For the fourth consecutive year, the Wheatley Wildcats’ 4×100-meter relay team has advanced to the 4A area meet. The team, consisting of four football players, has formed bonds reminiscent of four brothers, uniting them in their pursuit.
“It’s all love. They’re my brothers, all of them. Our bond is strong like a family. We win together, we lose together. Whatever we do, we put it on the track,” said anchor leg, Jacory Bonner.
Wheatley’s current 4×100-meter relay team includes Demetrius Evans, Joseph Andrews Jr., Nazier Elder and Bonner. Their best recorded time this year stands at 42.8 seconds. With two members returning from last year’s top-eight finishing team at the 4A regionals, they’re determined to surpass their previous achievements.
“We have a great group of guys. We know that in the area you have a lot of top-tier talent and there is more speed and strength on the track, but we’re working to be able to compete with that,” said Wheatley head track coach Lionel Kinsey III.
Senior Demetrius Evans runs the first leg of the relay and serves as team captain. He previously ran with the Dragons during his 10th grade year hoping to get more experience and take his track career more seriously.
“That was my first year being on varsity. I saw that it was more to track than just running in school,” said Evans.
This led Evans to ask his coach to place their 4A team in 6A meet competitions.
“Running in 6A meets as a 4A school helped us not only learn what it took to win, but what it felt like to lose and stay humble when races don’t go our way,” said Evans.
Andrews, a junior, runs the second leg. He got his start at 9 years old with Track Houston but stopped running when he got to the 6th grade.
“During quarantine, I got slower. Realizing I needed to increase my speed for football, I started looking for ways to improve my speed. Then the thought came to me, ‘I might as well get back into running track,’” said Andrews.
“When I strategically structure our relay team, I try to keep our strongest man within the second and third leg because the second leg is always the longest stretch without a curve,” said Coach Kinsey.
Elder, who is a junior, runs the third leg. Nazier is new to this year’s 4×100-meter relay team. This is only his second year running track and his first year running on varsity, but he is showing signs of domination.
“I have never run summer track and last year was my first year ever running track. As a unit, we have great chemistry. We all grew up together, we all cool, all good vibes,” said Elder.
“Nazier is a hard worker and an excellent starter to keep the race going from the second leg to the anchor leg,” said Coach Kinsey.
Bonner, a junior, anchors the 4×100-meter relay team. He went from just being the mascot and not liking sports, to just trying something new, to now being a part of a team advancing to the 4A area meet.
“One day I was late to class and running in the hallway. Coach saw me running in the halls and invited me and my friend to track practice. I figured we’d go just to see what they were doing. And while there I raced everybody and I beat them. Next thing I know I was on the varsity track team,” said Bonner.
The Wheatley Wildcats’ 4×100-meter relay team will have to sharpen their handoffs to continue dropping a faster time to advance.
“We focus on handoffs three to four times a week,” said Coach Kinsey. “We focus on breakdowns, zones and various drills because we know handoffs along with speed are very important if we want to continue to the next meet. We don’t want the stick to slow down.
