DALLAS — It’s the middle of June and just shy of 11 a.m. on a Wednesday. The track and infield at David W. Carter High School is bustling. The sky is mostly clear and bluer than a teenager’s tongue after a Jolly Rancher. The Texas heat is already sweltering, as if the sun rose from the East and loitered just south of I-20. It was hot enough to laminate skin with sweat. To dehydrate the dandelions on the barren grassy field across the street. To wonder if Willis Carrier deserved a Nobel Prize for his 1902 invention of the modern air conditioner.

But it’s not even remotely too hot for Kennedy Jackson-Miles, a 14-year-old whose fingers are spread on the rubbery surface of the track, her feet pressed against metal blocks. She’s a sprinter heading to high school and a prodigy for the Cedar Hill Blaze summer track club. It’s apparent as she explodes out of the blocks, throttles down after about 10 meters, then returns to do it again. Her T-shirt is soaked. Her forehead glistens. Her braces sparkle, because she’s smiling.

“I’m going to be in the Olympics in 2028,” she said during a break after her umpteenth rep from the blocks. “Because I have the mindset for it and I see it in my future.”

Sounds fantastical, predicting an Olympic debut at 18 years old. And then you see the look in coach Marcus Stokes’ eyes when he says she’ll be in Los Angeles in 2028. And then she spouts her birthday as if she’s bragging about its recency — “March Fourth, two-thousand ten” — and reminding you 14-year-olds aren’t choosing hours of work in this Texas oven, during their summer break, unless they’re built differently. And then you remember who preceded her on this journey.

On this same track, at this same school, in this same heat, Sha’Carri Richardson put in the same work. She is about to make her Olympic debut, qualified for the 100-meter in Paris, with a chance to secure her spot as a national legend and one of the marquee faces of American track and field.

“There’s no doubt about who’s the greatest to ever come out of Dallas,” said Robert DeHorney, a long-time coach in the area who is taking over as head coach of cross country and track at Hillcrest High School in North Dallas.

“And it’s Sha’Carri Richardson. … She was lights-out from the beginning. This baby was fast when she came out the damn womb.”

But Richardson was first, and still is, the face of a region and culture. The pride of Dallas. The might of North Texas. The ambassador for a local community teeming with talent.

For the longest time, it was undercover, hidden behind the monstrosity of Texas football. But Michael Johnson, Oak Cliff’s own, shined a spotlight on the track culture with his heroics in 1996. He had people all over North Texas claiming to be his cousin.

“Still,” Johnson said during an interview at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. “I got cousins I don’t even know.”

Johnson became a legend with his all-time performance in the 1996 Olympics, winning gold in the 200- and 400-meter races. But according to locals, he wasn’t a prodigy during his Skyline High School days. He was a late bloomer who blossomed at Baylor, where he won five NCAA championships and helped establish the Bears’ reputation as “Quarter Mile U.”

Johnson’s heroics, though, shined a light on a gem of a culture. Nothing tops the Friday Night Lights, but the Dallas sprint scene is one of fervor, immense talent and strong community — especially following Johnson, the first from the area to make it big in the sport.

“Great athletes are made across the country,” Johnson said. “There are special places everywhere. But Dallas is special to me. It’s home.”

Now, 28 years after Johnson put North Texas track and field on the international map, Richardson, also from the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, carries with her the spirit of her region. She’s taken it to new heights, especially for women sprinters.

Having already secured an epic world championship, she embarks on her debut Olympics in Paris with her home, her culture, on her back.

In Richardson is the sheer talent reminiscent of Roy Martin. They called him “Robot” because of his mechanical running style, but he’s one of the greatest high school sprinters ever. Straight out of Roosevelt High. His 200-meter dash of 20.13 seconds in 1985 is still the national high school record.

In Richardson is the competitive spirit of Marlon Cannon and Derrick Cunningham. Famous rivals in the 400 meters whose battles against one another lit up the city. Both local superstars, Cannon from South Oak Cliff and Cunningham from Carter High, would have Sprague Stadium teeming with excitement.

In Richardson is the strength of Henry Neal, the 5-foot-7, 177-pound sprinter from Greenville High, who, as a senior in 1990, ran the 100 meters in 10.15 at the state championships, a national high school record that lasted until 2019.

In Richardson is the showmanship of Michael Johnson. The ability to not only meet moments, but look good while doing so. He went into the Atlanta Games as the prohibitive favorite and illustrated his expectations with a gold earring, a gold Cuban link chain and his now-iconic gold Nike spikes.

In Richardson is the inspiration of the Texas Relays, the seminal event in the state. Held at the University of Texas, the high school portion is where kids put their big dreams on the line. Before packed stadiums, with their neighborhoods behind them, they test themselves against the best in the state. And Dallas always shows up.

