Eventual Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star Robert Griffin III set the Texas state record in the 300 meter hurdles back in 2007. That mark stood for 18 years. Andrew Jones of Klein Collins broke it in February, running 35.07 at the Tomball Cougar Relays. Six weeks later at the Texas A&M Bluebonnet High School Invitational, Jones went 34.94 - the second-fastest time in high school history, a mark that put him 0.11 off Vance Nilsson's national record. On Apr 17 at UIL 6A Area 15 & 16, the inevitable happened: Jones ran 34.72. The national record now belongs to the senior from Spring, Texas.

The Texas A&M signee has spent this season taking marks that seemed like ceilings and turning them into data points on the way to something bigger. Remember: the 34.72 came at an area meet - yes, that's on the UIL postseason clock, but the higher stakes meets like regionals and state are still to come. Jones won the UIL 6A state title in both the 110 meter hurdles and 300 meter hurdles as a junior, and looks well positioned to repeat, ad potentially lower the state records even further in the process.

At least if the gap between Jones and the field resembles what it did at the UIL 6A Area 15 & 16 meet. A very good athlete, John Harden of Bridgeland was second in 36.60, a full 1.88 back. Jordan McDaniel of Cypress Woods finished third in 37.95. Zaylyn Siner and Brandon Brigman ran 40.07 and 40.65 for fourth and fifth. Jayden Cruz went 40.74, Roman Fabian of Tomball, 42.07.

Harden holds the No. 2 spot on the Texas state leaderboard at 36.02, his mark from the Texas A&M Bluebonnet High School Invitational on Mar 6. Chayce Davis of Euless Trinity is third in the state at 36.27 from UIL 6A District 04 on Apr 9. Ian Hill sits fourth at 36.37, also from the Bluebonnet meet. Ashton Fletcher of Prosper Walnut Grove ran 36.78 to win the Rock Hill Relays on Mar 12 and holds fifth.

The national leaderboard has Jones at 34.72 and then a 1.20-second gap before anyone else. Joshua Hamblin of Weber in Utah ran 35.92 to win the Burchell-Armstrong City-County meet on Mar 24 and sits second in the country. Harden is third nationally at 36.02 - the only other Texas athlete in the top five. Amari Scott of Southwest Dekalb in Georgia ran 36.10 at GHSA 4A Region 5 on Apr 17 to slot in fourth. Owen Hays of Roosevelt in Colorado is fifth nationally at 36.14 from The Pomona Invitational on Apr 10.

Jones has won UIL state titles, broken a record that had stood since before most of his competitors were born, and become the second high school athlete in history to break 35 seconds in the event.