Cove track and field sends five to Region I-6A meet

By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press

WACO - Five Copperas Cove athletes fought their way to a berth at the UIL Region I-6A Track and Field Championships to be held April 27-28 at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Maverick Stadium in Arlington.
The sole qualifier on the girls’ side also happened to be the best finisher. Cove junior Aidan Chace secured the gold medal in the high jump with a personal best 5 feet, 8 inch leap. She bested Cedar Hill senior Oghale Omakor (5-feet-4) and Grand Prairie junior Charity Robertson (5-feet-4) for the top spot.
Seniors Neyland Block and Darius Fuselier led the boys’ qualifiers. 
Block earned a silver medal in the boys’ high jump with a leap of 6-feet-6 to finish second to DeSoto senior Byron Hanspard (6-feet-8). 
Fuselier also earned a silver medal in the pole vault with a mark of 12-feet-6, finishing just in front of Cove teammate, junior Tim Doyle, who cleared the same height but in more attempts.
Belton freshman Brady Shadrick won the event with a vault of 13 feet.
Cove senior Daveon Thomas also punched his ticket to regionals with a fourth-place finish in the shot put. His throw of 46-feet-10 bested Midway senior Jaxon Player for the final spot. Ellison senior Antares Gillespsie won the event with a throw of 54-feet-6 ¼. Thomas also competed in the discus where he finished eighth.
Just missing a spot at Regionals were Cove junior Quinton Ford and senior A.J. Acosta.
Ford finished fifth in the long jump with a leap of 21-feet-3 ¾ to fall short of the final spot. DeSoto senior D.J. Henderson won the event with a leap of 23-feet-3 ½.
Acosta finished fifth in the 200m dash with a mark of 21.82 seconds. Ellison freshman Amir Paris won with a time of 21.17 and Belton junior Devyn Draper finished third with a time of 21.59.
Also competing for Copperas Cove were sophomore Jaela Rice (7th high jump – 5-feet); the girls’ 4x200-meter relay team of Anayah Copeland, Ashli Hawkins, Livonna Wallace and Nadia Robinson (8th – season-best 1 minute, 46.30 seconds ); the boys’ 4x400m relay team of freshman Kenyal Knight, senior Yvel Louis, senior Jayren Key and freshman Rusty Cochran (8th – 3:31.82).