“That’s how you make your mark,” said Vance Johnson, host of the Texas Track Dads podcast, and, most importantly, father of Indiana University-bound sprinter Aliyah Johnson.

“I tell everybody the same thing when their kids go down to Texas Relays their freshman year — they will never be the same. You have to qualify for the Texas relays. UT will post the names of who made it. And once they go, they’re gonna see the best in the state. And when they come back, they’re really gonna want to go hard. Because they’ve got to get back to Texas Relays.”

Richardson made her name living up to those occasions. Before she shocked the world with the race of her life in the 2023 world championships, before she became a national star at LSU by winning the national championship in the 100 meters and the coveted Bowerman Award, she was a must-watch in North Texas. Where summer meets are packed and high school meets carry the intensity of decades-long rivalries.

Students practice at Carter High’s John E. Kincaide Stadium in Dallas, Texas, where Sha’Carri Richardson once plied her trade. (Aric Becker / AFP via Getty Images)

In middle school, she won the 200-meter at the Dallas Independent Schools Invitational by three seconds. She was a freshman at the Leon Hayes Relay when she clocked 12.00 seconds in the 100 meters at John Kincaide Stadium in Dallas in 2015. Second place was 12.80 seconds.

As a sophomore, she won the 4A state title in the 100 for Carter and was runner-up in the 200. She defended her 100 title as a junior and won the state championship in the 200.

Richardson finished her high school career with another state championship in both. Her time of 11.12 seconds in the 100 bested the national record (11.14) set by Marion Jones 26 years earlier, though Richardson’s time was wind-aided. Her 200-meter time in 2018 was second-best in the nation and set a Texas state meet record. Richardson had fans, classmates and meet officials asking for photos and autographs.

Richardson has long been a show to behold.

“One time,” said DeHorney, who coached against Richardson all four years, “I can’t remember if it was a state meet or Texas relays, but she pulled up at least 10 meters from the line. And still ran 11.4. Blew my mind. She was on her heels for the last seven to 10 meters. Still 11.4. Never seen anything like that.”

Her swag didn’t come from nowhere. She absorbed it. From her people. From her neighborhood. From the track soil from which she sprouted.

Her particular section, Oak Cliff, has endured some of the same issues prevalent in the inner city around the nation. Raised by her grandmother, Betty Harp, Richardson’s life has been touched by many of the issues common in poverty.

“It’s a pretty tough area. You’ve got to come correct,” Michael Johnson said. “When I was growing up, it was a pretty good neighborhood. It became a lot more difficult after I left. By the time Sha’Carri came along, it was a rougher area. But it was always tough as far as competition. You had to have personality. You had to have confidence. Otherwise, you’d get eaten alive.”

Character is the fruit of struggle’s labor. The ones who survive, who thrive, do so because they’ve managed to harvest intangibles from the adversity.

And in North Texas track, when the work ethic merges with talent to produce greatness, it gets your name in the mouth of the neighborhood.

“Have you ever heard of Indya Mayberry?” DeHorney said. “She’s going to TCU. You ever heard of Nasya Williams? She’s going to LSU. Royaltee Brown is going to Baylor. Christine Mallard is at USC now. I’m trying to tell you it’s ridiculous down here, the amount of talent.”

That includes DeHorney’s daughter, Kennedy, a sprinter headed to Memphis on a full-ride scholarship.

They all know the name Sha’Carri Richardson. The next generation has developed an affinity for the superstar. Not only is she from their soil and has reached the pinnacle. But they’ve watched her fall from grace in the public eye and bounce back.

That matters in a community of overcomers.

“There’s no doubt about who’s the greatest to ever come out of Dallas,” says Robert DeHorney, a long-time coach in the area. “It’s Sha’Carri Richardson.” (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

“They really look up to her,” said Vance Johnson, the host of Texas Track Dads, who interviews area runners on his show. “She made an adjustment but she never changed who the person is. She’s a professional, but she’s still Sha’Carri. And out here we like the spice. But she knows how to be professional, too. I think that’s important. It goes a long way. These young athletes, they see her.”

Krystan Bright, 18, is one of those youngsters who sees Richardson. That’s why, though she’s graduated from Cedar Hill High and no longer runs with the Blaze, she’s still on this Carter High track on this hot summer day. Right next to Kennedy Jackson-Miles, Bright working on hurdles in the thick warmth of June.

Bright’s AAU Junior Olympic T-shirt is soaked and tucked beneath her sports bra. Her face glistens with sweat. She pants as she talks after a rep on the first two hurdles. She is preparing to run track in college this fall. In her first-ever meet as a freshman, she ran the 300-meter hurdles in a minute. She was so slow, the team cut her. The magnitude of track in Dallas was instilled. She couldn’t go out like that. So she joined the Cedar Hill Blaze and committed to hurdles.

She just finished her senior season. She made state in the 300, finishing sixth in Texas at 42.67 seconds. She also holds her school records in the 100 and 300 hurdles.

