Chaparral added to its four-year-old athletic history book Friday night at heavy-on-the-heat Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin where the relay foursome of Laila Erwin, Tyreona Lee, Aniya Coleman and Kaylani Bostic, and sprinter Kimoni Sherman became the first Bobcats to run in an event at the UIL Track and Field State Championships.
Their performances, in front of a large, loud group of fans most certainly proved they were right where they belonged.
Erwin, Lee, Coleman and Bostic led off the big, busy evening for the Bobcats contingent by placing sixth in the 4x100 with a time of 46.42 seconds. Fort Bend Marshall was the champion in 45.54.
A few more photos can be viewed at www.killeenisd.org/photos.
About 1 hour, 40 minutes later, the foursome was back on the burnt orange oval for the 4x200 and they moved the baton around the track twice for a time of 1:39.22 and fifth place. Marshall won the gold by breaking the 5A record that stood for 10 years.
“They competed with heart, grit and everything they had,” CHS girls track and field head coach Mallory Hibbert said.” They made school history, scored points and left it all out on the track. Proud doesn’t even begin to cover how we feel about what this team accomplished.”
Earlier in the week, Sherman recalled a moment from when he attended a University of Texas football game at Royal Memorial Stadium, which towers next door to the track facility. He told his dad, “I’m going to run at state in that stadium one day.”
Friday was that day.
Sherman lined up in Lane 9 for the 200 with the rest of the state’s best 5A and went stride for stride, clocking 21.23 seconds for seventh place –– .38 seconds faster than his second-place time at the 5A Region II meet two weeks ago. Jayden Kennedy from Keller Fossil Ridge won the state gold in 20.54.
"Kimoni is a man of character and is an example of the standard we are constantly encouraging out male athletes at Chaparral to reach for," CHS boys track anf field head coach Michael Woods said. "Kimoni not only believed in what us coaches saw in him, be he is now believing in himself."
Two seasons ago, the Lady Bobcats track and field program sent two athletes –– thrower Maddie Fey and jumper Trinity Brown –– to the Class 5A state championships. Fey won a gold and silver in the shot put and discus and Brown was fourth was fourth in the triple jump.
But CHS had yet to have anyone reach the season’s final meet in a running event, until Erwin, Lee, Coleman and Bostic this year. No other male before Sherman had closed the track season at state.
Full results from the Class 5A state meet: https://www.milesplit.live/meets/746342