Now that it is the championship season, the news and notes will focus more on the District results that occurred this past week and previews of the upcoming District meets. While it is championship season, the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays took place this past weekend and there were a few other meets around the area. This week's news and notes are more geared towards the upcoming district meets. I did not preview every meet, but most of the 4A-6A meets are touched upon.
The Best Thing I Saw
The San Antonio area has been blessed with some outstanding track programs over the years. The Judson boys come to mind for what they accomplished under Ron Faught, but the best program lately has been the Reagan girls who just captured their 11th consecutive District title on Thursday. It was not an easy win. They scored 179 points to hold off Brandeis who finished with 158. The one event that seemed to solidify the title was the 300mh. Kylee Koch (Johnson) was leading the entire race, but when she struggled over the final hurdle a trio of Rattlers took advantage. Morgan Schlueter, Ella Meares and Gabriella McHugh all passed Koch at the line as all three finished within 0.18s of each other.
District 27-6A Recap
Johnson comfortably won the District 27-6A boys team title with 191 points while Reagan was second with 122 and Brandeis was third. The Jaguars won seven events, including all three relays. Cameron McDuffie (Johnson) was the only individual double winner for the team taking the long jump (23-5.25) and triple jump (47-11.25). Yashiyah Griffin (400m) and Austin Anderson (300mh) were both quite impressive for the Jaguars in winning their events. Reagan's Samuel Ackerman had a great meet. First, he won the 800m in 1:54.96 as six other runners also broke 2 minutes. Then, he won a competitive 1600m race in 4:23.81.
As stated earlier, the Reagan girls took the District 27-6A title with 179 points while Brandeis (158) was second and Johnson (136) took third. Gabriella McHugh led the team in scoring with points in five events. She won the long jump (17-7.25), was second in the triple jump and third in the 300mh. She was also part of their second place 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. Aryiel Sherman took gold for the Rattlers in the high jump (5-8) and triple jump (36-10.5). Churchill's distance duo of Kallie Van Prooyen and Mia Kellogg went 1-2 in the 3200m on Wednesday and the 1600m on Thursday. Van Prooyen set new meet records in both events, 11:06.64 in the 3200m and 5:07.02 in the 1600m. Faith Ponds led Brandeis with victories in both the 100m (12.37) and 400m (58.55) while teammate Leila Smith-Harris won the 200m (25.50). Clark's Leona King went from playing soccer to winning the District title in the 100mh (15.41) in a matter of two weeks.
District 28-5A Recap
The MacArthur boys took the District 28-5A team title with 132 points as they held off both Southwest (107) and Eagle Pass Winn (101) who were in contention. The Brahmas were led by Theo Abraham who won the 400m in 50.37 and 200m in 22.34. He was also the anchor on their 4x100m relay team that finished third, just 0.13s behind Southwest and Jay. Carson LaCott won the triple jump and Andres Mendoza won the discus for MacArthur while their 4x400m relay capped off the meet by winning in 3:30.36. Dante Jimenez (Winn) was the individual star of the meet. He won the 3200m (9:55.20), 800m (2:00.44) and 1600 (4:41.89). Joel Lara (Southwest Legacy) and Jessiah Escobar (Southside) were each double-winners. Lara took the 110mh (15.68) and 300mh (40.60) while Escobar won the long jump (21-7) and high jump (6-0). Jermaine Ramirez (Harlandale) won the shot put with a big throw of 50-6.25.
The girls team title was not as close as the boys with Southwest winning with 178 points while Southside finished in second place, 68 points behind. The Dragons picked up big points by winning all three relays with their 4x200m team taking the title in 1:45.22. They also dominated the field events with four individual titles. Alty Keita won the long jump (17-5.25), Skylar Sims won the high jump (4-10) and Danieliz Villafane took care of both throwing events. Emarald Aguirre led Southside by taking all three distance races for the second year in a row. She posted times of 2:27.67 in the 800m, 5:41.85 in the 1600m and 12:11.50 in the 3200m. Freshman Graciela Galvan (Southside) had not shown much during the regular season, but that changed with her school-record mark of 36-9.5 to win the triple jump. Jay's Duprasia Beets showed that she should be considered a top contender in the Region in both the 200m and 400m which she won in 25.17 and 56.65, respectively.
