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E-mail This StoryThe Frisco Heat is taking flight.
Actually, the Heat and Flight joined forces prior to the season and the merger is paying big dividends. If it were traded publicly, the stock symbol would be Fleet; the convenient collaborative effort has resulted in an armada of athletes making the trek to the state meet.
Eighteen track and field standouts - or four more than competed at the regional championships for both teams combined in 2007 - qualified last weekend for the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation Games of Texas.
“We merged the two to bolster support and get the name out there,” said head coach James Anderson, who coached the Frisco Flight for three years before taking over the Heat this season. “It has worked out pretty well.”
In its third year, the Frisco Heat, the official city team, sent 66 athletes to the TAAF Region VII meet at Frisco Memorial Stadium. Competing against teams from Allen, Plano, McKinney, Rockwall, Garland, Celina, Mesquite, Wylie, Carrollton, Sherman, Prosper, Rowlett, Whitesboro, Terrell, Balch Springs and Melissa in the state’s most massive region - 3,643 athletes ranging in age from 6 to 18 braved the triple-digit temperatures - the Heat produced its best showing to date. Considering 38 other team members missed regionals for one reason or another, it is clear the squad has only just now tapped the surface of its potential.
“We can only get better,” Anderson said, “especially considering this is a fairly new team.”
For a youth track club, the coaching staff is arguably the best in the state. Anderson is a former collegiate football and track star. Assistants Reggie Bush, Jason Money, Ramsey Watkins and Jen Sherer all ran track in college. Money and Kevin Williams also played football. That doesn’t even include the assistance of Wakeland boys cross country coach Jody Brown or the parental aid provided by Kelly Carney and Len Sherer.
“We have had some real talent helping out,” Anderson said.
Simply placing in the top six in such a loaded region bodes well for the prospects of medaling at state.
“For the most part, a lot of the kids that come out of the region end up winning,” Anderson said. “I expect a lot of them to be challenging for a No. 1 spot.”
