Many athletes to represent Copperas Cove at State in track and softball

By TJ MAXWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Over two dozen athletes will represent Copperas Cove nearly 600 miles apart.

The Copperas Cove Dynamite softball team will represent the city of Cove in the 12-and-under 2017 Texas Teenage State Softball Tournament to begin Monday, July 17 at the Culpepper softball fields in Denison near the Oklahoma border

The Dynamite swept the regular season and the district tournament to earn their spot at state with a 13-0 record.

They clinched their spot on Thursday night with a 1-0 win to advance to the title game. However, due to nearly half of both championship teams playing in a select ball National tournament in Waxahachie, both teams forfeited in the title game giving the Troy Elite the first place spot and the Dynamite second. The Belton Showtime also rallied from their shutout loss to the Cove Dynamite to earn the third and final spot from District 3.

Rounding out the 16-team team are: Denison Eliminators, Denison Mean Streak, Eastland, Hico S.W.A.T., Jacksonville Hard Hitters, Lovelady Stealing Diamonds, Mildred Lady Eagles, Mildred Pride, Alba Uproar, Mineola Ball Hogs, Groesbeck Pierce, Axtell Cushers and Teague Stacks.

10 days later, more than a dozen track athletes will represent their city in the 2017 T.A.A.F. State Track and Field Meet at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen near the Mexico border on Thursday, July 27.

Cove’s Shontez Simmons took first place in two sprint events to qualify for the state meet. He finished first in the 16-and-under 100-meter dash with a time of 11.29 seconds and first in the 200m dash with a time of 22.6.

Zulma Obiedo also swept in the distance events. She finished first in the 16U 3,200m run with a time of 12:50 and also won the 1600 meter run to qualify for state in both events.

Kameron Jenkins also collected a pair of gold medals on the way to state. He finished first in the 100m dash and 400m dash in the 12U division.

Kyle Stifflemire also claimed gold with a 14 feet, 3 inch mark in the 18U pole vault and Amy Pritchard won the 14U wins the girls’ high jump with a mark of 5-feet to earn a state berth.

Kyra Gaston also qualified in three events. She finished 2nd in the 14U girls’ 800m run with a time of 2:39:41, finished second in the triple jump with a mark of  31-feet-10 and finished fourth in the 400m dash with a time of 1:03.35.

Kellen Avritt finished second 16U pole vault with a mark of 11-feet-6 to qualify and Tm Doyle cleared 11 feet in the 16U pole vault to qualify.

Reginald Mouton ran a sub two-minute 800m run to claim a sliver medal and state berth with a 1:58 mark in the 18U division.

Kenzie Agnello placed third in the 16U discus with a throw of 104’ 11” and placed fifth in the shot put with a toss of 35-feet-3 to earn a trip to McAllen.

Mikayla Roberts finished third in the 80m hurdles with a time of 15.57 while Ashli Hawkins advanced to the Texas State Games with a third place finish in the 16U 200m dash and fifth place 100m dash.

DeAdrain Malone just missed a state berth finishing sixth in the 18U 300m hurdles with a time of 42.20 seconds.