Texas Athletes To Watch For At LSU High School Classic

With the Texas A&M high school indoor meet not being held for at least one more year, we will see a mass of Texas athletes heading to LSU this weekend to compete on the track and in the field.

With that said, you know a very talented contingency of Lone Star talent will cross the state border with intentions of making a statement.

That doesn't mean they won't be met with a talent loaded meet from athletes from Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida. I'm here to tell you they will.

With athletes who are bonafide stars in other states who are competing this weekend, some of the names you should be aware of are: Makeriah Harris, Tristen Harris, Sade Gray, and Broderick Davis.

This is the first meet of the year and after a couple of weeks/months of training there should be a lot of impressive marks. In fact, I expect many athletes who won't be listed below to sound the alarm this weekend that they should be on people's radars.

However, this is a list of just some of the girls and boys who have already made statements in the past and should be on the lookout for.

Texas Girls To Lookout For

Sydnee Burr (Cypress Park) - I expect Burr to leave Baton Rouge giving us a lot to talk about. She already has dazzling LJ and TJ performances with her 19-4.25 and 40-0 jumps at the North Texas Showcase. The Ohio State commit is scheduled to compete in both jumps as well as the 60m.

Abigail Elmore (Gunter) - Elmore is a talent that has been on display for at least two years already. Last spring, she took home more state meet medals than should have been allowed. That total was one gold and three silver, and just missed out on another medal with a 4th place finish in the long jump. 

Elmore proved she is one of the greatest overall athletes in the world when she earned a silver medal at last summer's U20 World Championships.

The Florida commit will compete in the LJ, HJ, and SP this weekend. Her personal bests in those events are: 18-8, 5-11.75, 41-10. 

Sky Townsend (Prosper) - This Georgia commit is arguable the best overall returning horizontal jumper in the country. She has went 19-1.50 last year at this event and added a 41-5.25 triple jump a week later. Those indoor marks alone are enough to keep an eye on her.

She will have several girls who can leap and that should only make the reigning defending LSU champ raise the level of competition. . . . don't miss it!

Kalani Lawson (Fort Worth Dunbar) -  Lawson will be a menace in the 60H this weekend.  She won the UIL 4A state title in 100H last spring with a 13.98.

Lawson will have an impressive hurdle field to open up the year with and it should be a fun one to watch.

Laila Payne (Houston Carnegie Vanguard) - Payne will be one of the hurdlers along with Lawson who should make the event so dynamic. 

She qualified for the UIL 5A state meet in the 100m last spring and went on to win the 300H in 41.96.

This weekend, she is scheduled to run the 60H and 60m.

Caitlyn Johnson (Frisco Independence) - Johnson is another jumper who will litter the LSU fields. She is the UIL 5A LJ third place finisher from the state meet last year and has a 19-11 PR.

Johnson is slated to compete in the 60m, LJ, and TJ.

Nia Trammell (Fort Worth Wyatt) - Trammell was on fire last year during the indoor season. She finished in third place at the Nike Indoor Nationals in the 60m with a 7.66 PR.

Cali Bryant (Houston Memorial) - Bryant has exhibited her abilities many times in the past. The junior qualified for the UIL 6A state meet in the high jump as both a freshman and sophomore.

This year, could prove to be something entirely different for the Houston Memorial star. Last month she already cleared 5-10 and could go even higher this weekend.

Skylar Brazzell (Northwest Nelson) - This junior was fantastic both during the indoor and outdoor seasons last year.

At the Nike Indoor Nationals, she was runner-up in the 60m and fourth in the 200m. Outdoors, Brazell was fourth in the 100m in 6A and third in the 200m.

She is scheduled for the 400m this weekend.

Texas Boys To Lookout For

Kameron Franklin (Frisco Heritage) - Franklin is a UIL state meet qualifier in the high jump. He went from 6-4 and 6-6 consistently to clearing 6-6 and 6-8 on a daily basis last year. He even had best jumps of 6-10 and a 7-0 clearance in what was an outstanding year for the high jump in Texas last season.

Franklin, a LSU commit, will compete this weekend in the high jump and the 60m at his future home track.

Samson Black (Gladewater Sabine) - Black is entered in the shot put competition for this weekend. He will get 2024 started after a very solid 2023 campaign. Over the summer, Black tossed a 52-7 personal best at the USATF Junior Olympics for a silver medal.

