All-San Antonio Boys Team

With that being said, I wanted to put together an All-San Antonio team with a few rules to follow. The first rule is that athletes can only be chosen for one individual event and one relay. The second rule is that selections will be based upon best results, consistency, and performance in the post season. The final rule is that an athlete must either compete in the actual relay or in the individual event during the season. For each event I will list my choice along with a little information and others that were considered.

100m - Jahirey Calais, Sr., Smithson Valley

We start out with a tough call. There was no dominant 100m sprinter this year in the area and the best one is going to be my choice in the 200m. Jahirey Calais of Smithson Valley missed most of 2022 with an injury and came back to be a District and Area champion this year with a bunch of solid times. He ran 10.60 at the Area meet and then ran in the 10.7s twice at the Regional meet.

Others: Ikenna Opara (Reagan), Tate Taylor (Harlan), Nikolas Henry (Seguin), Braylon Johnson (Falls City)

200m - Ikenna Opara, Sr., Reagan

Ikenna Opara was the most impressive sprinter all season long and he was better in the 200m than the 100m. At the Region meet he focused on the 200m winning in 21.29 and then he responded with a fourth-place finish in the UIL 6A State meet by covering the distance in 21.52. In addition, Opara was the scariest runner on the track when running the anchor leg of a 4x100m or 4x200m relay.

Others: Jaeden Servantez (Sam Houston), Jahirey Calais (Smithson Valley), Angel Quintero (Southwest), Myles Davis (Judson), Darion Brown (Davenport)

Photo by Chris Langford - TX MileSplit

400m - Freddie Dubose, Jr., Smithson Valley

There is honestly no wrong answer for this one with numerous State medalists and even a couple of State champions in this group. The slight difference came down to what had to be overcome. Freddie Dubose tore his ACL in the first football game of the season in late August and battled through the injury and all the rehab that entailed to take home the UIL 5A bronze medal. He was part of a group at Smithson Valley that swept the top three spots at the Region meet and had a season best time of 48.28 in addition to his Area and Regional titles.

Others: AJ Breault (Smithson Valley), Elijah Hernandez (Sotomayor), Isai Prezas (Central Catholic), Kirk Gillispie (First Baptist Academy)

110mH - Kyree Wilson, Sr., Brennan

There were four 110m hurdlers this year who broke 14 seconds and choosing one was extremely difficult. Kyree Wilson gets the nod, and he had an amazing season that was highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the UIL 6A State meet. He broke 14 seconds on four different occasions, including a 13.64 at the Regional meet.

Others: Gerardo Mejia (Central Catholic), Malik White (Taft), James Voss (Brandeis)

300mH - Gerardo Mejia, Sr., Central Catholic

Gerardo Mejia is likely the best all-around track and field athlete this year. He won TAPPS 6A State titles in the 110m hurdles and long jump. The 300m hurdles were not his focus, but he still broke 38 seconds and would have won the State title by more than three seconds had he decided to run at the State meet after winning the TAPPS 6A South Regional.

Others: Liam LeCavalier (Reagan), William Davis (Steele), Xavier Garza (Holy Cross), Kyree Wilson (Brennan), Jacob Redding (New Braunfels)

Photo Courtesy of TTFCA

800m - Todd Worth, Jr., Antonian

When the top runners all have similar times, I like to look at what they won. Todd Worth took home the TAPPS 6A State title with a time of 1:54.39. He also doubled at the State meet winning the 1600m. One of the meets that helped prepare him was the prestigious Arcadia Invitational out of California.

Others: Anthony Zapata (Southwest Legacy), Ethan Malesich (Brandeis), Luis Tovar (Boerne Champion), Christopher Harris (Cornerstone), Kanalu Wong (Reagan)

1600m - Hayden Scott, Jr., Brandeis

Hayden Scott was the top 1600m runner all year long breaking 4:20 at five different meets. His only blip was at the 6A Regional meet which he led until the final moments when he was passed by two runners to prevent him from making the State meet. He was seventh at the Texas Relays with a time of 4:13.99 and his fastest time of the season came at the Alamo City Mile where ran 4:13.40. His ability to run any type of race is what sets him apart.

Others: Marcelo Parra (TMI), Henok Hagos (Jefferson), Franco Parra (TMI), Joseph White (Alamo Heights), Farrin Mangelson (SA Patriots)

Photo courtesy of TTFCA

3200m - Marcelo Parra, Jr., TMI

Marcelo Parra was a known quantity coming into the season and he did nothing to make anyone think anything other than he is a great distance runner. He swept the TAPPS 5A 1600m and 3200m races running 4:19.71 and 9:25.28, respectively. His best race of the season came at the Texas Relays where he finished second in a time of 9:00.95.

