Summer Creek set to defend title
Summer Creek is heading back to Austin to defend its Class 6A state title.
The Bulldogs dominated their home track at Turner Stadium on Friday and Saturday in the Region III-6A championships.
Donovan Bradley, Dylan Jacobs, Blake Gibson and Myles Thomas won the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 40.63 seconds.
“The guys came out and executed today,” Summer Creek boys track coach Shelton Ervin said. “Pretty impressive performance that I have seen being about track and field for over 20-plus years. I’m proud of all our guys and our staff, community, our school and the Class of 2022.”
Bradley won two more gold medals in the 100meter hurdles with a time of 13.67 and the 300meter hurdles with a time of 37.48.
USC signee Darius Rainey took the No. 1 spot on the podium twice. He paced himself in the 800meter run with a time of 1:51.47 and won the 400meter dash at 47.07.
“Those guys are studs,” Ervin said. “Rainey is a stud, and Bradley has it in his genes. (Bradley) came out and redeemed himself from his performance last year as a sophomore during the regional meet.”
The Summer Creek 4x400-meter relay team of Malcolm Washington, Dylan Jacobs, Blake Gibson and Rainey finished off the meet with a firstplace finish with a time of 3:12.52.
Katy ISD had five athletes take home the gold medals.
Seven Lakes had four qualifiers. Matthew Rueff (63-11.00) won the boys shot put, Janey Campbell (42-05,00) won the girls shot put and Lauren Schmitt (12-0.00) won the girls pole vault. Aubrey Tupper (12-00.00) took second place in the girls pole vault. Campbell also finished in second in the discus with a throw of 135-09. Tompkins’ Matthew Kumar (16-04.74) took gold in the boys pole vault, and teammate Jaden Keys (25-01.50) won the boys long jump.
Region III-5A
New Caney earned a spot at the state meet in the 4x100-meter relay with a silver medal at the Region III-5A meet after a dramatic moment that saw favorite Fort Bend Marshall fumble the baton between the third and fourth leg.
New Caney’s C.J. Blocker bolted to the finish line for a time of 41.58 seconds, just behind Manor at 41.21. Dravon Wilson, Kayden Cooper and Wardell Franklin ran the first three legs for the Eagles.
Blocker is going to state for two events after finishing second in the 100-meter dash at 10.62 seconds.
“It feels great,” Blocker said. “This is a great place to run. The race was beautiful. Going to state. That’s all you can wish for. Next race.”
New Caney won the District 20-5A championship, a first in program history, earlier in April. The Eagles then qualified two relays and four individual events out of the area meet and into regionals.
“We really just come to work every single day just knowing that we maybe have a shot,” second-year New Caney coach Aaron Grubbs said. “But mainly every day we come together, we enjoy being around each other. We work hard. But most importantly, we go out there and give it every single thing that we have. It’s been an unbelievable day.”
The Marshall girls are the defending state champions in 5A. They showed Saturday why they might be the favorites once again at the Region III-5A meet.
The Buffs qualified all three relay teams for the state meet. They won the 4x100-meter relay (46.56) and the 4x200-meter relay (1:39.96) and took second behind Manvel in the 4x400-meter relay (3:51.13).
Marshall also produced a couple of individual regional champions with Tairah Johnson winning the 100-meter hurdles (13.73) and Desirae Roberts taking gold in the 300-meter hurdles (41.15).
The Marshall boys, despite the early miscue, qualified two relays for the state meet. They won both the 4x200-meter relay (1:24.93) and the 4x400-meter relay (3:16.57).
Region II-6A
India Alix was dominant in the long and triple jump at the Region II-6A championships at Waco Midway’s Panther Stadium, winning regional titles and punching tickets to state in both events.
The junior started the meet with a first-place finish in the long jump Friday with a top mark of 21 feet, ¼ inches. She then won the triple jump Saturday, posting 40 feet, 4 ¼ inches on her final attempt.
Klein Forest and Cypress Falls seniors Zaire Moore and Kayla Meyers were dominant in the hurdles Saturday afternoon at the Region II-6A meet.
Moore took first place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.75 seconds, narrowly edging out Meyers at 13.76.
Meyers won a gold of her own later in the meet, taking the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.95 seconds. Moore was the runner-up in that event at 42.19. Both athletes are headed to state in both events.
Klein Cain pole vaulter Colton Rhodes is headed back to state after capturing a Region II-6A championship Saturday.
Rhodes, an Oklahoma signee and one of the top vaulters in the country, easily dispatched the competition with a top mark of 17 feet, 6 inches. That was 2 feet higher than the next competitor.
Rhodes finished second at state last spring at 16 feet.