* Arveyon Davis is on his mark in the 4x100 relay
Photo Credit: Roderick Pernetter/Texas MileSplit
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Last night, at the UIL District 19-20 5A Area Championships, the Fort Bend Thurgood Marshall boys 4x100 relay team ran the second fastest race in the history of high school track and field.
Their time of 39.80 is second to only Fort O. D. Worth Wyatt's 39.76 in 1998.
The Wyatt relay team of Milton Wesley, Monte Clopton, Michael Franklin and Demario Wesley ran that time at the UIL Track and Field State Championships (in lane one). They're known as the best relay team ever when they ran five races in the 39s over the course of the 1998 season as well as two sub 1:24.0 races in the 4x200 relay.
Marshall's quartet of Arveyon Davis, Devin Wilkerson, William Mitchell, and Kameron Williams ran 39.80 to tie the Wyatt team's second best performance, the 2017 Port Arthur Memorial, and the 2018 Katy Seven Lakes squad at 39.80.
Marshall moved from U.S. No. 3 this season to the top spot with the area meet performance.
Arveyon Davis runs first leg on the Marshall 4x100 relay
Photo Credit: Shelton Jolivette/MileSplit TX
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Marshall Head Coach Lloyd Banks has produced eleven consecutive seasons with a 4x100 relay to run under 41.0 seconds, a feat no other school has come close to accomplishing. After last night's race, Marshall is the only school to run 40.0 seconds and under in two separate seasons (2019: 39.99; and 2023: 39.80).
Banks has used a collection of 100m/200m sprinters, 110 meter/300 meter hurdlers and even a few 400m runners to compete in the program's 4x100 relay over the years.
Many of the runners have gone on to compete at the NCAA Division I level in football and track, as well as in the NFL. Recently, projected 2023 first round draft pick in next week's NFL draft, Devon Achane, was a Marshall 2020 graduate and a member of the 2017-2020 Marshall squads.
This year's Marshall team uses the same formula and mix that has been a proven success.
Devin Wilkerson runs second leg on the Marshall 4x100 relay
Photo Credit: Roderick Perneter/MileSplit TX
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Senior Arveyon Davis runs lead-off for the team. The Texas A&M signee is one of Texas' best 110m and 300m hurdlers. He has PRs this season of 13.47 and 36.96, respectively. Marshall also keys on Davis' dependability of getting out to a fast and fair start, paired with the power and speed of Devin Wilkerson.
Wilkerson is a junior, and this is his first year on the Marshall relays. He ran 10.44 PR to win the UIL 5A 19-20 Area Championship in the 100m and has a 21.29 200m PR this season.
He delivers the baton to junior William Mitchell on the third leg. Mitchell was third in the 100m at the area meet with a 10.72 PR, which advances him to the Regional Championships.
William Mitchell runs third leg on the Marshall 4x100 relay
Photo Credit: Shelton Jolivette/MileSplit TX
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Mitchell has become a reliable leg with as much speed as any third leg in the state.
Mitchell's carry delivers to junior Kameron Williams, who was the anchor on last year's squads. That is reliable and experienced person on the end for Marshall.
Marshall failed, however, to qualify for the state meet last year due to an exchange violation on the last leg.
However, that experience was possibly a necessary lesson to learn to this season.
Williams went on to anchor Marshall's 4x200 relay at the state meet and helped the team to a time of 1:23.60, which was a U.S. No. 8 all-time performance. His 10.67 PR in the 100m and his 21.00 to win the district meet in the 200m shows he has the leg speed to be a strong anchor.
Best yet? The season is not over just yet.
Kameron Williams is the anchor leg on the Marshall 4x100 relay
Photo Credit: Roderick Pernetter/MileSplit TX
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