05/31/2026
These boys started the race as one of the favorites, eager to find out if they could win the 4x400. But this race wasn’t meant to unfold that way.
When our second runner was clipped and pushed into the rail and went down, everything changed. This was no longer a race about speed. It became a test of character, courage, and class. He got back up, found his teammate, handed off the baton, and the last two runners finished the race.
They originally crossed the line in 9th place. After a review, one team was disqualified for a lane violation and another for the incident that took our runner down. That moved us to 7th, and the top 8 earn a state medal.
But the story doesn’t end there. In the confusion of the results, these boys were removed from the podium before they had their chance to stand on it with the other medal earners. By the time the correct results were announced, that moment was gone. They never got to stand up there with everyone else.
Through all of it, the fall, the wait, the mix-up, the missed moment, these young men were incredible teammates to each other. They supported one another through something that felt genuinely unfair, and they handled every part of it with grace.
That is what athletics truly gives young people. It is so much bigger than wins and losses, faster times, higher scores, or standing on a podium. Sports teach kids how to respond when life doesn’t go their way, when they get knocked down and have to decide whether to stay down or get back up. They teach resilience in the face of disappointment, composure when emotions are running high, and dignity even when the situation feels anything but fair. The lessons learned in moments like these are the ones that will stick with these young men long after the times and places are forgotten.
I am incredibly proud of these gentlemen. What they showed today goes far beyond the race.
