BY JON R. LAFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — James Cole and Sean Landez hold each other in high regard. The Sharyland High seniors have been competing in varsity track since they were freshman, and describe their relationship in endearing fashion.
“We don’t even have to say anything sometimes to know what we’re thinking” Landez said. “Our relationship is just like brothers. He knows what I’m feeling. I know what he’s feeling. It’s awesome.”
Despite the pair’s bond, roughly 30 seconds are set aside each week when the twosome become opponents on the track.
“We’re basically friends until the gun goes off,” Cole said. “After that, we’re competitors. We understand how it goes. We just go out there and try to win.”
Cole and Landez each run in the boys 100-meter and 200-meter dash and rank among the Valley’s elite sprinters in both events. Cole holds the Valley’s fastest time in the 200 with mark of 21.83 seconds, and is second in the 100 with a time of 10.79. Landez owns the sixth and fifth quickest times, respectively.
“They’ll compete each other eating a sandwich if they could,” Sharyland coach Marcelino de la Fuente said. “Those guys love it. They’ll prod and mess with each other. They respect each other and it’s all in good fun. But when they get on the track, they’ll compete against each other.”
Though Cole gets the better of Landez during short distance events, Landez is a stand-out athlete in his own right. Landez owns the Valley’s best time in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.46 seconds, and is the area’s top long jumper with a distance of 22 feet, 4 inches.
For Landez, who also played multiple positions for the Rattlers football team, the goal for his final season is simple: Austin or bust. De la Fuente says he has placed both Landez and Cole in individual events this year as a means of showcasing their talents and maximizing their potential to qualify for the state meet. So cautious is de la Fuente in the run-up to district, the pair will see limited action today when the team competes at the Harlingen Relays.
“We want them nice and fresh for district,” de la Fuente said. “That way, they’ll begin peaking around regionals and, hopefully, state. They’ve earned it and they deserve it.”
Landez’s aspirations to compete at state have already been realize by Cole, who placed fifth in the 200 a season ago.
“The experience was overwhelming,” Cole said. “The atmosphere was vibrant. When I was running I could feel the excitement around the race. It just helped me go fast.”
Though both will continue their running careers at the collegiate level (Cole will attend North Texas while Landez will go to Texas A&M Kingsville), it is Landez who has sharpened his talents the most throughout his high school tenure.
“Sean was a bit slower when he came out of junior high,” de la Fuente said. “He’s really worked to be where he is. The thing about Sean is you have to tell him when to stop every day. You need to tell him to slow down and focus and not go crazy every single time.”
Landez’s vigor is a necessity, however, as he competes in the 400, which the team referrs to as “The Man-Maker.”
“That race decides whether you’re still a boy or whether you’ll step up to the plate,” Landez said. “It’ll really tire you out. It’s just a full-out sprint. Some people try and pace it, but it’s a dash. You really have to lay it all out if you plan on going to state in (the event).”
With Cole and Landez’s reputation comes the added pressure of success. Both athletes say they feel opponents gunning for them during races in an attempt to upstate the best in the Valley.
“It’s a great feeling,” Landez said. “It pays off to realize all the hard work you’ve put in. It’s hard to stay at the top, but it’s a good feeling.”
It wasn’t a good feeling for Cole last week at the Meet of Champions in Weslaco when Christian Perales, a Los Fresnos junior, edged him in the 100 by .05 seconds.
“I had a bad start,” Cole said. “He got a better jump than me and I never recovered.”
Despite the disappointment, Cole’s veteran experience allowed him to remain compartmentalized and calm.
“After he loss, he came up to me and said, ‘On to the next one, I have to do better in the next one,” de la Fuente said. “You can’t coach that.”
As both Landez and Cole possess a one-track mind in terms of their track-related goals, the pair will enjoy each others company the rest of the way.
“We push each other beyond our limits,” Landez said. “We both think, ‘Individual track meet, individual race.’ But we still want to get the best out of each other, and that’s really helped us. It’s awesome just to be running with your best friend.”