District Meet Previews
I am going to preview a few of the district meets in the area that are taking place this week. The meets start as early as Monday and they should all be complete by Friday. I will take a crack at picking the winner of each meet which is fun, but also shows that you can never really predict these things.
District 28-6A Boys
The Pick: Brennan, Relays should carry the day for them.
Contenders: Harlan and Sotomayor should fight it out for runner-up honors.
Athletes to Watch: Michael Davis (Brennan), Michael Hightower (Holmes), Silas Gonzalez (O'Connor), Chris Esparza (O'Connor), Ryan Harr (Taft), Noah Folks (Harlan), Quentin Jones (Brennan).
District 28-6A Girls
The Pick: Sotomayor, A well-rounded team that may not win lots of events but will have multiple scorers plenty of times.
Contenders: Brennan, O'Connor and Harlan although I do not think any of the teams have enough firepower to catch the Cats.
Athletes to Watch: Dessalynn Rogers (Harlan), Kaelony King (Sotomayor), Alexa Mitchell (Harlan), Kailyn Brunson (Brennan), Adelyn Miller (Taft), Arrian Spratt (Marshall), Lillian Hubbard (Warren), Deyanna Smith (Holmes).
District 29-6A Boys
The Pick: Judson, loaded with sprinters who run multiple events.
Contenders: Clemens and Buda Johnson could each win the meet. Clemens has the most depth of any team in the field.
Athletes to Watch: Maverick James (Steele), Carlwynn Young (Judson), Emaurie Jones (Judson), Quincy Baker (Judson), Gannon Plummer (Buda Johnson), Rowdy Proctor (San Marcos), Liam Jones (Steele), Sean Gonzalez (Clemens), Cyelan Whitley (Clemens), Jordan Pinones (East Central), Jayvonne Flores (Buda Johnson), Christian Dupree (Clemens).
District 29-6A Girls
The Pick: Steele, could score 48 points in the two hurdles events and roll from there.
The Contenders: Canyon seems like they could be the only team to threaten Steele with their distance prowess.
Athletes to Watch: Ataya Rhoden (Clemens), Jenesis Cordero (Judson), Trinity Onugha (Steele), Keira Reyna (Steele), Madi Molinar (Canyon), Aaralyn Julian (San Marcos), Jaliyah Holland (Steele), Imani Caesar (Judson), Nellie Mauritz-Barboza (San Marcos), Avery Dalmyda (Judson).
District 26-5A Boys
The Pick: Smithson Valley, their sprint crew could be the difference in the meet.
The Contenders: Pieper and Boerne Champion could each win the meet and it will come down to which team performs the best on Wednesday and Thursday.
Athletes to Watch: Kingston Brown (New Braunfels), Noah Johnson (Smithson Valley), Liam Magee (Smithson Valley), Jack Hollimon (Alamo Heights), Channon Davis (Wagner), Jackson Kerth (Tivy), Blake Stehling (Boerne Champion), Kahdyn Freeman (Pieper), Michael Ajagbe (Pieper), Gavin Starnes (New Braunfels).
District 26-5A Girls
The Pick: Smithson Valley, has top-level talent in the distance events and their throws crew has been good.
The Contenders: Boerne Champion is the top contender at the meet, but three or four other teams could all factor in the title race.
Athletes to Watch: Alzara Mysliwiec (Alamo Heights), Juliana Syroney (Boerne Champion), Sutton Amerman (Boerne), Presley Merkens (Boerne), Shyla Boystun (Pieper), Lilly Koenig (Smithson Valley), Savanah Moya (New Braunfels), Rebecca Bezerra (Boerne Champion), Aliya Murphy (Smithson Valley), Skylar Carter (Pieper), Sofia Mitschke (Smithson Valley), Paige Beeghley (New Braunfels).
District 27-5A Boys
The Pick: Seguin, favored to win 13 events and should win easily.
The Contenders: no real contenders although Sam Houston could top 100 points.
Athletes to Watch: Elliot Weaver (Seguin), Marcus Troy (Seguin), Adrian Rangel (Seguin), Reyes Arteaga (Brackenridge), Cordel Leon (Seguin), Tacori Dotson (Sam Houston).
