The luminous lights shine down on Buddy Echols Field where the annual Coppell Relays takes place.

The shot of the starting gun sounds as metallic sharp spikes click into the track, each runner gaining speed to hand off the narrow-fitting baton into their teammate’s hands.

The sound of coaches’ voices boom, yelling how much time is on the clock. A blaring “pomp” arises in the air with smoke surrounding the blank pistol, signaling the final 400-meters to the end of the race.

Athletes pick up their pace, using the last 100-meters to kick, surging past others in long distance races. Athletes tumble on the ground, laying on their back to catch their breath as teammates crowd them to celebrate their accomplishments.
The metric mile, the 1,600-meter run and the everlasting passing begins, lasting 5:58.38, beads of sweat run down the long distance runner’s neck, eyes face forward as their final lap concludes. Bodies collapse on the green stained turf before looking up to the screen to see their time.

Coppell freshman Fineligh Sanders-Burk placed third with a time of 5:19.50. The Cowboys did not place in the top three.

The Coppell track and field teams took home several plaques, sweeping both boys and girls varsity and JV team results.

Coppell JV Boys placed first with 152 points
Coppell JV girls placed first with 165.5 points
Coppell varsity boys placed first with 242 points
Coppell varsity girls placed first with 212 points

Both JV teams won by more than 20 points, and the boys varsity team left a 138-point gap between second place Southlake Carroll. The girls varsity team left an even 100-point difference between second place Highland Park.

Different color spikes and shoes suddenly fly in the cloudy air as their bodies bend over the horizontal bar, with a hard impact on the bright red foam mat in the high jump event.

Coppell sophomore Da’Nyah Gilmore placed second jumping 1.62 meters.
Coppell senior Gentry Currie placed first jumping 1.98 meters.
Coppell senior Brandon Veail placed second jumping 1.87 meters.

The 40-meter runway was no problem for the Coppell pole vault team. The torque begins as each athlete begins to maneuver their body weight around the horizontal bar with the pole in their hand slowly releasing as they reach the peak of the bar.

Coppell junior Mia Schuller placed first clearing 3.53 meters or 11.5 feet, and set the meet record.
Coppell junior Vivian Pargas placed second, clearing 3.07 meters.
Coppell senior Noah Schuller, a Dartmouth commit, placed first, cleared 4.9 meters or 16 feet, and set the meet record as well.

Long strides meet a thick white line and a large pit of sand, athletes pushing themselves as deep into the sandpit as possible.

Although the Cowgirls did not place first, a consecutive line of Coppell long jumpers followed.
Coppell junior Mia Schuller placed second jumped 5.24 meters
Coppell freshmanLondon Lock placed third and jumped 5.17 meters

Coppell junior Cameron Chevalier-Tek placed second and jumped 6.76 meters.

One…two…three.

Whoosh.

Sand rises into the air after an aggressive launch in the triple jump event, the Cowgirls sent four jumpers but did not place in the top three. The Cowboys on the other hand, had Coppell junior Reuben Sarkodie placed third and jumped 12.62 meters.

That is no frisbee, this is a classic brass rim discus, thrown by several high school athletes. A step back even on the other side of the net occurs as Coppell senior Ainsley Bramer uses a rotational technique to launch the disc 42.69 meters across the sector. Coppell junior Avery Easterling placed second throwing 33.32 meters. The Cowboys did not place in the top three.

Across a stretch of grass, many semicircle shaped holes are left in the ground from the infamous shot put, where Bramer set the meet record of 14.43 meters. Easterling placed second throwing 12.26 meters. A string of Cowboy throwers follow Plano’s Zachary Beckmann who set a meet record throw of 16.40. Coppell sophomore Aaron Isbell and senior Noah Sasser follow behind him for second and third place.

Each lap runs like a washing machine, around and around for eight laps straight, a 3,200-meter running event. Athletes merge together in the first and second lanes in constant competition with one another just to pass. Bodies collapse just off the side of the track once they pass the final line, concluding their race time.

Coppell sophomore Finleigh Sanders-Burk placed third running 11:51.49.
Coppell junior Diego Morales placed first running a 9:58.20.

The handoff starts at every 100-meter mark, the shot blows into the air as the Coppell girls and boys varsity team finishes 2.2 seconds before Garland Sachse.

The 4×1-00 meter relay:
Coppell senior Ella Corry
Coppell sophomore Janiah Merritt
Coppell junior Hannah Polito
Coppell senior Sophia Williams

Coppell sophomore Aydn Coviak
Coppell junior Jayden Bibbs
Coppell junior Reuben Sarrkodie
Coppell senior Jerome Jones

The Coppell varsity girls athletes did not place in the 800-meter race, but the boys runners did.

Coppell junior Denim Jones placed second with a time of 2:01.49
Coppell senior Tanish Neelapu placed third with a time of 2:01.55

The underside hurdlers’ shoes fly up, their legs split over the hurdle – the final steps of the race chests lean forward to snag first place in the 100-meter hurdle event for girls, and the 110-meter hurdle for boys. Both Coppell teams participated in the 300-meter hurdle race, and the Cowboys took all three top three spots.
100/110-meter

Coppell sophomore Bailey Johnson placed second with a time of 14.81
Coppell junior Mia Schuller placed third with a time of 15.52 seconds.
Coppell sophomore Miguel Lopez-Dos Santos placed third with a time of 15.29.

300-meter

Coppell sophomore Makena Robinson placed first with a time of 47.11.
Coppell sophomore Miguel Lopez-Dos Santos placed first with a time of 40.96.
Coppell junior Owen Kling finished second with a time of 41.22.
Coppell junior Ridge Lawerence placed third with a time of 41.41.

The 100-meter dash zooms past everyone on the sidelines, sprinters have their arms tight and long strides, pushing themselves past the line and breaking form after the final lean.

Coppell junior Hannah Polito placed first and hit a personal record time of 12.03.
Coppell senior Ella Corry placed third with a time of 12.23.
Coppell junior Jaden Bibbs placed first with a time of 10.71.

Two laps around the track, a steady pace for four athletes, the 4×800-meter relay. Both varsity teams placed first, the girls team finished in 1:41.72 and boys team finished in 1:28.66.

Cowgirls team:

Coppell senior Ella Correy
Coppell sophomore Janiah Merritt
Coppell freshman London Lock
Coppell junior Hannah Polito

Cowboys team:

Coppell senior Evan Meekins
Coppell sophomore Aydn Coviak
Coppell junior Reuben Sarkodie
Coppell senior Jerome Jones

One lap around the track, a speedy straight and a calm curve pattern begins through the 400-meter dash. The Coppell girls varsity team did not place, but Coppell senior Ethan Steffens placed second with a time of 51.95.

Right around the corner of the 200-meter dash comes Coppell sophomore Janiah Merritt, finishing 0.46 seconds ahead of second place. Coppell senior Jerome Jones placed first with a time of 21.86 and Coppell senior Evan Meekins placed second with a time of 22.37.

The 1,600-meter relay begins, each runner racing around the track for the clean handoff of the shiny baton, a skill the Coppell boys track and field coach Eric Hill had been fixating on all week.

The Cowgirls did not place in the top three, but the Cowboys placed third with a time of 3:31.34.

Cowboys team:

Coppell senior Ethan Steffens
Coppell junior Denim Jones
Coppell sophomore Carter Zinglemann
Coppell junior Ridge Lawrence

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