Abilene Cooper's Diles garners center of attention among hurdling rivals from AHS, Wylie

Hurdlers in track are a rare breed.

Coaches usually must coax young athletes to give it a try, and even the ones who stick with it still run with a fear of falling.

Little wonder it’s an elite club, and three of Abilene’s best – Cooper’s Lawrence Diles, Wylie’s Holden Atwood and Abilene High’s Noah Hatcher – are all good friends. Competitive, but supportive of each other.

Diles, the fastest of the bunch, might be the centerpiece to that trio of friends. Hatcher, a junior, remembers seeing Diles run for the first time in middle school.

“I saw him, and it was, ‘Oh, snap, he’s really fast,’” Hatcher said. “When I was in seventh grade, he was over here dusting everybody in eighth grade. I got some techniques from him.”

Hatcher continued to watch Diles’ progress throughout the years and develop a friendship as well.

“He’s probably one of the better hurdlers in Abilene I’ve ever gone against,” Hatcher said. “He’s pushed me to my limits every time I’ve raced him. I hope he does amazing at regionals. He’s just another amazing athlete in Abilene.”

Atwood, a fellow senior, has been racing against Diles in District 4-5A the past two years.

“He’s pushed me. I’ve pushed him,” Atwood said. “It’s a healthy competition.”

Diles said both Hatcher and Atwood are good friends.

“We’ve run against each other, played football against each other,” Diles said of Hatcher, who is a standout defensive back while Diles is a linebacker. “I watch what he does and keep up with his times. Sometimes we run against each other, and it brings out the best in both of us. It’s great to run against him.”

Diles said the same applies to Atwood.

“I respect him. He respects me,” Diles said. “We just get out there and run our best. I push him to be his best. We PR’d together (at district). It’s just a great friendship.”

All three compete in the 110-meter hurdles at their respective region track meets, beginning with prelims Friday. Hatcher will run at the Region I-6A meet at Texas-Arlington’s Maverick Stadium, while Diles and Hatcher will run against each other at the Region I-5A meet at Lubbock’s Lowrey Field.

The running finals will be Saturday.

All three are rooting for each other. Well, in Diles’ case, he’s rooting for Atwood to finish second behind him. The top two finishers in each event advance to the state meet May 13 in Austin. The third-best finisher in each event among the state’s four regions also earns a wild-card spot.

Herded into hurdles

It’s no surprise all three were persuaded to give the hurdles a try – Hatcher and Diles in middle school and Atwood as a freshman.

“I really wasn’t thinking I’d be good at it, but one of my coaches said go try it,” said Hatcher, who started in seventh grade. “I found out I was a diamond in the dirt at it.”

Hatcher enjoys running the hurdles – even the dreaded 300 hurdles.

“This is probably my favorite part of track, just coming out and working on hurdles, talking to other people on the team, coaching up the younger ones,” Hatcher said.

Jonathan Graschel, AHS’ boys track coach, has high praise for Hatcher.

“Noah’s a great kid,” Graschel said. “He works hard. He comes out every day. He’s a great leader for our team.”

Diles, too, was pushed toward the hurdles.

“Coaches needed somebody to do it, and I said I’d do it,” Diles said. “I was taller than most.”

It proved to be a good decision.

“He’s a dream kid to coach,” Cooper boys track coach Levi Keith said. “He’s an ultra-competitor, hard worker and leader among his peers. He’s the type of young man I would want my own son to mimic.”

Atwood’s path to the hurdles is a bit different.

He originally wanted to compete in one event – the pole vault, which is perhaps the toughest and riskiest event in track. He still had to run during track practice, so he thought the hurdles would require the least amount of work. Keep in mind, he was a freshman.

What did he know?

“It looked liked less running in practice,” Atwood said. “So, that’s what I wanted to do. I ended up doing more running and doing hurdles all four years. But I enjoy it. I’m glad I made that decision.”

Atwood, who eventually stopped pole vaulting, didn’t know about the 300 hurdles when he made the commitment to hurdling. He soon found out.

“I didn’t know about the misery of the 300 hurdles at that point,” Atwood said with a laugh. “I was not too happy about it.”

Atwood didn’t do the 300 hurdles this year but added the 800 and 1,600 relays to his duties. He’ll run the 110 hurdles at the region meet.

Michael Elliot, Wylie’s boys track coach, has enjoyed watching Atwood progress and the duel between him and Diles play out.

“Holden is a quality young man,” Elliot said. “Diligent worker that wants to get better every day. Lawrence is a great young man who I’m sure works just as hard. Holden wants to beat him but knows that’s easier said than done.”

Eye on state

Hatcher faces a tough task at the Region I-6A meet. He qualified for both the 110 and 300 hurdles, and his best bet might the 300s – his favorite event.

“I heard it’s one of the hardest races, but to me, I find it the most interesting, the most fun race,” Hatcher said. “It takes a lot of guts.”

Hatcher finished third behind Odessa High’s Ivan Carreon (14.82 seconds) and fellow AHS teammate Devare Payne (personal-best 15.05) in the 110 hurdles at the area meet. Hatcher ran a 15.23. His personal-best in the event is a 14.81.

Denton Braswell’s Austin Kiser is the guy to beat.

He ran a 14.13 at his area meet, and his personal best is a 13.83. Flower Mound’s Cooper Davis ran a 14.35 at area, and five others ran sub-15s at their area meets.

Hatcher won the 300 hurdles at the area meet (personal-best 39.91), but Northwest Eaton’s Noah Lugo’s 38.34 leads a group that includes three other sub-39 times from area.

Graschel, though, wouldn’t count Hatcher out in either race.

“He has been getting faster,” Graschel said. “He works hard. Every day he comes out, he gives everything he has, just like Devare.”

