Teeing it up
Area meet next up for The Woodlands in bid for a state return
Jacob Slay and the Highlanders rolled right through the District 16-6A season and now are preparing for the class 6A state tournament, set for April 25-26 at Legacy Hills Golf Course in Georgetown.
The Woodlands entered the track and field season as reigning cross country state champ for the first time in five years, but coach Juris Green said they were far from confident that success would carry over.
“We graduated a lot of track guys last year,” Green said.
“In fact, we only had one returning varsity sprinter. So everyone you saw, if you were at a track meet this year, was brand new to varsity level competition, if not brand new to track and field, period. So we knew track season was going to be really difficult.
“The district we’re in is crazy, and very competitive, with great programs, great coaching and really talented kids.”
The Highlanders knew it’d be tough to repeat as District 16-6A team champions, so Green says they did what they always do – work hard, keep improving all season and aim for success in district.
Their persistence paid off.
The Woodlands boys and girls survived the ups and downs and repeated as 16-6A team champs last week at Turner Stadium. “It was really good,” Green said. “The girls had a hammer going in, but for us, we had to do a lot of things right.
“There was no room for error.”
Less than 15 points separated first from third in the boys standings, with The Woodlands narrowly holding off College Park and Atascocita.
The Highlanders benefited from several unexpected showings the first day.
Freshman Patrick Piperi took fifth in the shot put with a throw of 49 feet, 7 inches, junior Hunter Madore (49-5½) was right behind him in sixth, and Josh Hamilton (fourth in triple jump) and Cecil Gregg (sixth in long jump) also supplied unexpected points, helping build their momentum.
“On the second day, our 4x1 ran 41.61 to win, and that’s a 1.2-second season improvement,” Green said. “That got us off the launch pad really quickly and, in turn, rocked our competitors back on their heels a little bit.
“We were just as surprised as they were.”
Chris Stewart supplied a great first leg, Jake Lanier ran the second, and Carlos Ramos and Kesean Carter, who’s still relatively new to track, made a clean exchange, allowing them to hold off Summer Creek.
“I ran over there,” Green said. “I wanted to see it, and he waited perfectly and got the exchange, and those guys were finally able to run a time that was representative of what they’re capable of.”
Carter also qualified for the area meet in the 100and 200-meter dash.
The sophomore was second in both races, finishing the 100 in 10.66 seconds and the 200 in 21.73.
Adrian Piperi carried the torch in the field events.
The reigning state champion in the shot put and discus cruised to district titles in both, throwing 70-1½ in the shot and 188-5 in the discus.
The junior has hit 71 in the shot and 204 in the discus this season.
“He’s just a great competitor,” Green said. “He loves competition. It doesn’t make him nervous.
“It brings more out in him, and that’s what he needs.”
Piperi is 10 feet ahead of anyone else in the state in the shot put, but other throwers can hit 200 in the discus, so he’ll have his work cut out repeating in both events at state next month in Austin. But he has record-breaking potential. He broke one of former Olympic thrower Michael Carter’s high school shot put meet records earlier this season in Dallas.
Carter still holds the national high school record of 81-3½.
“With what he’s done already, he’s one of the top 10 juniors of all time in the shot put,” Green said. “So for him, he just wants to throw farther. That’s what he talks about, throwing farther, and that we haven’t seen his best.”
Brandon Stokes, a junior varsity district champion last year, won the pole vault with a leap of 13-6 in a jump-off.
The 15-6A/16-6A area meet is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday at Humble’s Turner Stadium. Girls win
The Woodlands girls repeated as District 16-6A track and field champions last week at Turner Stadium.
Charity Thomas led the way with gold in the 100-meter dash.
The senior won the race in 11.85 seconds, narrowly holding off Summer Creek’s Tianna Randle (11.88).
Thomas also won the 200 in 24.42 seconds.
The Highlanders swept the relays, winning the 400 (47.44), 800 (1:39.16) and 1,600 (3:50.16), and crowned three champs in the field events, with Ellyana Long winning the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches), Tessa Mpagi taking the long jump (18-10¾) and triple jump (38-9) and Ellie Ramos winning the pole vault (11-6).