KFDM COOP Posted February 17, 2007 Author Report Posted February 17, 2007 Dishon, Bean dazzle at Bulldog RelaysBy Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News NEDERLAND -- Faster than a speeding bullet... more powerful than a locomotive... able to be more Cajun than any Boudreaux or Thibodeaux in Southeast Texas. Anyone doubting the validity of Johnny Dishon's true Superman identity needed to attend Nederland's 43rd Bulldog Relays on Friday afternoon. Little Cypress-Mauriceville's Drew Bean ran a sub-9:30 season-opener in the 3,200 meters but that takes a backseat. Even Beaumont Central's Derrick Hall may stay on the shelf for several weeks while mending a broken leg. Yet the spotlight shifts quickly to Dishon. Here was Bridge City's version of Clark Kent dressed in one of these red aerodynamic jumping suits and just having fun. This wasn't a super-important, special occasion as it had to be for most of these more dedicated high school track and field athletes. This was Dishon's other spring sport... his diversion... his hobby, if you will. Dishon's real spring sport is baseball, of course. His baseball scholarship to Louisiana State University proves that to be true. Plus, Billy Bryant always works morning, noon and night to make BC a state-caliber 3A baseball program... which leaves Dishon to really devote a great deal of time to his other athletic endeavor. "I only get in one or two hours a week of practice," he said with a very straight face and sincere delivery. That's not too much for a guy with a meet schedule that includes a leg in the sprint relay, a triple jump, a long jump, 100 meters and 200 meters. That's not exactly dabbling at track, but Super Johnny finds a way. Remember, this young man of steel once survived a car wreck that looked horrific. Then he came out and went off-season football, track and baseball last spring. The guy truly belongs among the most amazing athletes Orange County has ever produced. "Last year at our meet, he had not triple jumped all season and he came out and did 42-2," Port Neches-Groves boys head track coach Kyle Segura said of Dishon. Dishon looked in mid-season form, jumping into the afternoon sun at this frosty cold initial outdoor area checkup. He won the event in 44-3 3/4. Plenty of good area athletes will be hard-pressed to produce that long of an attempt when the weather warms up. The weather also turned ideal for Bean, the 4A state cross country boys champion, who clocked a workmanlike 9:27.38 in the boys 3,200-meter run. Drew wanted to cut under Lance Parker's school record of 9:32. He also hoped he had enough endurance to dip under 9:30. He did both and clearly labeled himself as the area's most likely elite distance runner to absolutely nobody's surprise. "I just wanted to run relaxed and get the school record," he said. "I had not run any times in the 3,200 to know where I would be. I've just been getting in my work. I felt really good today. I hit my splits evenly but I'm still waiting to get out there in a big race and see what I can do." Bean covered the first half in a machine-like 2:18 and showed excellent respiratory control at 4:41.5 through the first mile. Then he turned it up a notch and started passing the slower trailers in the field. The more his coach David Guidry watches Drew, the more he's impressed. "That's the best I've seen him look," LC-M's outstanding track coach said. "He really has been working hard. He has set some high goals for himself and he works to achieve them. You wait 30 years of coaching to get to see someone like this. He's really dedicated." While Dishon and Bean were superb, Central coach Andrew Washington and many sprint observers were wondering if Jaguars junior Derrick Hall would answer the bell next month or even be ready in April for the 22-4A district championships at this same Nederland venue.
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