Johnson County has good showing at track meet

The Johnson County High School track team made their second official appearance of the season, traveling to Sullivan Central in Blountville to take part in an eight-school meet that included some very tough competitors like Sullivan South and Volunteer. With one of the largest teams the Longhorns has ever had, Johnson County had competitors in nearly 20 events ranging from the shot put to the long jump and the 100 meter dash.
 Despite facing some serious challenges, the Longhorns held their own for the most part, and scored within the top 10 in several events, an especially amazing feat considering that the majority of the team are freshmen or sophomores. “It’s been a good experience for the kids,” said head coach Penny Gentry. “They’re seeing schools today that they don’t normally see. It’s given them a different experience and we’ve seen a lot of competition here today. I think our freshmen did really well today. They’re getting their feet wet; they’re seeing what its like and they’re really pulling through. I think it’s been above expectations. I had one boy comment that ‘I didn’t know how fast I could run’ and that tough of competition is going to make them better, because they’re going to run faster to keep up with them.”

The meet kicked off at 4 p.m. with field events. David Eller was the team’s only shot put competitor bringing in distance results at 35 ft. 4in while senior Jacob Henson led the Longhorns on the long jump, taking a fourth place ranking at 18ft. 1.75in. Henson was joined by Andy Rosado with a 16ft 9in showing and freshman Aaron Steele at 13ft. 7in. Also jumping was sophomore Tori Israel for the girls, coming in at 10ft. 2in.
With no hurdlers so far this season, the remainder of the evening was consumed by running events, where once again the Longhorns did very well. Stephanie Coffey, Brook Wilcox, and Taylor Wallace took part in the 100-meter dash for the girls and were joined once again by Coffey, as well as Kayla Tester and Melissa Mahala on the 200. Tori Israel, Lindsay Hutchinson, and Brook Wilcox, who earned a top ten at 1:18, also ran the 800-meter.
Yet, possibly the biggest finish of the night for the girls went to Mackenzie Bauer and Victoria Steagall during the mile run. “Jacob Henson had a couple fourth place finishes, but I really have to give it to Mackenzie and Victoria,” said Coach Gentry. They really stepped up today, coming through on the mile run in third and fifth place. We went from shivering at Unicoi to sweating here, and I think the weather plays a big part in it. The kids have noticed a big difference in being able to run today.”

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