In her is the resilience of Richardson.

“She’s such an inspiration,” Bright said. “To see her story and everything she’s been through, it gives a lot of motivation. She’s always been a superstar. It was a little different for me. I was an underdog. But once you get on that track, it’s the same for everybody. You gotta produce. And it’s all fun. It’s all good. It’s all love. It’s community.”

GO DEEPER

Sha’Carri Richardson, with emphatic win at trials, closing in on Olympic glory

(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo: Hannah Peters / Getty Images)

By Sam Blum, Brittany Ghiroli and Stephen J. Nesbitt

Baltimore Orioles get: LHP Trevor Rogers 

Miami Marlins get: OF Kyle Stowers and IF Connor Norby

Sam Blum: What a get for the Miami Marlins. Norby is one of the Orioles’ top prospects and was recently called up to the big leagues.

Rogers is valuable as a left-handed starter under team control through 2026. That said, the 26-year-old hasn’t been very good. Outside of his All-Star 2021 season, he’s been a below-league-average starter. On top of that, many of his expected numbers this year are worse than his already not-great stats.

His walk rate has jumped from 8.4 percent in 2021 to 9.7 percent this year. His average exit velocity jumped from 87.7 mph in 2021 to 90.5. Both are well above the league average. He also missed most of last season with an arm injury.

That said, left-handed starters are in short supply. And the Orioles need starting pitching depth. John Means and Kyle Bradish are both out, Albert Suarez has regressed in July and Cole Irvin has moved to the bullpen.

This is still a pretty huge overpay. With the hours ticking and the market shrinking, it appears they decided to subtract from their prospect wealth to add in a position of need. Such is the luxury of drafting and developing so many capable prospects.

Norby hasn’t produced in his first nine big-league games. But he’s projected to be a very solid big-league player with a decent amount of pop. Kyle Stowers will now theoretically get his chance in the majors. The 2019 second-round selection was fairly productive in 19 games with the big-league club this season.

The Orioles should have landed a better starting pitcher with this haul. Perhaps no such options remained. But kudos to the Marlins for capitalizing on this seller’s market and getting back two players who could be a key part of their future.

Marlins: A
Orioles: D

Orioles acquiring LHP Trevor Rogers from the Marlins, source tells @TheAthletic.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2024

Brittany Ghiroli: I am a little underwhelmed by this deal for Baltimore, which, at first blush, looks like a boon for Miami. The O’s were interested in multiple Marlins pitchers and Rogers, outside of being a guy who can give them innings, is a bit of a reclamation project for an organization that has been excellent at developing hitters but has yet to replicate that success on the big-league pitching side.

Last year, the Orioles banked on Jack Flaherty pitching better in Baltimore and that was a disaster. Perhaps the front office sees something it can do with Rogers, but the price was fairly high. Stowers is a big-league-ready player who was simply the odd man out in a numbers game. Norby was with the big-league team and was the Orioles’ fifth-best prospect, which means he could have cracked the top three on many teams’ rankings given how deep Baltimore’s farm is. Sure, Stowers didn’t have a role with the big-league club and was being dangled in the days leading up to the deadline. And it is a seller’s market, as we’ve seen with other moves. It still feels like the Orioles overpaid here and Baltimore fans can only hope there are more moves in the holster.

Orioles: C+
Marlins: A

Stephen J. Nesbitt: Well, it’s not Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet, but the Orioles have found the lefty to balance their rotation, adding Rogers alongside fellow newcomer Zach Eflin, ace Corbin Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer. The belief is that Rogers’ best days are ahead and, more specifically, outside of Miami. He often didn’t pitch well there. Rogers had a 4.69 ERA at home, and a 3.84 ERA away. Pitching at Camden Yards, with its expanded left field, should do him some favors against right-handed pull hitters. 

Rogers was an All-Star and Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2021, but hit a wall the next year, more than doubling his ERA to 5.47. He has pitched well lately, making this an ideal time for the rebuilding Marlins to cash in on the inherent value for a starter under club control through 2026. We’ve been waiting for years for Miami to move more of its starting pitchers to strengthen the lineup — like they did last spring, trading Pablo López for Luis Arraez — but this trade wasn’t the one I saw coming that would get the Orioles to give up a couple position player prospects.

Baltimore is giving up a lot for a guy who wouldn’t currently project to start for them in the postseason. At the time of this trade, Baseball America ranks Norby, who was the No. 7 prospect in their system, the second-best prospect traded so far at this deadline. Stowers, a second-rounder in 2019, has hit well in limited time in the majors, but, as with Norby, is blocked in the Orioles system. Controllable pitching is pricey. But this is more than I’d have been comfortable trading for a starter whose standout rookie season looks like an outlier.