He was also a UIL discus state meet qualifier, finishing seventh last year. 

Roque Garcia (Humble Kingwood) - Garcia also gets the new year started in the shot put. Last year, he went for a 54-6 personal best. He could get close to that or better coming out-of-the-gate this weekend.

Austen Diggs (La Grange) - Texas will have some heavy-hitters coming in the sprint events this weekend and Diggs will be one of them.

Last season, it was Diggs showing up big as he went 6.92 and 21.40 indoors last year to win Adidas Track Nationals. He continued to run well and fast outdoors finishing with a third place in the 100m and UIL 4A state meet and captured the championship in the 200m. Diggs finished with personal bests of 10.55 and 20.82 last year.

You can see Diggs in the 60m on Saturday.

Jayden Finley (North Richland Hills) -  More Texas sprint power will be demonstrated from the absolute straight burner, Jayden Finley. He finished last year with a 10.41 personal best in the 100m and a third place UIL 5A state meet finish. 

Finley is also entered in the 60m.

Jelani Watkins (Humble Atascocita) - Watkins led Klein Forest back to the top of UIL 6A team podium last season. He did so by anchoring the three sprint relays as well as shining in his premiere event, the 200m. He added another UIL 6A title to his resume and he also ran extremely well in the 100m. 

Watkins had personal bests last year of 10.33 and 20.39. He will be competing in the 60m this weekend to get indoors started and will be chasing the 6.67 personal best barrier he currently has. Watkins opened up with 6.84 and 6.88 runs last year, so expect something like that on Saturday.

James Boutte (Houston Christian) - Boutte has been solid in the mid/distance events his entire high school career. He is one of the SPCs top runners and just finished a strong cross country season.

Boutte battled injuries over the years, which have kept him from being the best mid-distance runner in Texas, but that could end this year with health. He is entered in the 4x800 relay, but also in the 1600m, individually.

Boutte has 1:53.71 and 4:17:46 outdoor PRs from his sophomore year, and a 4:33 indoor one mile best from the same year. Don't overlook Boutte, he may make you regret it.

Will Shepherd (Plano West) - Shepherd is another runner who could see everything come to a high point in 2024. He had a very good cross country season, which was directly following a strong summer.

A 15:50 PR in the 5K followed PRs this summer of 1:54.63, 3:59 (1500), and 9:07 (3K).

Shepherd is in the 4x800 this weekend as well as the 1600. He ran a 4:20.17 best this summer.

Manuel Vela III (Cypress Springs) - No disrespect to anyone competing at the meet this weekend, but Manuel Vela (Manny) just might be distance runner in the building on Saturday. He is a straight stud and he'll be running the 4x800 and the 1600. This past fall, Vela finished eleventh at the UIL 6A State cross country championships and ran a 15:20 PR.

Vela has 4:23 and 9:21 PRs in the 1600m and 3200m races on the track last spring. If he has good fitness, look out for Vela as he does nothing, but get better every year.

Jacob Tabor (Clear Springs) - Tabor is one of several Texas guys who can straight up fly and will compete this weekend and the Louisiana Tech commit will also be competing in his future home state. With personal bests of 49.57 and 1:53.74 from last spring, look for Tabor to get things off with a blaze.

He is entered in the 800m and 1600m events.

Todd Worth (San Antonio Antonian) - It seems like Worth has been around forever and that's because the kid has been fast from day one. He just ran 49.38, 4:32, 9:50...and that was right before cross country season.

The TAPPS cross country state champ is a sub 16 minute 5K runner and clearly has the range that few runners possess. Worth will be looking to eclipse his 1:54 and 4:19 PRs in the 900m and 1600m this year. Look for him to be motivated to do so, beginning with this weekend.

Jacoby Harmon (Cypress Springs) - Harmon joins his high school teammate Vela on our list. He has a personal bests of 49.52 and 1:54.08 from last year.

After a great summer, look for Harmon to get back on track for 2024.

Mason Page - (Round Rock) -  Page is scheduled to run the 4x800 and the open 800m. He has personal best of 47.73 in the 400m and 1:54.36 in the 800m from last summer, where he placed fifth in both events at the AAU Junior Olympic games.

Page was consistent in 2023 when he ran five races in the 1:54.s throughout the season.