District 27-5A Girls
The Pick: Seguin, should score a lot of points in races 400m and less.
The Contenders: Brackenridge can score points in a lot of events and may be able to compile enough to make it interesting.
Athletes to Watch: Jakiyah Caldwell (Sam Houston), Paige Leyendecker (Seguin), Elizabeth Krist (Fox Tech), Maria Munoz (Edison), Tamera Jones (Sam Houston).
District 26-4A Boys
The Pick: Davenport, strong in the distance events, relays and throws.
The Contenders: Wimberley should dominate the hurdles and jumps, but will need to flip a few relays to catch the Wolves.
Athletes to Watch: Breydan Gherman (Bandera), Jace Morales (Canyon Lake), Terrence Coffman (Davenport), Caleb Bliss (Davenport), Davis Frantzen (Fredericksburg), Camden Hernandez (Long Creek), Dane Mignerey (Wimberley), Kyle Stautzenberger (Davenport), John Whitten (Wimberley).
District 26-4A Girls
The Pick: Canyon Lake, have some of the top athletes around and will score huge points in the hurdles.
The Contenders: Wimberley could easily take home the team title with a few extra results and it is hard to count out Fredericksburg.
Athletes to Watch: Savanna Oberholtzer (Canyon Lake), Te'a Gonzales (Canyon Lake), Aubrey Avey (Canyon Lake), Milesia Casas (Bandera), Sydney Moore (Bandera), Corina Joyce (Wimberley), Abbi Brown (Fredericksburg), Kennedy Grindle (Canyon Lake), Ella Patek (Wimberley), Ellen Watson (Wimberley), Brady Stickler (Fredericksburg).
District 27-4A Boys
The Pick: Devine, they will dominate the relays, jumps and sprints which should be more than enough to win.
The Contenders: Floresville has distance studs, but not enough to surpass Devine.
Athletes to Watch: Malakai Iverson (Somerset), Rowdy Esparza (Devine), Kaden Cypert (Floresville), Ryan Weinkam (Devine), Joshua Simmons (Floresville), Tanner Davis (Devine), Pierson Pilgrim (Pleasanton), Karter Brown (Devine).
District 27-4A Girls
The Pick: Devine, the star power is what will carry them to the title.
The Contenders: Floresville and Pleasanton could be considered co-favorites with Devine.
Athletes to Watch: Amilee Pulido (Uvalde), Camila Sierra (Devine), Alexis Doege (Floresville), Rylie Wells (Devine), Kylie Monreal (Devine), Layla Rodriguez (Pleasanton), Teegan Smolka (Floresville), Nora Felan (Floresville).
School Records
In this section, I want to highlight the new school records that were set during the week. I need coaches to please let me know when you have a new record set. Either email me at shanemeling@gmail.com or message at me @ShaneMeling on X (Twitter).
Wimberley Girls, 4x100m Relay, 48.22 (Samantha Hutchinson, Ansley Davis, Trinity Laney, Emorie Gahan)
Sean Gonzalez, Clemens, 800m, 1:53.57
Jayden Alfaro, Southwest, 3200m, 10:01.62
Graciela Galvan, Southside, Triple Jump, 36-9.5
Juliana Torrez, McCollum, Triple Jump, 33-6
James Bines, Brennan, Discus, 147-0
Brennan Boys, 4x400m, 3:18.56 (Wolfgang Thoener, Michael Davis, Jaylin Kelly, Jayden Greene)
Around the City
Northside hosted their fifth meet of the year. The Brennan boys scored over 200 points to win while the Sotomayor girls won by eight points over Brennan. The Brennan boys swept all three relays including the 4x400m in which they ran 3:18.56. Taft's Ryan Harr won the discus with a huge throw of 178-4 while Cal Carpenter (Warren) was second with a heave of 156-10. Sotomayor's Paul Wallace looks to be getting back into form after a strong swimming season. He won the 1600m in 4:31.56.
The Sotomayor girls won the 4x100m in 47.73 and the 4x200m in 1:42.08. Kaelony King (Sotomayor) won the 200m (25.43) and the long jump (18-1). Kailyn Brunson (Brennan) won a hotly contested 1600m in 5:17.07 while Adelyn Miller (Taft) finished in 5:18.65.
