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Boys Sprints/Hurdles
Sprint events are the attention grabbers in Texas. Athletes this weekend proved that this will be special year. Katy Tompkins sprinter David Foster led the short sprinters with a preliminary best time of 6.86. A day later, he would be among nine boys to run under 7.00. Austin Westlake senior Mason Mangum would amp things up from his prelim race and take the overall 60m win in 6.82 to lead five others under 6.90
Klein Forest senior Auhmad Robinson put us on notice in the 200m prelims as he ran 21.34 in the prelims. That was just a tune up for the top sprinter from UIL 6A team champion Klein Forest; in the finals, he Robinson posted a nation leading 21.26 in the finals for the win. His teammate Connor Washington from The Woodlands College Park posted a 6.89 in the 60m finals then a 21.50 in the 200m for second place behind Robinson. Fort Bend Marshall junior Garrett Wilkins was third in the 200m and ran an elite time with his 21.69.
We saw another big sprint race in the 400m with Katy Morton Ranch junior Telron Bradford as he won the 400m with a 47.88 followed by Laredo United junior D'Carlo Calderon's 48.25. Nevada state champion Elijah Hernandez finished third in 48.63.
Cameron Wilmington won the boys 60H Finals
The 60H was another event that had the crowd on their feet. Fort Worth Chisholm Trail senior Nathan Franco ran 8.02 to lead five hurdlers under 8.40 in the prelims. Stakes were high in the final as the top prelim heat winners al lined up in the fast heat.
Fort Bend Elkins senior Cameron Wilmington, who had the second fastest qualifying time turned things up going 8.00 for the win with Franco coming in second with a 8.14. Fort Bend Ridge Point senior Darek Hackett was third in 8.23 and Jomauri Murray taking fourth with a 8.29 time in the finals.
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Boys Mid Distance/Distance
The first time in meet history, the 800m was competed. The entries performed well and left a high bar for the future. The boys race saw 14 boys run 2:00 and under. Texarkana senior Owen Likins ran just off his outdoor PR for a winning 1:53.93. He finished just ahead of Manvel's Adam Mason who finished in second in 1:54.52.
Likins struck again in the 1 mile. He took early lead duties until Southlake Carroll's duo of runners Nate Lannen and Tim McElaney led for the middle laps. Likins put in a 28 second last 200m to power to the 4:20.19 for his second win of the weekend. He was followed up by Wylie junior Luke Lambert in 4:21.71 and Antonio Florcruz in 4:22.75. Florcruz led his other two two southlake carroll teammates Lannen 4:22.99 and McElaney in 4:24.04.
The two mile race was super fast and exciting. Four boys ran under 9:40 in the race with the win and meet record coming down between two friends and training parters in Anthony Monte from Austin Vandegrift and Abraham Avila-Martinez of Austin San Juan Diego. The two separated from the field and pushed the pace together with Avila-Martinez taking the lead with a few laps to go.
Monte fell a few meters behind, but made a mad last dash in the final 120m with the teammates and friends turned into sprinters on the final straight away. By the hair on his chinny chin chin, Monte got the win and meet record in 9:09.63 to 9:09.67.
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Boys Field events
Langham Creek senior Riley Foreman won the high jump with a 6-8 jump. The senior matched his outdoor PR, which he accomplished in his last meet of the year last year with his first meet this season.
Speaking of PRs, we saw the top three finishers in the pole vault all get indoor PRs. Both Spencer Buley of McKinney Boyd and Montana Welch from Taylor both had an excellent meet and jumped indoor bests of 15-05 for Buley and 15-00 for Welch. However, it was Caleb Murdock who put things together on this day and had the best vault of his life with a 15-11 jump for the win.
The boys shot put is always one of the most talent studded fields in the history of the meet and this weekend's competition didn't let down. With several state medalists from last year, we literally witnessed the big boys throw.
Mansfield Legacy senior Brayden Hodgest won the competition throwing for the biggest and best toss of his high school career. Hodgest led the competition with a 58-11 followed by Bryan Rudder's Kevin Kindt who also had an elite toss of 58-06 was second. State meet finalists and medal winners Bryce Foster of Katy Taylor (56-08) and Maurice Westmoreland Klein Forest (55-02) finished third and fourth.
Long jumpers Clayton Keys and Adam Axelrod both leaped over 23 feet. Keys jumped an indoor best with his 23-09.75. The Katy Tompkins senior qualified for the 400 finals, but opted to forgo the finals and save his legs for the long jump. That decision helped land him the win. Flower Mound's Axelrod had a special day. He entered the meet with a 21-6 PR. He admitted to putting in a lot of work in the last year and spending more time on the sport, which led to a two feet of improvement with his 23-04.25.
In the triple jump, Garison Breeding of Midland Christian and Round Rock Stony Point's Solomon Washington both had jumps over 48 feet. Breeding, the TAPPS 6A state champion had his second best jump ever in 48-8.75to take the win.