Some of the state's best track and field athletes made their mark on the gridiron earlier this month.
The UIL held the 1A to 6A state championships from Dec. 18-21 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. At each level of the state finals, except Class 2, athletes made their mark in the track and field championships earlier this year.
6A Division II
Southlake Carroll's roster featured Bowen 'Bo' Fleming, who was third in the UIL State Championships 6A shot put finals. He was a defensive lineman for the runners-up.
Class 5A Division I
Smithson Valley won the Class 5A Division I title on Saturday, Dec. 21 -- the first in school history for the high school located in Spring Branch.
The Rangers got a big showing from Caden 'Cade' Spradling, a two-way starter at quarterback and linebacker. He ran for a touchdown and threw another and was named the Offensive MVP in a 32-20 win over Dallas Highland Park.
Running Bradley Sowersby ran for 152 yards to lead all rushers in the game. Spradling ran for 147 and threw for 61.
On the defensive side, Spradling had 5 tackles and a sack, while Liam Magee had one tackle.
All three of those Rangers were on the 4x100-meter relay team that was ninth in Class 5A.
5A Division II
Richmond Randle picked up its first championship with a 38-35 win over Dallas South Oak Cliff. The final points of the game came on a 72-yard kickoff return by Sean Smith, which gave the Lions the lead with 8:51 to play.
Smith took ninth place in the UIL State Championship Class 5A 400-meter dash earlier this year.
The Lions were fourth in the 4x100-meter relay in May with Landen Williams-Callis, Sincere Timpson and Jalyn Burton running on that team. Williams-Callis was named the Offensive MVP of the title game after running for 101 yards and a touchdown. Timpson returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to give the third-year program an early lead. Burton had a tackle in the game.
Smith, Timpson and Blake Thompson -- who had 6 tackles -- were on the 4x400-meter relay team that was fourth overall.
Class 4A Division I
The showdown between Celina and Kilgore featured a handful of Class 4A qualifiers.
The Celina 4x200-meter relay team had three runners on the Bobcats football team, which won the state title 55-21 on Dec. 20.
Colton Rodriguez, the third leg of the relay, hauled in five catches for 149 yards and had two touchdowns in the win for Celina. Colten Place -- the anchor leg -- had six tackles. Maddox McCoy, who ran the first leg, added one tackle.
Kilgore's Jacory Walton Omarion was sixth in the high jump with a jump of 6 feet, 4 inches. He had three catches for 22 yards for the runners-up.
Class 3A Division I
Grayson Rigdon was a standout in Class 1A last year for Benjamin in three sports but transferred to Columbus before the start of his senior season.
A Wyoming pledge for football and basketball, Rigdon helped the Cardinals win the Class 3A Division I title on Dec. 19 in a 48-14 win over Malakoff.
He had 18 carries for 119 yards and 4 touchdowns in the victory.
In track and field, he was fifth in Class 1A in the triple jump and was on a 4x200-meter relay team that was fourth.
Class 3A Division II
Gunter had a handful of players on the football team that competed at the Class 3A state track and field meet.
Mitchell Gage was the first leg of a 4x400-meter relay team that took third and was the second leg on a 4x200-meter relay team that was sixth. He made a big play in a 28-0 win over Woodville on Dec. 19. Clinging to a 7-0 lead, Gage returned the second-half kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown for the Tigers.
Gunter's Easton Overman, who ran the third leg of the 4x100-meter relay team that was fifth, had 53 total yards between receptions and punt return yardage.
Class 1A Division I
The Class 1A state champion Gordon Longhorns had football players who accounted for five state championships this past spring.
Riley 'Ry' Reed won the 100-meter dash and facing Whiteface, he ran five times for 99 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a team-high 8 1/2 tackles
His brother, Stryker Reed, won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, was second in the high jump and fourth in the pole vault. He was the quarterback and defensive back for the Longhorns this fall. He had one interception and 3 1/2 tackles in the title game. He added 91 yards on four carries and two touchdowns on the ground and completed 2 passes for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Asher Salinas was busy with 10 different kickoffs and had 1 1/2 tackles in the 70-24 win for Gordon. He was in sixth place in the 400-meter dash.
Kaden Crowe had an interception and 2 1/2 tackles for Gordon. He was seventh in the 110-meter hurdles.
Ry Reed, Crowe, Salinas and Brayden Walters were on the 4x200-meter relay that won a state title.
Walters made a good case for the player of the game with 3 catches for 92 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Longhorns.
The same quartet won the 4x400-meter relay.
Class 1A Division II
Quarterback Sean Stanaland was named the Offensive MVP in the title game for Jayton, which won 54-8 over Oakwood in 2 quarters on Dec. 18.
Stanaland ran twice for 28 yards and 2 touchdowns and completed 7 of 8 passes for 102 yards and 2 scores for the Jaybirds. In track and field, he won the 800-meter run.
Griff Reel was a runner-up in the Class 1A 400-meter dash and seventh in the triple jump for Jayton in the spring. He had 2 catches for 44 yards, 2 tackles and 4 quarterback hurries for the Jaybirds in the title game.
Stanaland, Reel, Colt Gentry and Bode Ham were on the 4x400-meter relay that took second - behind Gordon.
Ham had six carries for 65 yards and a touchdown for Jayton, while Gentry had two catches for 24 yards and a touchdown. Gentry was the Defensive MVP with 4 tackles, one forced fumble that he returned 73 yards for a touchdown -- on the 80-yard field for 6-man football.
Oakwood running back Darreion Thomas and wide receiver Micah Reed were the first two legs of a 4x200-meter relay team that was ninth. Reed had three catches, while Thomas ran four times, had one catch and threw a pass as well.