Gridiron Gaels boosting track
Football teammates turning Gorman into state contenders
Bishop Gorman seniors Jalen Nailor, Cedric Tillman, Jojuan Claiborne and Jordan Lee are running track to prepare for their forthcoming college football careers.
They just so happen to be breaking records in the process.
The four — who haven’t ran track since they were freshmen — help comprise the fastest group of sprinters in Nevada and have turned the school’s lackluster track and field program into a Class 4A state championship contender.
Nailor, a wide receiver headed to Michigan State, has established school records in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, and the group — along with junior Kyu Kelly — has posted school relay records in the 400 and 800 — and the top times in the state.
“We just came out here to have fun,” Claiborne said. “When we had our first meet and we figured out we could dominate and stuff, then we really took it serious and knew we could go far with it.”
This four ran track together in 2015 before the rigors of spring football forced them to quit. The athletes starred on the varsity football field the subsequent three years, won state and national championships and collectively decided to give running one final go before graduation next month.
Gorman sprinters coach Sheva Branch said he foresaw the school records, but didn’t expect the group to approach state records times.
“They’re great athletes, but we work on cleaning up some of the technical stuff,” Branch said. “We knew it was in the works. They’re having a great time, not only among one another, but being able to come out and show their leadership in a different way.”
Nailor, Tillman, Claiborne and Lee display inherently obvious chemistry. Four years of football at Gorman will do that. They practically finished each other’s sentences during a group interview and rely on the familiarity and clean handoffs to maximize speed during relays.
The 400 relay team of Lee, Nailor, Claiborne and Kelly has posted a time of 41.67 seconds, and is striving to run sub 41 before the season ends. They’ve done it in practice, they say, but need to cement their exchanges to beat Centennial’s record time of 41:23.
Lee, Tillman, Nailor and Kelly run the 800 and have completed the race in 1:27.19.
“They’ve put on a ton of power, a ton of muscle and strength, which all translates in to track and field,” Gaels coach Scott Cooley said. “They come out, and they all have this old school mentality, this bring your lunch pail to work type of work ethic. They show up every day, and they just grind.”
The Gaels have another week to prepare for the Sunset Region meet, which begins May 5.
They expect to win the region. And the state championship, too.
“It’s going to be a great way to end senior year,” Nailor said.
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ Bysamgordon on Twitter.