With the boys track team looking to uphold their reputation of success, they made the most of this season’s home meet by running away with a 19.75 point victory with a cumulative score of 128 points across all events. This meet truly demonstrated the utter depth possessed by the roster, with talent littered from top to bottom across all sizes, competitions, and classes. First place honors were earned by anyone from extremely experienced seniors like Keynan Cotton, continuing his reign over the 100 meter dash; to blossoming freshman like Will Urosevich winning the 400 meter dash in a landslide.
The boy’s were also effective in the relays, placing top three in every category and even winning the 4×100 meter relay thanks to the efforts of a tightly knit group of upperclassmen – Cotton and juniors Bryson Williams, Maurice Purify III, and Monte Costello. The four have built a relationship on the gridiron as football teammates, and now take to the track looking to make a run at a state championship under the self-titled alias “The Chopped By One”.
“I think we had a great first win, but we have a lot of room to grow by state,” Costello noted in wake of their debut performance. “We’re all chopped and still making a good run.”
“I like our chances to make a nice run,” Purify III stated. “Coach Lloyd has a lot of experience coaching people up, and we’re learning and improving by the day.”
The ‘Chopped By One’ currently stands as the best 4×100 meter relay team in the state of Nebraska, with member Maurice Purify III also making waves in the long jump event. Purify III won the event in a landslide at home with an astounding jump of over 23 feet, stunning coaches and teammates alike.
“My personal goal is to win the state championship in long jump, and I think thus far I’ve shown that I’ve got a great shot at it,” Purify III said.
As a transfer, he’s already managed to top leaderboards in the new black and red threads, and build relationships not only with his multi-sport teammates, but with his coaches as they look to propel him to statewide honors.
“Coach Lloyd is definitely my biggest inspiration on the team,” Purify III said. “He has a long history of coaching lots of successful jumpers, and it’s an honor to be able to try and continue that legacy for him and for myself.”
Beyond Purify III, the squad’s Bryson Williams also found success in the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash placing third and fourth respectively. As for other events, junior Will Tomcykowski came second in the triple jump, and senior Connor Wane earned a second place of his own for his performance in shot put. For the high jump and pole vault events, even more second-place finishes were earned, this time by junior Ryker Jensen who is aiming for another solid run at state in the high jump category this season, and senior Davin Wang, trying to leave one last mark on his decorated high school career.
The boys set out to maintain their dominant streak at home, and it’s safe to say they accomplished that through each and every event. From sprints, to throws, to jumping events, the team proved their versatility and all around potential to make a serious run at a state championship.