Marlins: A
Orioles: C

(Photo of Rogers: Rich Storry / Getty Images)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Despite the disappointing way their 2023 season ended, the Jacksonville Jaguars believe they will be back in the mix for an AFC South championship this season.

After losing five of six games to finish 9-8 and cede the division crown to the Houston Texans (10-7), the Jags knew big changes were needed. So head coach Doug Pederson hired a new defensive staff, while general manager Trent Baalke targeted veteran leaders from winning programs in free agency to improve the locker room’s ability to withstand adversity. Then, the Jaguars handed out big-money extensions to a trio of their best players: quarterback Trevor Lawrence, pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen and, most recently, cornerback Tyson Campbell.

Of course, the headliner was Lawrence’s five-year, $275 million contract that had been looming overhead for the past year. By taking care of their franchise quarterback after his third season — when he first became eligible for an extension — the Jaguars eradicated a potential distraction and allowed Lawrence to simply focus on the field.

“To know you’ve got that position locked up for the next seven years is obviously important,” Baalke told The Athletic recently. “From that standpoint, it was awesome.”

After a rocky rookie season under Urban Meyer, Lawrence solidified his value in 2022 when the Jaguars finished with six wins in seven games before mounting an incredible 27-point comeback victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round. The Jaguars then hung with the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the next round before falling 27-20, while Lawrence finished seventh in the MVP voting and earned his first Pro Bowl nod.

Lawrence was playing well again during the Jags’ 8-3 start to 2023 before he was slowed by a barrage of injuries, including a high ankle sprain, a concussion and an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder.

“It affected him, and of course, it affected us as a team because he couldn’t practice on a Wednesday or a Thursday,” Pederson told The Athletic. “I’m a big believer that if you don’t get those reps, especially as a quarterback, it’s really hard to go out and perform at a high level on game day. I know it affected him.”

Ep. 1 w/ @QBKlass is coming your way tomorrow.

Season 5 of The Athletic Football Show is here.

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Can’t believe they’re still letting us do this. pic.twitter.com/rsD9ItZpoT

— Robert Mays (@robertmays) July 29, 2024

That’s why getting Lawrence healthy — and keeping him that way — is No. 1 on the Jaguars’ list of things to do to improve this season. They know a healthy Lawrence will go a long way in keeping them in the heat of the playoff race.

“He was in a really good place (before the injuries),” Pederson said. “The injuries did take a toll on him toward the back half of the season. He wasn’t the same quarterback. (In the first half), he was making good decisions. He was taking care of the football. We were helping him as an offense, too. Everybody was involved. One guy can’t do it all, and we don’t ask him to do it all.

“He’s just got to keep leading the football team. He’s done a nice job for us the last couple of seasons. He’s being more vocal, which we’ve asked him to do. Schematically with game planning, he’ll continue to grow there.”

GO DEEPER

Is Trevor Lawrence worth it? 4 improvements that can justify Jaguars QB’s massive deal

The Jaguars are expecting to take a big step forward on defense, as well. After the season, Pederson fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and several members of his staff. He replaced Caldwell with former Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, a fiery personality who led an aggressive pass rush during his stints with the Falcons and New Orleans Saints.

The hope is to heighten the intensity around Hines-Allen, edge rusher Travon Walker and key free-agent pickup, defensive tackle Arik Armstead.

“I love those guys who I let go,” Pederson said. “I was the one who hired them here back in 2022. But we’re in a better place today. We’ll see how camp goes. We’ll see as the season unfolds the type of defense and the offense we’re going to be and would like to be. What I’ve seen so far has been positive, and we’ve just got to keep that rolling.”

They’ve also got to be much less charitable with the ball. The Jaguars’ 30 turnovers last season were the fifth-most in the NFL. They lost the turnover battle nine times, including each of their last four losses, which stung even more considering they finished a game shy of Houston.

So as the team-building process began, they zeroed in on players with proven reputations as leaders who have histories as winners. It led them to guys like Armstead (previously with the San Francisco 49ers), cornerback Darnell Savage (Green Bay Packers), center Mitch Morse (Buffalo Bills) and wide receiver Gabe Davis (Bills).

“Improve the locker room, the leadership, the presence, to build a team that trusts each other, that is loyal to each other, that is committed to each other,” Baalke said. “Bring in guys who have been there and done it. We have a young team, so … if we were going to bring in guys from outside the team who weren’t drafted by us, we wanted to get leaders who came from good programs and have had success in this league at a high level.”

GO DEEPER

Nearly ‘written off,’ Baker Mayfield just needed a team to believe in him. The Buccaneers do

Remember, the Jaguars were 15-5, including the playoffs, from Week 12 in 2022 to Week 12 in 2023. They believe they’re closer to that team than the one that both literally and figuratively limped down the stretch.

If their offseason plan pans out, they should be able to prove that.

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(Photo of Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson: Mike Carlson / Getty Images)