UIL 4A Boys 100m
Will Henderson (Gilmer) came in as the silver medalist from the 2022 4A boys 100m and had the second best qualifying time of 10.49. Xavier Butler (Freeport Brazosport) had the top seed time of 10.43, but this was a throw times out the window and line up.
Lined up next to one another in lanes six and seven with Brett Maya (Lindale) also in the outside lanes, the outside would be where the eyeballs would be locked in on.
However, when the started shot the gun, it was all Orange and Black of the Gilmer Buckeyes' Anderson. He established a 5 meter gap before he even came out of his drive phase. With no looking back the watch for second and third places was all that was next to do.
Henderson added the 100m gold with his 4x100 relay gold medal with a wind legal time of 10.28. Butler would get up for second place with a time of 10.54, and Austen Diggs (La Grange) would finish in third place at 10.57.
UIL 4A Boys 400m
Last year's runner-up Colter Maya (Lindale) came in with a 47 time on the season, but it was Jay Castillo (Snyder) who had the top seed time of 48.13. Also in the race was fourth place finisher in 2022 JaCorric Allen (Wharton) and Oliver Ortiz (Dumas).
Coming off the first turn it was and Ortiz and Castillo establishing themselves well. Allen would join the conversation with his backstretch running and assumed the lead on curve. Coming off the turn, the race was still in int's make up stage and there were four boys across with 100m to go.
Maya would show his strength and blast through the final 100m to take the lead with Ortiz right on his tail. Maya earned the win in 47.79, Ortiz second in 48.10 and allen improved one spot from 2022 for third place with a time of 48.11.
UIL 4A Boys 200m
Brett Maya (Lindale) came in with the top regional seed time of 21.25, .15 faster than the next fastest seed Xavier Butler (Freeport Brazosport), but four boys were within 21.40 through 21.48.
Diggs shot out of the blocks with some aggression and on the outside, he put the field on notice. Maya and Butler would respond and make up some ground before coming off the curve. Butler would really start to make up some ground and start to move away from Maya, but Maya fought back to keep it close.
In the end, Diggs' start was just too much to overcome and he finished with an elite 29.82 with a legal +1.3 meter per second win. Butler also dipped under 21.0 with his time of 20.90, and Maya medalled in 21.07.
