PHOTO CREDIT: RICKEY ARMSTRONG
Early Season Names to Know in 2026
The outdoor season is barely a month old. The leaderboards are already worth paying attention to
Texas middle school athletes are opening the 2026 outdoor season with marks that go beyond typical early-season. The sprints have a couple of names running times that would hold up in any context. One athlete in West Texas is leading two events at once. And the leaderboards, still thin with meets, are already sorting themselves.
A LOOK AT THE BOYS
Sprints
Kemahn Malarcher of Houston Irving MS put up a 10.80 in the 100m at the Texan-Bobcat Relays on Feb. 17 to take the early state lead.
Eli Walker of Crowley MS leads the 200m at 22.66, run at the Brock Eagle Junior High Relays on Feb. 17 - the same day Malarcher ran his 10.80. Walker's 100m best this season is 10.89, also from that weekend.
Jakob Boydston of Centerville leads the 400m at 51.48, run at the Bulldog Relays on Feb. 19.
Distance
Colsen Ing of Tison MS leads the 800m at 2:04.80, run at the Acton/GMS Track Meet on Mar. 3.
Hurdles
Soliz Isaak of Whiteface leads the 300m hurdles at 41.40 and is tied for the state lead in the high jump at 6-2 alongside Taylor Evans. Both of Isaak's marks came from the Hale Center Fightin' Owls Relays on Mar. 5, along with a long jump of 20-4.50 in the same afternoon.
Isaak's 2025 marks, were 42.72 (300mH) and 6-0 (HJ). He improved in both events coming into this season. The 6-2 is nationally competitive at the middle school level regardless of the tie. The 41.40 in the 300mH also holds up.
Landon Ellisor of Coldspring-Oakhurst leads the 110m hurdles at 14.90, run at the Bulldog Relays on Feb. 19.
Relays
Crowley MS leads the 4x100m at 43.58 from the Collins Middle School Invitational and the 4x200m at 1:35.32. Centerville leads the 4x400m at 3:34.53.
Field
Titus Houchin of Celina MS extended his lead on the leaderboard to 20-8 at the MS Bobcat Relays, a PR, in the long jump. Isaiah Foster leads the shot put at 49-0, run at the Brewer Middle School Relays on Mar. 4. Rylan Jones leads the pole vault at 11-6.
A LOOK AT THE GIRLS
Sprints
Adrianna Boston of Cedar Bayou MS leads the girls 100m at 12.27. She has four outdoor meets in the books this season - Feb. 9, Feb. 18, Feb. 23, and Mar. 2 - and has been improving each time out.
Ma'lon Griffin of Brabham MS leads the 400m at 59.00 from the McCullough Junior High Invite on Mar. 5.
Distance
Hurdles
McKinley Potts of Space City Track Club led the state in the 60m hurdles indoors at 9.13. Outdoors, Lily LeBlanc of Griffin (The Colony) MS leads the 100m hurdles at 14.81, run at the LISD MS Track meet.
Relays
Irving Johnson MS leads the 4x100m at 47.30 from the Texan-Bobcat Relays on Feb. 17. Brock MS leads the 4x200m at 1:43.34. Pioneer Heritage MS leads the 4x400m at 4:15.47 from the LSHS Middle School Invitational on Mar. 2.
Field
Adesha Osuji of Frisco Vandeventer was tied for the state high jump lead at 5-4, a mark she had indoors. She's already matched it outdoors, clearing 5-4 at the FHS Middle School Invitational on Mar. 2, sharing the outdoor state lead with Peyton Wright. She also has a long jump of 15-11 and a triple jump of 35-1.50 from the same meet.
Adrianna Contin of McKinzey MS still leads the long jump at 19-9.75. The triple jump has a new leader. Charity Driver of Liberty Christian School (Argyle) went 36-7 at the Liberty Christian MS Big Mike Invitational on Mar. 3, moving past the 35-6 that led the state previously. Driver also has a 100m of 13.07 and a long jump of 15-4.50 this season.
Kinzley Grantham of San Antonio Saint Mary's Hall leads the pole vault at 11-0 from the Cornerstone MS Warrior Relays. Zaeyah Baker of Kleb leads the shot put at 41-2.75.