Last year, Hatcher didn't qualify for the 110 hurdle finals at region, missing it by a spot with the ninth-best time in prelims (15.52). He was 14th in the 300 prelims (41.80).

All eyes at the Region I-5A meet will be on Diles, Atwood and Mansfield Timberview’s Cameron Bates in the 110 hurdles.

Diles goes into Friday’s prelims with the best time from area at 14.45. Bates ran a 14.53 at his area meet, while Atwood was second to Diles at area (personal-best 14.72). Diles ran his PR (14.37) in beating out Atwood (14.73) at the District 4-5A meet.

Bates, a sophomore, ran a 14.27 at the Texas Relays and his personal best is a 13.88.

“The first day, prelims, it’s just run a clean race, fix everything I’ve been working on, the little mistakes, improve on them,” Diles said. “Then in the final, it’s just go run as fast as I can, run the race I know I can. Put everything I’ve been working the past few weeks together in one race.”

Last year was the first time Diles and Atwood both ran at the region meet. Diles finished sixth in the finals with a 15.09, while Bates was fifth (15.08). Atwood didn’t make the finals, turning in the 11th fastest time (15.48).

Three seniors – Lubbock Coronado’s Imari Jones (14.45), Crowley’s Ashton Turner (14.53) and El Paso Chapin’s Dominic Britton (14.61) – finished in the top three. Turner ended up getting second at state (14.08) behind junior Kendrick Smallwood of Mesquite Poteet (13.47).

Diles was slowed when he hit a hurdle in the finals, and he said he must run a clean race this weekend.

“They’re fast guys,” Diles said. “You can’t afford one mistake. It can cost you the whole race.”

Their friendship aside, Atwood is going into the meet with the mindset of beating Diles.

“My goal is to either beat him or be right on his hip, so I get that wild card,” Atwood said.

The two usually warmup together before they race, so that will likely be the topic of conversation this weekend.

“I’ll probably tell him when I get there,” Atwood said. “We like to compete. We like to talk before and after. I told him last week (at the area meet) that my goal is to beat him. So, he knows.”

Diles, who also will compete in the 300 hurdles as the fourth and final qualifier from the area meet (41.76), nearly a second behind the winner, wouldn’t mind Atwood going with him to state – just as the No. 2 qualifier from region.

“It would mean a lot to me,” Diles said about a state berth. “It would mean a lot to my friends, my family and everybody who’s supported me – my coaches that have stayed with me from freshman year to senior year, helping me, preparing me for intense moments like this.”

Joey D. Richards covers Abilene high schools and colleges, Big Country schools and other local sports. Follow him at Twitter at ARN_Joey. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

Region I-6A meet

At Maverick Stadium, Arlington

Friday’s Schedule

Field Events

9 a.m. – Girls pole vault, shot put and boys triple jump.

Noon – Girls triple jump, boys pole vault and shot put.

Running Events

9 a.m. – 3,200 finals.

3:30 p.m. – running prelims begin.

Saturday’s Schedule

Field Events

9 a.m. – Girls high jump, boys long jump and discus.

Noon – Girls long jump and discus, boys high jump

Running Events

3:15 p.m. – Finals

Region 1-5A meet

At Lowrey Field, Lubbock

Friday’s Schedule

Field Events

9 a.m. – Girls triple jump and discus, boys triple jump.

11 a.m. – Girls high jump.

Noon – Boys pole vault.

Running Events

10:30 a.m. – 3,200 finals

2:30 p.m. – Prelims

Saturday’s Schedule

Field Events

9 a.m. – Girls long jump, boys long jump and discus

11 a.m. – Girls shot put, boys high jump

Noon – Girls pole vault

Running Events

2:30 p.m. – Finals

Abilene High region qualifiers

(Times and places are from area meet)

Boys

Noah Hatcher, junior – 3. 110 hurdles (15.23); 1. 300 hurdles (39.91).

Devare Payne, junior – 2. 110 hurdles (15.05); 3. High jump (6-0).

Logan Smith, sophomore – 3. Pole vault (12-6).

Andruw Villa, sophomore – 2. 1,600 (4:22.10); 2. 3,200 (9:31.11).

Girls

Mason Murray, freshman – 1. 3,200 (11.39.85)

Cooper region qualifiers

(Times and places are from area meet)

Boys

Lawrence Diles, senior – 1. 110 hurdles (14.45); 4. 300 hurdles (41.76).

Jacobe Moore, senior – 4. Discus (144-9).

800 relay – Cooper (Cam Herron, Jaelnd Pryor, Jaylen Parker, Nick Rodriguez), 1:30.55.

Girls

Jazlyn Hatcher, sophomore – 1. Long jump (17-6¼).

Anne-Lie Waite, sophomore – 2. 200 (25.16); 2. 400 (59.95).

Wylie region qualifiers

(Times and places are from area meet)

Boys

Holden Atwood, senior – 2. 110 hurdles (14.72).

Ryan Blake, junior – 2. Discus (149-0).

Avery Brekke, senior – 1. Discus (157-6)

Braden Regala, sophomore – 3. 100 (10.86)

Kendrick Vanderbilt, junior – 3. Shot put (48-8)

Girls

Elena Hoffman, senior – 1. Shot put (36-0½).

Hannah Hutchison, senior – 3. Discus (110-9).

Indiah Maroney, senior – 2. High jump (5-4).

M’Liah Whitman, junior – 3. Triple jump (36-5¾)

400 relay – 4. Wylie (Jahniya George, Sarah Sanchez, Rozlyn Rumsey, Whitman), 49.43.

1,600 relay – 3. Wylie (Allie Allen, Taylar Riley, Rumsey, Whitman), 4:12.12.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Hurdlers from Abilene High, Cooper, Wylie develop bond, respect