Lady Dawgs and Bulldawgs finish 2nd at Waco ISD Relays

By TJ MAXWELL

Cove Leader-Press

WACO – The Copperas Cove Lady Dawgs earned podium finishes in 8 out of 17 events – including six gold-medal performances - to finish second overall with 121 points at the Waco ISD Relays at Waco High’s Paul Tyson Field on Friday. Waco Midway took the top spot with 168 points.

The Bulldawgs reached the podium nine times – including three golds – to also claim the second spot with 100 points behind Midway’s 113.5 despite missing several athletes that competed in the Texas Relays in Austin.

Sophomore Aidan Chace bested the field with a 5-feet, 6-inch leap in the high jump to claim the gold medal over Waco Midway’s Toronica Duncan (5-feet).

Senior Amber Boyd continued her torrid pace with a pair of gold medals in the middle distance races. She defeated the 800-meter run field by nearly nine seconds with her 2:19.23 mark to edge Midway’s Keziah Bachert (2 minutes, 27.73 seconds). She did the same in the 1,600m run with a mark of 5:16.13 to best Franklin’s Hayley Thomas (5:25.24).

Boyd also contributed to the gold-medal finish in the 4x400m relay as the anchor. Boyd, along with Anayah Copeland, Imari Neal and Talia Kinslow finished first with a time of 4:04.41 to finish more than five seconds in front of Temple (4:09.99).

Kinslow and Copeland also teamed up with Sha’kiya Williams and Mariyah Reynolds for a gold medal in the 4x200m relay with a time of 1:45.73 to best Waco University (1:47.02).

The final gold was won by freshman Ashli Hawkins with a time of 13.43 in the 100m dash. She edged Temple’s Jal’en Hayward (13.47).

Also earning podium finishes for Cove were Copeland (2nd 400m dash – 58.87); Neal (3rd 400m dash – 1:01.83) and the 4x100m relay team of Brianna Garretson, Reynolds, Dericka Infante and Hawkins (3rd – 49.73). Midway won the event with a time of 48.04.

Claiming gold for the boys were seniors Reginald Mouton and Dahmir Pearson and junior Darius Fuselier.

Mouton outran the competition in the 800m run with a time of 2:00.42. Mouton raced from deep in the field to edge out Midway’s Jaquaviuos Diggs (2:00.72) and Cal Johnston (2:01.94) in the final 30 meters for the gold.

Pearson also bested a pair of Midway runners in the 300m intermediate hurdles. He finished with a time of 40.42 to beat Michael Kaminiski (41.10) and Lance Jones (42.28).

Last but not least, Fuselier cleared to 12-feet-6 mark to claim the top spot in the pole vault in front of sophomore teammate Tim Dolye (12-feet) and Kylar Kimball of Waco Connally (11-feet-6).

Others claiming podium finish for Cove were senior Tyson Curry (3rd shot put – 46-feet-6 ½); junior Quan Woodard (3rd 1,600m run – 5:09.95); junior Tommy Connell (2nd 110m hurdles – 15.67); 4x100m relay team of Floyd Connell. Kameron Spruill, Deadrian Malone and Joshua Pettit (3rd – 44.87); 4x200m relay team of Malone, Spruill, Connell and Dimitri Bell (1:34.09) and the 4x400m relay team of Blair Fraser, Ravonne Williams, Jayren Key and Jerome Gallard.

A portion of the team competed in Austin at the Texas Relays over the weekend with senior Josh Canete competing in the high jump, sophomore Kyle Stifflemire competing in the pole vault, senior Eric Caine competing in the 100m dash and the foursome of Caine, junior A.J. Acosta, sophomore Shontez Simmons and junior Isaiah Hawkins competing in the 4x100m and 4x200m relays.

Canete had the best finish of the group with a fifth place nod in the high jump. He cleared the 6-feet-7 mark to finish just two spots off the podium. Senior Michael Tolds of Manvel cleared 7-feet to win.

Stifflemire had the next best result with a 14th place finish in the pole vault. He cleared 14-feet-4. Tyler Stafford of Tomball claimed the top spot with a vault of 16-feet-1.

Caine finished 28th out of 64 runners in the 100m dash. He finished with a time of 10.78 seconds with senior Joseph Sheffield of Garland Rowlett claiming the top spot with a mark of 10.26.

The Cove 4x100m relay team finished about mid-pack with a time of 43.51 for 38th out of 70 teams. Waxahachie won the event with a time of 41.16.

The 4x200m team finished 32nd out of 49 teams with a time of 1:29.48. Richmond George Ranch won the event with a time of 1:24.47.

The girls’ junior varsity team took the top spot at the Waco ISD Relays with 174 points over Midway (150) with podium finishes in all but three events.

The Lady Dawgs swept the 400m dash with Danielle Diaz (1st – 1:04.52), Stefani Vassar (2nd – 1:04.59) and Mikayla Devins (3rd – 1:05.78). Tiyionnah McClain also won gold in the 200m dash – 28.34 and long jump – 15-feet-1 ½; as did Olivia Rios (800m run - 2:36.07); Juyah Robinson (1,600m run – 6:17.00); Tiana Barker (100m hurdles – 17.50 and 300m hurdles – 52.49) and the 4x400m team of Rios, Diaz, Vassar and Devins (4:22.40).

Also finishing atop the podium were Alyssa Hernandez (2nd 3,200m run – 14:42.55); Hailey Hawkins (3rd 3,200m run – 15:21.58); Lacy Wheat (3rd high jump 4-feet-6); 4x100 relay Livonna Wallace, She’Kailah Davis, McClain and Nadia Robinson (2nd – 51.53) and 4x200m relay McClain, Zephanasia Lewis, Davis and Wallace (2nd – 1:52.51).

The Cove junior varsity boys finished in second place in Waco with 111.25 points behind Shoemaker’s 168.

The boys medaled in all field events and nearly swept gold. Josh Griffin took the gold in the shot put with a throw of 41-feet-9. Gold medals were also earned by Trevor Troy (Discus – 125-feet-4), Chris Penman (pole vault – 10-feet-6), Floyd Connell (long jump - 20-feet-1 ¼) and Bryce Ranes (triple jump – 40-feet-8 1.2). Andy Riley completed the podium sweep of field events with a bronze in the high jump with a 5-feet-8 mark. Gage Donoso also earned a silver in the discus with a throw of 121.feet-5 ½.

Deadrian Malone (3rd 300m hurdles – 44.14); Joshua Guerrero (2nd 1,600m run – 5:16.37) and Francisco Alvarado (3rd 1,600m run – 5:19.35) round out the podium finishes for Cove.