Smoking for Jesus is the state runner-up in track and field
Two athletes did plenty for the Smoking for Jesus Ministry Christian School’s boys track-and-field team during the the state meet of the Texas Association of Independent Athletic Organizations May 7.
Senior Charles Frazier and junior Jonathan Frazier, who are brothers, had top four finishes in four events to propel the Eagles to another state trophy to go with their back-to-back state championships in football in 2020 and 2021 and the one state title in boys basketball during the 2021-22 season.
Junior Jonathan Frazier was second in the long jump thanks to a leap of 20 feet 5.25 inches and third in the 100 meters in 12.04 seconds. Senior Charles Frazier was third in the 200 meters in 25.66 seconds and fourth in the 100 meters in 12.38 seconds. It all added up to finishing as the runner-up in the team standings.
“Those boys have great heart, and they’re very competitive,” head coach Boo Maxwell said. “They’re always striving to be the best.”
The Eagles had the fastest 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter relays but athletes had conflicts and couldn’t attend the meet. But the times says plenty about the talent and willingness to work toward a goal, the coach said.
“When we give the boys a task, they take it to heart,” he said. “They really push to be the best. It makes our job as coaches easy. They are wanting to do the best they can. They love to compete and try to be the best.”
While the Eagles’ physical talent speaks for itself, Maxwell said what’s more extraordinary are the athletes’ mindsets — they refuse to lose and are committed to preparing to perform at a high level in clutch moments.
“You can’t force that on anyone,” he said. “When they’re shown how, they will it. That’s what makes the games fun to watch and fun to coach. That’s very impressive.”
For coaches, this year’s Smoking for Jesus athletes simply earned the championships they all thought they had the talent to capture. Maxwell believes there’s a correlation between winning in one sport that goes to other sports.
“It definitely motivates them into the next sport,” he said. “When you win state in football, you want to do it again in the next sport. It’s the mindset we have. And I’m so proud of each and every one of the guys. I want to thank the seniors I got to coach. It’s been a pleasure and a blessing to have them around me. I’m definitely going to miss them.”
Watch videos on Highland Lakes sports by going to Fierro’s YouTube channel and searching for The Broad Podcaster. Please like, subscribe and share.