Others: Henok Hagos (Jefferson), Franco Parra (TMI), Hayden Scott (Brandeis), Christian Pena (Davenport), Farrin Mangelson (SA Patriots)

Discus - Rafe Clendenin, Sr., Brandeis

Rafe Clendenin was consistently outstanding all season long and he stepped it up even more in the postseason. He threw the discus over 180-feet at the District, Area, Regional and State meets. He threw a season best 188-2 at the Area meet and he won the UIL 6A State title with a toss of 184-3.

Others: Connor Warzecha (Boerne Champion), Jaxson Maynard (Smithson Valley), Michael Pinones (East Central), Reggie Johnson (Blanco)

Photo Courtesy of San Antonio Express-News

Shot Put - Michael Pinones, Sr., East Central

Picking Michael Pinones as the top shot putter in the city was an easy choice. He capped off a brilliant career with a UIL 6A State title that he won on his final toss. He threw it at least 61-9 at every meet this year and the only time he did not win was at the Texas Relays where he took fourth place. His season best performance came at the Regional meet where he tossed it 66-6.25.

Others: Travion Smith (Clemens), Michael Estrada (SA Patriots), Aidan Peddycoart (Canyon), Hipolito Salazar (Southwest)

High Jump - Armando Acevedo, Sr., Brennan

Armando Acevedo nearly went out at 6-2 at the UIL 6A State meet due to wet and rainy conditions, but he cleared the height on his third try. From there, he went on to clear 6-10 to take runner-up honors. During the season, he cleared 7-0 at the District and Regional meets. He also went at least 6-8 in all but one meet on the year.

Others: Jerrick Beaver (Karnes City), Joshua Minton (New Braunfels), Gerardo Mejia (Central Catholic)

Long Jump - Gabriel Wray, Sr., Wimberley

Gabriel Wray could have been chosen for both the long jump and triple jump. However, he took home the UIL 4A State title in the long jump with a leap of 23-6. He jumped over 23-feet at four different meets including a season best of 23-7.5 at the Area meet. The most amazing thing is that he only qualified for the State meet as the Wild Card.

Others: Jayden Bagley (Reagan), Carter McCray (Cornerstone), Austin Young (Randolph), Cole Tavarez (New Braunfels), Lokey Aguero-Munoz (Brandeis), Gerardo Mejia (Central Catholic)

Triple Jump - Exavion Harris, Sr., San Marcos

After missing out on the State meet last year, Exavion Harris capped off his season with a trip to Austin where he took fifth at the UIL 6A State meet. He eclipsed 46-feet at all four postseason meets. However, he saved his best jump for the State meet where he went 46-9.25. If you count the two times during the indoor season he went over 46-feet that gives him a total of six times over 46-feet on the season.

Others: Lokey Aguero-Munoz (Brandeis), Joshua Hierholzer (Boerne Champion), Dontae Carter (Steele), Hayden Brace (Boerne Champion), Gabriel Wray (Wimberley)

Pole Vault - Leo Bowen, Sr., (Alamo Heights)

Leo Bowen and Sam Abati had nearly the exact same credentials on the season; consistently good, great personal bests and top performances at the big meets. So, I had to go with Brown bases on his top clearance of 16-8.5 being slightly better than Abati's. Bowen ended up as the UIL 5A State runner-up for the second time in his career after bouncing back from an injury that kept him out of the 2022 high school season.

Others: Sam Abati (Reagan), Thomas Bucks (Johnson), Sutton Davis (Clemens)

The relay legs are not just based on top times, but also on what I have seen individual athletes do in their relays throughout the year.

4x100m Relay - Jahirey Calais (Smithson Valley), Gerardo Mejia (Central Catholic), Jayden Bagley (Reagan), Tate Taylor (Harlan)

Calais is excellent out of the blocks while Mejia and Bagley both are seasoned performers at the highest levels in the 4x100m. It may seem strange to make a freshman the anchor leg, but Taylor had an outstanding season and deserves the chance.

4x200m Relay - Myles Davis (Judson), Angel Quintero (Southwest), Nicholas Ross (Warren), Ikenna Opara (Reagan)

All four of these guys are able to run extremely fast. The only question with them is their consistency, but I feel great having Opara running the anchor leg knowing that he closes like a freight train in relay situations.

4x400m Relay - AJ Breault (Smithson Valley), Freddie Dubose (Smithson Valley), Isai Prezas (Central Catholic), Elijah Hernandez (Sotomayor)