Track team opens season at PT
HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

SUPERMAN - Kilgore High School's Steven Smith (above) is captured here in mid-flight by the camera of News Herald photographer Lester Murray. Smith finished sixth in the long jump Thursday at Pine Tree High School in Longview. Teammate Joe Colbert finished second. It was the first meet of the season for KHS track.

The track and field season finally started on Thursday afternoon for the Kilgore High School track team, and went deep into the evening at Pine Tree High School, the Graham Knowles Relays.

KHS didn't leave the event until after 10 p.m., coaches said.

There were several good performances for Kilgore - among them, Samone Jones winning the girls shot put competition, and Joe Colbert earning second-place finishes in three events: the high jump, the long jump and the 100 meter dash.

"He had a really good day, even with a little twinge in his leg," KHS boys coach Phillip Lane said.

Colbert had a 5 feet, 10 inch jump in the high jump, a 21 feet, 10-inch performance in the long jump, and ran the 100 meter dash in 11.1 seconds, taking second-place finishes in all.

Teammate Steven Smith finished sixth in the long jump, with 20 feet, 3 inches.

In other performances by the boys, Colby Rosen finished fourth in the discus with a throw of 135 feet, 5 inches. Dominique Jones was third in the shot put, a throw of 46 feet, 10 inches. And Kendrix Tillman and Calvin Lacy both ran the quarter mile for Lane's team. "I thought they both did a great job," he said. "They're going to be good quarter-milers. Kendrick finished seventh.

"Overall, I thought we got a good effort from all of our kids, whether they were ahead or behind - some things we can build on."

For the junior varsity boys, Jordan Williams, Robert Morgan, Shannon Polk and Santos Gonzales finished third in the 4X200 relay, and Shadow Stokes finished fourth in the JV discus competition, a toss of 110 feet, 4 inches.

Lane mentioned that several of the KHS boys weren't able to compete due to nagging injuries, athletes like Josh Medford, Matt Goff and Danny Smith, but he does expect them to break into the lineup soon.

• KHS girls: The girls were without head coach Kerry Strong, who was absent due to the passing of his mother. KHS head girls basketball coach Davia Garrett filled in for Strong, and liked what she saw.

"We had a lot of effort out there," Garrett said.

Jones earned the Lady Bulldogs' only first-place finish of the day in the shot put, but others did well, particularly the relay team of Brandi Johnson, Shae Morgan, Tai'Shea Reese and Jessica Shepherd. The girls finished third in the sprint relay and second in the 800 meter relay.

Johnson, Morgan and Reese are all seniors; Shepherd is a freshman, the younger sister of Jeremiah and Jaron Shepherd.

Andrea Ashley finished third in the high jump; Morgan finished fifth in the triple jump; and Reese finished fourth in the girls 100 meter dash, although it appeared some of the numbers were skewed.

Reese did not compete in the long jump, an event she made the state track meet in just last year. But the girls had limited practice time due to Strong's absence from school this week, and Reese will compete in the event soon.

Both the boys and the girls will be back in action Saturday, March 1 at Hallsville in the Tommy Miller Relays, an all-day meet.