UIL 6A boys Jacoby Harmon (L) gets the 800m win and Caden Leonard (R) kicks to 1,600m win
UIL Track and Field State Championships
UIL 6A Boys 800m
Layne Sheely (Prosper) was the only state finalist from last season; he was the sixth place finisher in the 2023 race.
In this race, there were three boys who ran 1:51s at regionals and three 1:52s. Luke Bone (Austin High) entered with the fastest time of 1:51.34.
Jedadiah Stockton (Humble) got out to a blazing start from lane one boing through 200m in 23.x seconds and led the field through the 300m at 39-seconds and then through the 400m at 54.x.
Jacoby Harmon Houston Cyp Springs had a really good 2023 season followed by a great summer of running. He competed in both the 400m and 800m finals at the Region 2-6A meet. Harmon took the lead of the race at 500m with Alejandro Rosales (San Antonio Churchill) claiming the lead at 600m in 1:24.
It was Rosales and Adin Lathrop (Bridgeland) coming off the final turn together in the lead with 100m. Additionally, Harmon slung off the turn using his 40m speed to take back the lead. He would get the win in 1:51.99.
Rosales was runner-up in 1:52.13 and Noah Wood (Austin Lake Travis) blazed over the final 180m to pass several boys and earn the third place finish with a time of 1:52.58.
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UIL 6A Boys 1,600m
There weren't any milers coming back from last year's field, so with all new competitors this race, it was anybody's to win. Caden Leonard (Southlake Carroll) had the fastest regional mark 4:10.25.
It was Kebede Kerlin (Round Rock) taking the lead through the first 400m at a pace of 1:03 with the entire field packed up behind him.
Not much changed as they came through the 800m split at a pedestrian time of 2:08. That's when eighth seeded Chris Creedon League City Clear Creek) moved into the lead and sped things up at the 1K mark.
It was Creedon, Leonard, and College Park sophomore Camden Gibson running 1-2-3 on the home stretch coming through the bell at 3:10 after a 1:02 lap.
Creedon continued to lead with 200m to go with leonard giving chase along with Gavin Chapa (San Antonio Reagan) third follow Joaquin De La Cruz (McKinney Boyd)
With 100m to go, the trio began to swallow Creedon's lead and it was Leonard sprinting ahead to the win in 4:09.39. Chapa also edged up for second in 4:09.64 and one of the race favorites Joaquin De La Cruz (McKinney Boyd) sneaking along the rail to place third with a time of 4:09.72.
Only Kerlin was a senior, so possibly the majority of the field will be able to literally run-it-back.
