Brenham sprinter Eric Hemphill finished second at the 2021 UIL 5A state track meet in the 400m
Sprint/Hurdle Events
Boys 100m
Bobby Drake (College Station) is highly recruited on the gridiron but he is already performing well on the track. After leading College Station to the state championship where they lost in overtime, Drake is leading the charge on the track.
He has a 10.62 already this season in the 100m and with his 10.57 he clearly plans to run faster at Texas A&M.
Pierre Goree (Duncanville) is another speed demon who should provide some sparks this weekend. He ran 10.59 last spring and is still a big part of the Panthers sprinting core.
Boys 400m
Eric Hemphill (Brenham) is a beast in the 400m. We saw him ratchet things up last May in Austin as he dropped a 47.45 for a runner-up finish in UIL 5A. Logan Popelka was also at the state meet in May, but it was for the 100m. He stepped up in distance over the summer when he ran a 47.19 PR at the Junior Olympic Games.
Boys 110 meter/300 meter hurdles
Sam Alves (Rockwall) was third at the 2021 UIL 6A state championships in the 110 meter hurdles. He ran 13.75 last season and his senior season gets started this weekend over the barriers.
Jaden Keys (Katy Tompkins) is just a sophomore, but he is one of the most exciting athletes in the state. The long jump is his premiere event, but he is a top notch hurdler at both events.
KeAnthony Robinson (Lancaster) enters with a 37.61 seed time, which is the top time in the field, but with Keys and Kenyon Parker (Texas City), two of Texas' top 10 boys are in this field.
Brandon Green (Ruston) is one of Louisiana's top hurdlers. He is also competing in the jumps, but it's early in the season and he should have plenty in his legs on Friday afternoon for the hurdles.
Girls 100m and 200m
The girls 100m will be an elite show of speed. Autumn Wilson has already exposed her turnover capability on the indoor circuit. She has several 7.2 60m races. The 2021 TAPPS state champion comes in with her 11.29 time from last year as her seed, but she is prepared for the clash with UIL star sprinters and could get close to 11.1 or lower.
Camryn Dickson (Clear Brook) is another elite sprinter lining up in the 100m. She was third in the 100m at the UIL 6A state meet last year.
Aside from Wilson and Dickson, Jada Campos, Alyssa Tate, Brooke Jackson, and Hayley Tate are all girls to watch.
The 200m will be more explosive action with many of the same girls. However, that is Dickson's specialty. The A&M commit has a 23.28 PR from last year when she finished second at the UIL 6A state meet. She has already posted a 24.21 this outdoor season.
Girls 400m
Haley Tate (Katy Seven Lakes) is on a mission to capture a 400m state title this year. She was runner-up last spring at the UIL 6A state meet with her 52.97 run. She'll face the TAPPS 6A state champion in Hali Murphy (Austin St. Dominic Savio) who ran 53.23 last spring.
They'll do battle with Louisiana quarter star Jada Williams who has a 54.02 seed time.
Girls 100 meter hurdles/300 meter hurdles
Simone Ballard (Katy Mayde Creek) has already posted a 13.96 in the 100 meter hurdles. That's impressive, but it might not be enough for her satisfaction. The Baylor commit has a 11.61 100m time on record for this year and could be ready to display that speed over the barriers this weekend.
In the 300 meter hurdles, Allie Scott (Houston St. Agnes) has a 44.87 performance this year. Scott and Telondra Strong (Lancaster) (45.34) have the top times this year. Also competing is UIL 6A state meet qualifier Taylen Wise from San Antonio Reagan.