ROANOKE, Va. – Welcome to what will be an exciting third season of “Around the Way with EJ!” First off, thank you to the many folks past and present that continue to give uplifting, positive and encouraging comments and well wishes. And of course, thank you to those who allow me to shed light on their personal stories and their stories of positivity. It’s been a real joy, honor and pleasure.
With that said, I’m excited to open up season three with Darryl McCoy II. The Salem High School track coach is certainly one that fits the bill of being an inspiration to those in the community. The Spartans boys and girls track team is full of talented athletes in multiple events, that includes the boys 4 x 200 relay team. The team of DaRon Wilson, Peyton Lewis, Jonathan Vernon and Josiah Persinger stood above the rest early in the season, ranking as the top team in the nation.
While the team had VHSL State Championships to look forward to, this group had bigger aspirations at Nike Indoor Nationals. The team competed as the Ballout Track Club of Southwest Virginia and took the top spot winning the 4 x 200 relay in New York City.
It was a feat McCoy wasn’t to surprised to see — considering the work and preparation the team had done.
McCoy himself knows a thing or two about winning and being at the top. The Roanoke native and William Fleming High School grad is part of a family legacy in track and field. His father was also a standout at William Fleming during his time before competing at the college level. Darryl McCoy II also competed in college at nearby Virginia Tech. That’s where he earned multiple conference titles and even graced the front cover of the track and field program in the early 2000s. His younger brother was also a standout track athlete and had a spent time competing at Olympic trials. Now continuing the legacy, McCoy’s son is a current track athlete at Fleming.
Though he’s been successful in his own right, McCoy said he very rarely talks about his personal accomplishments with his student-athletes. He would much rather instruct them on developing the will and desire to win.