid rushing to get ready for meets. The hardest part will be returning from Christmas break. A lot of kids won’t do the workouts while they’re out of school, and we’ll have to take the extra time to get us back into gear for the season.”
Both the Tiger and Lady Tiger track teams boast many area qualifiers from the 2018 season. On the boy’s side, Will Storey placed second at the district 20-3A meet with a 100-meter dash time of 10.84 and fellow defensive back Nathan Newlin qualified with a third place finish and a time of 53.62.
Storey, Newlin, and Gavin Young are the returning members of an 800-meter relay team that placed third at district, and finished ninth at the Class 3A Region III meet with a time of 1:32.30. In addition to being a sprinter, Young was the top pole-vaulter in the district, and made the UIL class 3A state track and field championships in 2017. In 2018, Young placed fifth at regionals with a height of 13 feet.
For the Lady Tigers, junior Payton Miller is a two-time regional qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles. Miller placed 14th with a time of 17.34 last April. Junior pole vaulter Brandi Caffey also qualified for regionals and placed fifth with a jump of 9-6. Andrea Salazar also qualified for area in discus, throwing 90-4 at district.
“Will is very fast,” Edmonson said. “Gavin is also very good not just as a vaulter, and but as a sprinter.
“We also have a lot of kids coming up from junior varsity who dominated at the junior varsity level. Many of those kids finished first in their events, and can make an impact this spring.”
Tiger quarterback Jace Robinson placed first in the 400-meter run with a 56.3, and teammate Kesean Raven finished number one in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.44. Raven was also a part of the top-finishing 400-meter relay team with Ethan Hughes, and Levi Baggerly that ran a 46.02 at district. Baggerly also place first in the triple-jump with a 39-10.
Many members of the Lady Tiger junior varsity also look to make their mark on varsity this season. Sophomores MacKenzie Musto and Jena Locklin placed first and second in the 200-meter dash with times of 28.3 and 28.93. Locklin also won the pole vault jumping seven feet. Anna Harmon won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 56.23, and Yarely Navarro lead the pack in the 400-meter run with a 1:09.88.
“Track is such a focal part of our athletic program,” Edmonson said. “So many of our football players are in track during the spring, and it really helps them stay in shape during the offseason.
“I’m convincing kids who don’t normally run track to compete just to get in the way.”
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