Toala moves on to upcoming Region II meet

By CLAY WHITTINGTON

Cove Leader-Press

Joem Toala stands alone.

After an impressive regular-season showing, the senior recently began her trek toward a state championship along with multiple teammates who excelled at the District 12-6A meet.

Now, however, Toala is the lone Copperas Cove athlete remaining following a third-place showing in the shot put at last week’s area meet.

Competing against other qualifiers from District 11 and District 12 at Waco Midway’s Panther Stadium, Toala secured her spot at the upcoming Region II meet with a heave measuring 37 feet, 10½ inches. She placed second (37-5½) at district.

The top four in each event advanced to the two-day regional meet, which will be held at Panther Stadium, beginning Friday.

Mansfield Lake Ridge senior Samaria Vital won the event championship with a throw of 41-8, while Harker Heights junior Keonna Otis (41-8) was second. Waxahachie junior Scout Burns rounds out the regional qualifiers from the meet.

The first- and second-place finishers in each event at regionals qualify for the state meet along with the next-best competitor from across the four regions.

Toala also competed in the discus after placing third at district with a throw of 100-9, but she did not advance, finishing sixth (103-8).

While Toala is the only Copperas Cove athlete to emerge from the area meet, she was not the only one to compete.

Kyra Gaston, a senior, also participated in a pair of events, clearing 35-10½ in the triple jump to place sixth in addition to an eighth-place showing in the high jump with a leap of 4-8. She was fourth (TJ: 35-6¼, HJ: 4-10) in each event at district.

The Lady Bulldawgs’ 400-meter relay team of Malaya Thorpe, Jastin Sandoval, Michaela Roberts and Amya Moss posted a time of 49.84 seconds to place eighth after finishing fourth (49.54) at district.

In the boys division, Bulldawgs senior Malcolm Roberts was seventh in the 100 with a time of 10.82, while senior teammate Stephen Glass was eighth in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.77. Glass was third (15.47) and Roberts was fourth (10.67) at district.

Should Toala advance from the regional meet, she would compete at the state meet at Austin’s Mike Myers Stadium on May 14 at 9 a.m. The three-day meet begins May 12.