tcrow@taylorisd.org
The Taylor Middle School
track teams have done exceptionally well over the past two years, earning
several championships titles in both team and individual events.
“Our track teams this year
as well as last year have all been very successful,” Coach Allen Dews said. “We’ve
won every track meet we’ve been to with the exception of one.”
Dews said that while both
the seventh and eighth grade track teams have been highly successful, one
particular team of eighth graders have truly excelled. Ben Roberts, Jayson
Saucedo, Ethan Rodriguez, Eric Calzada and Anthony Salazar remain undefeated in
the mile relay.
“These 8th
graders are district champs,” Dews said. “They were district champs as seventh
graders and district champs as eighth graders. They are two-time district
champs.”
Last year Dews told the
undefeated team that if they won the final district track meet he would buy
five plaques, one for each track they won, to display in the school. As soon as
Ben Roberts crossed the finish line, he informed Dews that it was time to buy
those five plaques.
“It was a fun year for me
because I like being with friends and I had an amazing team to be a part of,”
Roberts said. He added that it was nice to be able to show that Taylor can do
great things. “I just wanted to prove people wrong about Taylor, about how
small we were and how big we really were.”
Jayson Saucedo is the record
holder in a number of events.
“He ran all of our relays,”
Dews said. “As an individual, he was the long jump champ, triple jump champ,
hundred-meter champ, 200 meter champ and 400 meter champ in the two years that
he was competing for us. He is undefeated in the hundred, two hundred and 400
Has never been beaten in the running events.”
Saucedo credits his success
to his team and their efforts to push each other to reach individual goals.
“As a team we all push each
other,” he said. “We all want to compete against each other, we push each other
to our limits. We know what our limit is, but we always want to make it higher,
always want to do better.”
Roberts agreed that teamwork
is the secret their success. “I think it’s really important to work as a team,
because when we aren’t together our morale is low and when we are together
we’re unstoppable.”
Anthony Salazar added that
as a team they also encourage each other and keep each other focused.
“We push each other hard, trying
to be better than someone else, trying to get there,” He commented. “Keep
encouraging when you think everything is lost, but you still have a team and
you still have friends. You make sure nothing happens to your team, and that
your friends are ok. Focus on what you’re doing and keep doing it.”
Ethan Rodriguez said the
competition among team members is ongoing.
“Everything is a race for
us, we’re always competing against each other,” he said. “Whoever is in front, we all try to catch up
to them. We try to beat each other in everything.”
“You can’t do this
individually,” said Eric Calzada. “You have to do it with your team.”
Dews said he is looking for
more great things from this team in the future.
“I’ve coached a lot of track
in Taylor over the years, been involved with a several great ones,” Dews said. “These
guys are just as good as those guys were at this age, if not better. It’s going
to be exciting to see where they go.”
