TRACK & FIELD AREA QUALIFIERS | Student athletes taking the next step on the hopeful road to state
Track athletes in the outlying ETBlitz.com area are gearing up – even in the midst of all this rain – for their area meets this week.
Area meets would be the equivalent of an early-round playoff game in another sport. The athletes who do well enough move on to the regional meets, and then from regionals, there’s only one more spot: the University Interscholastic League Track & Field Championships, held at the University of Texas in Austin each year – this year, that’d be Thursday, May 2, Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4.
Well, that’s Oz, but let’s look at who’s on the yellow brick road first.
For Kilgore and Henderson, the area meet was Wednesday; after the rain, it’s now Thursday, back at Spring Hill High School in Longview, the site of last week’s District 17-4A meet. The 3,200 meter run will start things off at 1:30 p.m., and then field events.
KILGORE
Kilgore’s boys area qualifiers are Luciano Brizuela in the 800 meter run, the mile run and the 3,200, or two-mile, run; Carsyn Bynum, Zachery Gutierrez, Jayden Sanders and Jacory Walton in the mile relay; Cam Christian in the shot put; Gutierrez also in the 800 meter run; Braydon Nelson in both the shot put and the discus after winning both last week at district; Sanders in the high jump; Walton in the high jump and triple jump; and Sam Warren in both the 800 meter run and the mile run.
For the Lady Bulldogs, it’ll be Ruby Almanza in both the 800 meter run and the 1,600 meter (mile) run; Maddison Harris in the shot put; Tamia Hill in the 100 meter dash; Kassidy Oliver in the discus; and the team of Elle Litchenburg, Lizzy Walker, Giselle Webster and Aaliyah Williams in the mile relay.
HENDERSON
Henderson’s boys will send Ty White to area for the pole vault; Corey Harper in the 100 meter dash; the 400 meter relay team of Trey Sanders, Harper, Anthony Newman and Brailon Walker; and the 800 meter relay team of Lemarion Coleman, Sanders, Newman and Walker.
The Lady Lions going to area will be Gissele Alejandro, who won both the mile and two-mile runs at district; Makayla Sanders in the 100 meter hurdles; the 400 meter relay team of Danita Gonzalez, Mariah Coleman, Marvalous Jacobs and Nolyn Norris; Hannah Nelson in the discus; and Jacobs in the triple jump.
Several of the high school track programs in the ETBlitz.com coverage area will be in New London at West Rusk High School on Thursday for a 3A area meet.
WEST RUSK
West Rusk’s track team will only have to walk outside.
For the Raiders, the mile relay and 800 meter relay team of Pauline Martinez, Xander Mason, Max Carrillo and David Molina will compete in the area meet.
West Rusk’s girls in the area meet will be the 400 meter and 800 meter relay team (Chloe Petty, Bella Mata, Kamyah Lacy and Keke Murphy), the mile relay team of Jada Maroney, Laina Hayes, Zoe Smires and Natalia Mata; Laina Hayes in the 800 meter run; and Sophia Lacy in both the 800 meter and the mile run.
SABINE
The Sabine Cardinals are practically taking their entire team to the meet.
For the Cardinals, Sam Black will compete for Sabine in both the boys shot put and discus; Jonah Black will also be in the area shot and Dawson Brooks in the discus; Hudson McNatt in the long jump; Luke Kirkindoll and Garridon Edwards in the 400 meter run; Clayne Simmons and Preston Swords in the 110 meter hurdles; the boys 400 meter relay team of Kirkindoll, Landry Laird, Jesus Duran and Cason Patterson; the 800 meter relay of Terry Vanden, Laird, McNatt, and Edwards; Hayden Hayes in the pole vault; and Bryce Pobuda in the high jump.
Sabine’s girls headed to area will be Cale Brown in the 100 meter hurdles; Sadie Loftis and Emma Logan in the 800 meter run, the mile run and two-mile run; Sarah Roberts and Ella Roberts in the 400 meter run; Sarah Roberts in the 200 meter dash; the 800 meter relay team of Brown, Kooper Bogenschutz, Emily McBride and Kelsey Roys; Presley Johnson in the discus; Kiera Mims in the high jump and the long jump; Kaitlynn Sanchez in the shot and the 100 meter hurdles; Bogenschutz in the pole vault; Autumn Rhodes in the high jump; and the 400 meter relay team of Roberts, Brown, Bogenschutz and Mims.
