Coaches don’t always welcome letters from the TSSAA, but the one Red Bank track coach Hugh Enicks got recently has opened the door for some unexpected help. Because Lookout Valley didn’t have enough interest to field a complete track team, the athletes from that school who did want to compete were cleared by the TSSAA to co-op with the Red Bank program.
The seven Lookout Valley students now competing with the Lions include sprinters Jamal Jones and Elexis Foster, both of whom rank among the area’s top three fastest in the 100 meters. Jones, who rushed for more than 3,000 career yards and signed a football scholarship with Carson-Newman, ran the 100 in 11.31 last week, which ranks third locally.
Only a freshman, Foster has been the early-season surprise in the area, topping area girls’ sprinters with a 12.18 in the 100, which ranks her ahead of GPS’s Destinee Lansden (12.36), a Memphis signee who won state titles in the Division II 100 meters and 400 meters and was fourth in the state in the 200 last year.
“I was just checking the mail at school and had a letter from the TSSAA saying kids from Lookout Valley were cleared to run for us,” Enicks said. “Once they got here and started working with our other kids, I realized several of them had some real talent.
“It’s been a big boost for us, and I’m excited to see how much better they can get. Especially Elexis, since she’s just a freshman. There’s no telling how much more she can improve just this year.”