Yvonne Hairston and Jim Hamilton are going to do their best to make sure the members of the Columbus High School track and field teams are peaking in time for the state meets.
Kashaeyla Brooks and the members of the Columbus High boys team’s 4×100- and 4×200-meter relays teams appear to be right on track to realize that goal.
Brooks, a sophomore, earned a national silver standard time of 46.49 last week at the Class 6A-Division 2 meet at Tupelo High.
The boys relay teams capitalized on their depth, mixing and matches legs to win the 4×100 (42.6) and the 4×200 (national silver standard time of 1:29.65).
For their accomplishments, Brooks and the members of the relay teams are The Dispatch’s Prep Players of the Week.
Seniors Damien Baker and Byerson Cockrell and juniors Roshad Meeks, Quan Latham, and DeMarcus Vance are in position to help the Falcons, who finished second to Tupelo last week (86.5-69.5 points) at the division meet, compete for titles at the region, North State, and State meets if they can hold on to their form and technique and stay healthy.
Hamilton said Vance, who has been battling hamstring problems, competed in the 4×100 relay last week for the first time. He said freshmen Alex Lipscomb and Rod Hogan filled in on the relays when Vance was unable to compete.
With so much depth, Hamilton has mixed and matched lineups to help runners gain experience and confidence. He said that strategy helped the 4×200 team set a personal best and the 4×100 team has the fastest time in the state in Class 6A. He said he likely will rest Meeks in the 4×200 this week and try to spread his athletes out and try different combinations to earn as many points as possible.
Columbus (76 points) finished second to Tupelo (106) last week at the division meet.
“We are still trying to put that exact recipe together and decide what it is going to be,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said Cockrell, who runs the second leg, and Latham have been “steady” all year and have put the anchor leg in the lead where he isn’t pushed.
“Each week we get a little better, and, hopefully, we will continue to improve,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said Meeks, Baker, Latham, and Vance have worked with Hamilton for three years, while Cockrell is in his second season. He said the fact that all of the athletes know the exchange so well and have honed that technique gives him confidence that any lineup in either relay will be able to perform when it competes for a championship.
“I really think our best 4×100 time is to come because I haven’t had Vance on it all year until (last week),” Hamilton said. “Damien had tweaked his hamstring at the Tupelo meet, so I backed him off. I don’t know who those four will be at the state meet, but I have a feeling after getting our split times Thursday, we will know where we are going. I really think we are going to run our better times because we are peaking at the right time.”
Hairston said Brooks, who is in her second year in the hurdles, also is in position to earn some hardware later in the season. A year ago, Brooks was second in the 300 hurdles in the Class 6A meet (46.86). This season, she feels she has matured and has improved her technique in an attempt to take the next step and win a championship.
“I come out here and practice by myself sometimes and I also train outside of school by running four miles a week,” Brooks said. “Last year, I just got here and started running. I didn’t know how to run hurdles. We didn’t have anyone else to do it, so I just did it.”
Brooks said she ran in the 49-second range in her first race, much to the delight of Hairston. Brooks didn’t know if that was a good time, but she agreed to try it again. It hasn’t taken long for Brooks to learn to like the event.
Coupled with a trio of relays, Brooks knows she will be busy in the coming weeks. She said she has surprised herself with how much she has improved.
“My form has gotten really good,” Brooks said. “Last year, I was winning just because I was really fast. Having good form helps me get my times down. I am putting my legs first instead of just jumping wild.”
Hairston said she wanted to bring Brooks, who is in the ROTC, along slowly at the start of the season. She said Brooks is developing the consistency she needs to move herself in contention for a state championship. Her performance already has attracted the attention of the Air Force Academy, which Hairston said already has offered her a scholarship.
“We’re trying to get better and better,” Hairston said. “We’re hoping this week we will get that 45 and then have North State and the State meet to get to 44 (seconds). Now she is working hard and getting herself in better shape and her times are continuing to drop. If we can get her down in the 45 range this week, we will be right on schedule.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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