Rockdale’s Cam’Ron Valdez, Will Storey, Qua’Shawn Crawford and Kesean Raven ended their track season with a sixth place finish in the sprint relay with a time of 42.79 at the UIL Class 3A state track and field championships on Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
“It went as good as it could possibly go,” said Lewis Edmonson, RHS track coach. “We were in lane nine and with the great competition there. All we could do is run.”
Area rival Crockett won the area and Region III titles over Rockdale in their last two races and left Austin with the state crown with a time of a 41.68. The Bulldogs outran Dallas Life Oak Cliff, Jefferson and Dallas Madison who came into the meet with second through fourth place finishes 42.26, 42.27 and 42.28 in Region II.
“These guys accomplished so much this year. In the beginning, they didn’t really buy into the possibility that they could be a state qualifier,” Edmonson said. “Once I started showing them how their times compared with other top schools and after we beat Cameron at the district meet, they really started to see it.”
Senior Will Storey ran his final meet of the year. He was a large part of the Tigers sprint and 4x200-meter relay teams in addition to being a regional qualifier in the 200-meter dash.
“He’s really grown from being in the shadow of Jaquayln Crawford and Davion Ford his sophomore and junior years to taking the team on his shoulders,” Edmon-son said. “Every time he ran, you knew he would deliver.”
Other team members Valdez, Crawford and Raven will be back next season, leaving one spot open on the 2020 sprint relay squad. According to Edmonson, members of the junior varsity sprint relay team are already gearing up to get that final slot on the team.
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