The Clemens boys won their own Buffalo Relays behind a big performance from Sean Gonzalez. He won the 800m in 1:53.57 and followed it up in the 1600m with a time of 4:18.31. Noah Folks (Harlan) hop, skipped and jumped 47-10 to win the triple jump. Cornerstone's Dominique Moore (154-2) and Jorge Serna (149-8) swept the discus. Harlan, Clemens and Steele finished in a virtual tie in the 4x400m with Harlan winning in 3:24.09 and the other two teams were less than 0.5s behind.
Steele won the girls team title at the Buffalo Relays with 223 points. Steele won the 4x100m in 47.79 and Clemens finished second in 47.88. Steele's Jaliyah Holland and Anaiya Wood swept the triple jump with marks of 37-8 and 36-9, respectively. Ella Rodriguez (Medina Valley) won both the 1600m and 3200m.
The Texas Relays were also this past weekend with a lot of outstanding results from local athletes. Jace Bennett (Utopia) and Brady Chandler (Geneva) both showed out in the pole vault clearing 16-5.5 and 16-0.5, respectively. Ian Lopez of BASIS clocked an impressive 4:14.43 in the 1600m. Shyla Boydstun (Pieper) posted a fantastic time of 13.77 in the 100mh while Alzara Mysliwiec (Alamo Heights) and Juliana Syroney (Boerne Champion) each broke 12s in the 100m for the first time this year. Lilly Koenig (Smithson Valley) finished second in the 1600m with a time of 4:46.58 and Savanah Moya (New Braunfels) posted a time of 4:58.63. Iris Latta (South Texas Heat) laced it up in the 3200m and took the title with a time of 10:26.55.
Senior Signings
I would like to keep a running tally of all the track and field and cross country signings so please contact me if you notice someone is missing.
Kendall Fallon, Davenport, Tulsa
Tate Taylor, Harlan, Texas Tech
Mia Villanueva, Canyon, Texas Lutheran
Lauren Pardo, Canyon, Henderson State
Sadie Larson, Pieper, Tarleton State
Frances Scotello, Lytle, UNLV
Lilly Koenig, Smithson Valley, Texas Tech
Jaelyn Moore, Cornerstone, Dallas Baptist
Juliet Osuna, Cornerstone, Carson-Newman
Elizabeth Leachman, Boerne Champion, Stanford
Maverick James, Steele, UIW
Aaron Garcia, Boerne, Lamar
Sadrac Castillo, Jefferson, Our Lady of the Lake
Klayre Cook, Lytle, Texas Lutheran
Anastacia Garza, Judson, UTSA
Ava Arellano, Wimberley, Texas Lutheran
Amariah Young, Medina Valley, Texas Lutheran
Payton DeFelippis, Medina Valley, Texas A&M-Texarkana
Theone Glosser, Reagan, Trinity
Next Week
On the schedule for this week are the remaining District meets. District 26-4A starts on Monday and then District 27-3A begins on Tuesday. Wednesday will see the start of the District 28-3A, District 27-4A, District 28-4A, District 26-5A, District 28-6A and District 29-6A meets.
Now that it is the championship season, the news and notes will focus more on the District results that occurred this past week and previews of the upcoming District meets. While it is championship season, the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays took place this past weekend and there were a few other meets around the area. This week's news and notes are more geared towards the upcoming district meets. I did not preview every meet, but most of the 4A-6A meets are touched upon.
The Best Thing I Saw
The San Antonio area has been blessed with some outstanding track programs over the years. The Judson boys come to mind for what they accomplished under Ron Faught, but the best program lately has been the Reagan girls who just captured their 11th consecutive District title on Thursday. It was not an easy win. They scored 179 points to hold off Brandeis who finished with 158. The one event that seemed to solidify the title was the 300mh. Kylee Koch (Johnson) was leading the entire race, but when she struggled over the final hurdle a trio of Rattlers took advantage. Morgan Schlueter, Ella Meares and Gabriella McHugh all passed Koch at the line as all three finished within 0.18s of each other.