FB Marshall girls claim state
AUSTIN — Shahira Ehiemua was all smiles Friday night as her team celebrated on the track at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
The Fort Bend Marshall coach had plenty to be happy about. Her athletes produced several strong performances throughout the evening en route to winning the program’s first-ever UIL track and field state championship.
Marshall finished with 46 points in the Class 5A standings, tying and sharing the title with Lancaster. Shared or not, the accomplishment was monumental for the Lady Buffaloes.
“They’ve been working extremely hard,” Ehiemua said. “Since COVID ended the season last year, we’ve seen them give 100 percent, day in and day out, on the track – blood, sweat, tears, going hard in the weight room. They just wanted it so bad. They came out and executed, they were aggressive in everything they did, and we came out on top.”
Marshall collected a huge chunk of points right out of the gates. The 4x100meter relay team of Shanice Walker, Cesley Williams, Theresa GreenWhite and Ajai Sample took gold with a time of 46.34 seconds.
The Lady Buffaloes also had two individual medalists. Junior Tairah Johnson took gold in the 100 hurdles at 13.77, and junior Cesley Williams took gold in the 400 at 54.07.
“We just had to make sure that we stayed together,” Ehiemua said. “We consider ourselves a family, so we just had to make sure we stuck together and leaned on each other. They knew that it doesn’t take a lot — they could come out here and get it done with a small group, and that’s exactly what they did. They believed in each other and were confident in their abilities.”
Manvel and Fort Bend Hightower finished tied for fourth place with 34 points. The two teams battled for positioning in the 4x400 relay, and Manvel came out on top. Rayah Wynn, Kayla Smith, Ja'Dasia Sims and Jasir Miller claimed gold with a time of 3:46.91. Jaiden Itson, Ciara Douglas, Brittney Green and Cynai Christopher gave Hightower the silver at 3:49.07.
Manvel boys second
When asked about the two individual medals dangling from his neck, Adam Mason kept it simple.
“It’s great — all glory to God,” he said. “But, you know, job’s not finished. We’ve still got the 4x4 to complete.”
Mason was correct in his assessment of how important the final race of the night would be for his Manvel team.
The UH signee and his teammates — Isreal Allen, Jaydon Blackshire and Darrell Anderson – took second place in the 4x400 relay to climb the standings and finish second as a team with 45.5 points. Frisco Liberty won with 54 points.
Mason won his first medal of the evening in the 800, taking silver at 1:52.60. The UH signee later edged out Brenham junior Eric Hemphill by 0.02 seconds to win gold in the 400 at 47.43.
“I knew he was going to go all out there at the end, so I knew I had to fight,” Mason said. “I saw him, and he was getting out a little bit too far ahead of me, so I just tried to reel him back in and just give all the glory to God with a great finish.”
Marshall finished just behind Manvel with 42 points. The highlight of the day for the Buffaloes was their victory in the 4x200 relay. JaCorey McAdams, Jaquez White, Jonathan Howard and Chris Brinkley clocked in at 1:25.23.
Crosby claimed the only other gold from Greater Houston in the running events. The Cougars’ 4x100 team of Kam Kirkwood, Reggie Branch, Jonathan Fuselier and Emonte Wilson took first place at 40.66.
Niesner makes history
Chance Niesner had one last shot to reach the top of the podium.
The Lake Creek senior stepped into the circle and gave his discus the ride of its life, landing at 176 feet, 10 inches.
With that throw, he struck gold.
Niesner became the first state medalist and champion in school history by winning the Class 5A title Friday evening.
He matched Friendswood sophomore Alberto Orta with his sixth and final toss and took the top spot thanks to a tiebreaker. Niesner’s second-best throw of 173-3.00 edged out Orta’s second-best toss of 172-9.00.
“It really just took a lot of practice,” Niesner said. “I’ve been throwing since seventh grade, so I was coming out here and really just wanting to do my best. I put in all the work, and I just wanted to let God do the rest.”
Niesner was joined in the gold medal club by two other Greater Houston athletes.
Katy Paetow senior Tumi Onaleye won the girls triple jump with a mark of 40-1.25 on her fourth attempt.
“It means a lot,” Onaleye said. “It kind of feels overdue, so I’m really happy I’m able to represent my school.”
Manvel senior Jalen Walthall won the boys triple jump crown with a mark of 50-4.00 on his first attempt.
“(The key was) staying focused, trusting my fundamentals and just believing in myself, really,” Walthall said.
Barbers Hill senior Alyssa Thomas did not reach the top of the podium, but she was the only Greater Houston athlete to medal in multiple field events. She took bronze in the shot put (42-9.00) and silver in the discus (144-4.00).