WHITE OAK
White Oak is taking quite a few student athletes to area, as well.
For the Roughnecks, Kyler Priest, Trevor Sizemore and Tyson McKinney will all head to area in the pole vault; Caden Durham in the shot; Lucas Frazier in the discus; Logan Langewisch and Cooper Tucker in the two-mile run and Langewisch in the mile run; Jackson Steele in the 800 meter run; Scotty Breitenberg in both the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles; Logan Ladwig in the 100 meter dash; Jaxsen Ludlow and Kyler Williams in the 400 meter run; Ludlow and Ladwig in the 200 meter dash; and the mile relay team of Ladwig, Williams, Sizemore, and Ludlow.
White Oak girls to area: Addison Clinkscales in the high jump; Bella Baker in the discus; Joanna Pennington, Lizzy Still and Londyn Baker, all in the pole vault; Ally Tatum and London Bodovsky in both the mile and the two-mile run, and Bodovsky in the 800 meter run; Addison Milligan in the 400 meter run; Addi Saccoccio and Kylie Dugger in the 300 meter hurdles; and all three relays, the 400, the 800 and the mile.
ARP
How ‘bout those Arp Tigers and Lady Tigers? Yep, they’ll be at area at West Rusk, as well.
For Arp’s girls, area qualifiers are Landry Langley in the discus; Adah Terry in the pole vault; and both the 800 meter and mile relay team of Maddie Birdsong, Alana Benefield, Kennedy Richter and Aubrey Poole.
And for the Arp Tigers, headed to area are Ty Bardsley in both the 800 meter run and the mile run; Zyon Washington in the discus; Zane Borque in both the 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles; and Zeshaun Reed in the 200 meter dash.
TROUP
Troup won the boys district team title, so they’ll be well-represented at West Rusk for area, for sure.
Area qualifiers for the Troup Tigers: Caden Claburn in the 100 meter dash; Trae Davis in the 200 meter dash, the triple jump and the long jump; Billy Borja and Ke’Shaun Kendrick in the 110 meter hurdles; Conner Boyd in the 300 meter hurdles; all three relay teams – Claburn, Davis, Bryce Wallum and Brett Wells in the 400 and 800, and Kendrick, Wallum, Wells and Jaylon Willilams in the mile relay; A.J. Dewberry and Chris Calley, both in the discus; Riley Blackmon and Zach Burris in the pole vault; Wallum in the long jump; and Williams in the triple jump.
For the Lady Tigers, headed to area will be Emory Cover in the 200 meter dash, the triple jump, and the high jump; Audree Hinkle in the 100 meter hurdles; Cover, Zaquirah Jordan, Cassie Murry and Shiloh Sluder in the 400 meter relay; Cover, Ja’Keira Davis, Murry and Sluder in the 800 meter relay; Hannah Cearley in the discus; and Bailey Gipson in the pole vault.
OVERTON
Overton’s Mustangs and Lady Mustangs are in Class 2A, and their meet is now Friday morning in Cushing, beginning with the two-mile run at 8:30, field events beginning at 9, and running finals at 1 p.m.
There will be a LOT of Overton kids at that area meet.
For the Lady Mustangs, Sarah Emery in the two-mile run; Kaylee Stevens in both the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles, and Mason Fenter in the 300 meter hurdles; all three relay teams – Makayla Edwards, Ja’Miya O’Neal, Kelsey Vaught, and Anna Perkins in the 400, Edwards, O’Neal, Vaught and Kyuana Brown in the 800, and O’Neal, Fenter, Vaught and Stevens in the mile; O’Neal in the long jump; Ashby Croswell and Kasha Williams in the shot put; Croswell and Jada Johnson in the discus; Stevens and O’Neal in the triple jump; and Siann Levoy in the high jump.
Overton’s boys headed to area: Vincent Herron in the two-mile run; Bryce Still in the 800 meter run; Christian Hall in the 110 meter hurdles and the high jump; Justin Weir in the 300 meter hurdles; Jayden Edwards in both the 100 meter and 200 meter dash, the long jump and the triple jump; all three relay teams – Hunter Klima, Weir, Bryson Bobbitt and Gabriel Miller in the 400, Jacob Osburn, Weir, Rylan Holleman, Miller, Bobbitt and Klima in the 800 (including alternates), and Osburn, Edwards, Holleman, Still, Carson Rowe and Kash Holleman in the mile (including alternates), Elijah Dorsey and Kadden Williams in the shot put; and Williams in the discus.