By PAIGE CARR

Staff writer

The sound of a starter pistol at the Wheat State League middle school track meet May 8 began a 4x200 meter relay that would end with a reason to celebrate for Peabody-Burns eighth grade boys.

Thomas Smith, Alex Caldwell, Johnathan Glover, and Jake Partridge broke the league record with a race time of 1 minute, 51.24 seconds.

“That actually wasn’t their best time of the season,” said coach Brian Simmonds.

Records for the league’s track and field events can only be obtained at the league meet held at the end of the season. This relay team’s best time of 1:49.0 was at an April 26 meet.

“The weather definitely comes into play,” he said.

These young runners attribute their success to tight-knit friendships off the track, and with the help of a handful of other key athletes, will begin their high school careers with achievements in basketball, football, and baseball.

“If we keep working hard in everything, we can still be successful,” said Smith.

“Winning is important,” said Partridge. “But you also get to hang out with your friends. That’s the main reason I like to play sports.”

Simmonds said while these eighth graders have natural talent, their victory comes after focusing on an important piece of relay races.

“This team worked hard,” he said. “The biggest challenge to getting the relay time down was working on their handoffs. They have to be at top speed when they exchange the baton.”

Simmonds said he was pleased with how the boys ended their middle school track career.

“It was exciting to go into the Wheat State League meet knowing that we had a chance to beat the record, and then going and it getting it done,” he said.