NEDERLAND — Farris Paddio feels a need for speed at Nederland, and his boys track and field team takes his message to heart.

“I always harp on, you practice fast, you run fast at meets, so we don’t try to do anything slow,” Paddio said. “Every time we come to the track, it’s all about speed.”

Going a few steps faster has already reaped a three-fold reward for the Bulldogs in one race.

The 4×100-meter relay team of sophomore Josh Mazyck, junior Logan Nguyen, and seniors Adam Roccaforte and Quin Stafford not only won gold last Thursday in the District 21-5A meet at Barbers Hill, but their 41.97-second relay broke a school record set in 1963, according to Paddio. (Track distances then were measured in yards instead of meters, and the previous record was a conversion of the 440-yard time.)

And, 41.97 is the fastest 400-meter relay time in the Golden Triangle.

“To hold the record that long, I feel honored to be able to break it in my first year as far as head boys coach is concerned,” Paddio, 37, said. “I’m blessed with a bunch of guys who are willing to commit and be all in. Like I say, hard work pays off, obviously.”

Beating a long-standing school record was a goal the unit set, the Bulldogs’ anchor leg said.

“We’ve been setting it all year and in our practices on the weekends and during the week,” Stafford said.

Roccaforte splits time during the spring with the baseball team, so he has another district championship under his belt while chasing another with the District 21-5A co-leading diamond Dogs.

“Coach Paddio does a good job of getting us [ready],” he said. “I practice track during baseball period and I’ll do baseball after school, and I’ll get extra work on the weekend, sometimes, to get it in.”

In a meet where Memorial dominated with six wins in 11 running events — winning all three dashes, the 800 meters and the 4×200 and 4×400 — Nederland made its presence of speed (and endurance) known. Blake Mortera also gave the Bulldogs wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, qualifying for today’s Area 11-5A meet along with third-place 100-yard dasher Steven Bourgeois (the 4×100 alternate) and the team’s second-place 4×200 and third-place 4×400 units.

“At the start, we didn’t really have a 4×1, because we didn’t know who it was, but we started working,” Nguyen said. “We’ve been working every day, so we’ve been improving every day. It’s worked out pretty fine so far.”

It’s a sign of progress for Paddio, a 1999 Nederland graduate who was elevated to the position after previous chief Chris Theriot took over the role of defensive coordinator for Monte Barrow’s football program.

“Like I tell the guys, I’ve been in their shoes,” said Paddio, a former tailback who went to Blinn College and Texas State University. “I ran on this track. I’ve been in the hallways at the high school. I went to Central Middle School [where Nederland’s track is located], coming from Port Arthur Independent School District. In a lot of ways, I’ve been in their shoes more than they know, so I try to show them the ropes and not let them have the same mistakes I might have had growing up at Nederland High School.”

Paddio now coaches another tailback, Mazyck, as the first leg.

“I try and get a good lead for the team so we can finish off strong,” Mazyck said. “I like the first leg.”

While speed is Paddio’s passion, the young head coach wants the Bulldogs to contend in all disciplines. The program already has a history of success in distances and the pole vault.

“I’m just trying to change the culture here at Nederland,” Paddio said. “When you think of Nederland, you don’t necessarily think of speed. So, as a sprint coach, as the head track coach, I’m just trying to change the culture and have us known for multiple things.”

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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews