KCHS track team counting on experience, talent
With four boys and three girls returning that competed in the MHSASS Class 2A State Track Meet last season, KCHS track coach Keith Cole likes the way things look for his team this season.
‘They know what to expect and know what to do because they’ve been there,” Cole said. “I think that experience will be a tremendous asset for us.”
The girls have already been strong in the relay events this year and Cole said he is expecting even bigger things out of his Wildcats and lady Wildcats. ‘The boys have a chance to win the entire track meet,” Cole said of his squads once again competing in the state meet at the end of the year. “If we have enough kids to qualify for state, we will have a shot at it.’
While he likes it when his athletes fare well in the regular season meets, he said it’s the state meet that matters the most.
‘The purpose in the regular season is just to make sure that we develop some team chemistry,” Cole said. “I want to build their confidence and their character.”
Brynesha Bourrage, who has already signed to run for Hinds Community College next season, is one of the best speed girls in the state on any level. Bourrage runs the 400 meters as well as the relays, while Sha Kenya Darden is one of the best 800 meter competitors on the boys side.
The girls 4x200 relay team of Brynesha Bourrage, Zariyah Moss, Kaylan Clayton, and Jashunti Bourrage is among the best in the state.
Cole said more and more athletes have begun to come out for the track team, noting that winning the district four of the last five years has definitely help grow the interest in the sport.
And all of this despite not having a home track to practice on. ‘We just run in the dirt and the mud,” Cole said. “It’s just a lot of hard work and the kids are so dedicated.”