Atascocita's first leg of the 4x100 relay Tory Blaylock prepares for the Region 3-6A finals
For more content ahead of the Texas Outdoor State Championships
Led by superstar sprinter Jelani Watkins and the greatest high school 4x100m relay team ever, Humble Atascocita appears poised to win their first team State title at the UIL 6A Track and Field meet.
Atascocita is projected to score 71 points with Watkins leading the way. He is the two-time defending State champion in the 200m and is favored to win again this year. His top time this year is 20.56 and he is also ranked as the top 100m sprinter with a mark of 10.22.
Watkins is joined in the 4x100m by Tory Blaylock, Landon Fontenot and Jordan Parker, a group that set the national record this year with a time of 38.92.
Fontenot is also highly rated in the 400m and runs on the 4x400m team with Parker that has the fastest time in the State this year, 3:11.17. They also possess a good chance at scoring in the long jump and 110H.
However, this isn't a open and shut case.
Duncanville and Katy Tompkins could each provide a challenge to Atascocita.
Duncanville boasts three relay teams that could all win. Their 4x200m relay team of Brayden Williams, Ayson Theus, Caden Durham and Dakorien Moore is top-ranked in the State with a time of 1:23.42. Durham and Williams could each score in the 100m while Moore is a 24-foot long jumper.
In all the glory that is Atascocita, Duncanville is capable of winning the 4x100 relay. They have talent, coaching, and most importantly they've shown they know how to respond on the track to the doubters.
Even more so, they could cash in 20-points with the 4x200 relay and that will make the race for a team title interesting if that happens.
Durham is the bronze medal winner from last year's 6A 100m race. He is confident and looks to finish again on the podium. Teammate Williams believes he is just as fast as Durham and he can podium as well.
The Region 2-6A boys sprints were not for the faint of heart; Caden Durham (6185) and Brayden Williams (6196) went 1-2 in the 100m finals
Katy Tompkins is led by Jayden Keys who enters the meet ranked first in the 300H (36.31) and long jump (25-3) and second in the 110H (13.44).
Last year, Keys finished third in all three events. He is the only athlete competing in three individual events. Last year, Keys added his third bronze medal in the long jump and he tacked on one in the 300H.
Jhase McMillan is ranked second in the 200m with his time of 20.69 and teammate Blake Hamilton will join him in the finals.
Despite not getting under 40.0 this year like Atascocita, Duncanville, and North Shore, the Falcons' 4x100m relay team should also score points and has posted a time of 40.01 this year.
The final member of the team competing this weekend is Griffen Saacke in the 3200m.
While Watkins is ranked first in the 100m and 200m, Harlan sophomore Tate Taylor could challenge him in both races. He has run 10.29 in the 100m and 20.74 in the 200m this year. Coppell's Matthew Maldima is another sprinter who is expected to score in both events. He matches Taylor in the 100m and has run 20.89 in the 200m.
Perhaps the most intriguing race after the 4x100 relay is the 400m. Losing the defending champion and Texas record holder Jonathan Simms for the season due to injury still hasn't been enough to damper the outlook of this race.
Noah Wood (2) and Alejandro Rosales (6) were in an exciting Region 4-6A 800m finals race
The quarter-mile features four returners from last year's final including Lawson Jacobs of Klein Forest who was the runner-up in 2023. Kevin Bello of Katy Cinco Ranch and Elijah Ferguson of Katy Mayde Creek are the co-favorites in the event and each has run faster than 46.20 heading into the weekend.
The 800m figures to be one of the best events of the entire meet. Region IV had Luke Bone (Austin), Alejandro Rosales (Churchill) and Noah Wood (Lake Travis) each break 1:52 at the Regional meet and they have the three fastest times heading into the State meet. Bridgeland's Adin Lathrop and Cypress Springs' Jacoby Harmon have also broke 1:52 this year.
Southlake Carroll's Caden Leonard enters the meet as the favorite to win the 1600m and 3200m. He is the only runner who has gone under 4:10 in the 1600m this year and he and teammate, Zach Troutman, are the only 3200m runners who have run faster than nine minutes. Aidan Danny Torres of El Paso Eastwood could factor into the medal stand in both events.
Mason Dossett and Jayden Keys lead Region 3-6A 110H charge
Jayden Keys will attempt to go for a pair of wins in the hurdle events. He and Ridge Point's Mason Dossett are the only returners from last year's 110H final and they should battle it out through the final hurdle.
Dossett has clocked a TX No. 1 all-time 13.27 this year while Keys owns a top 10 all-time run of 13.44. Coppell's Aidan McFarlane is trending in the right direction after running his best time of the season at the Regional meet, 13.75.
In the 300H, Keys clearly has the best time of the season, but Andrew Jones of Klein Collins and James Ledbetter of Katy Jordan are two to watch.
The field events feature two athletes who are returning State champions: Xavier Drumgoole (Round Rock) in the triple jump and Dyson Wicker (Rockwall Heath) in the pole vault.
Drumgoole posted his season best mark at the Regional meet with a leap of 50-3.75 which was farther than his jump that won last year. However, Jessie Jamitrius of Cypress Park bounded out 50-4.5 at his Regional meet and enters as the slight favorite.
Sam Abati wins Region 4-6A pole vault
Wicker, the New Balance Indoor Nationals champion has cleared 17-0 this year but the hot vaulter is Reagan's Samuel Abati who was runner-up last year. Abati has eclipsed 17-feet at seven meets, including a season best clearance of 17-6.
If weather permits, the 6A boys pole vault could see some extremely high bars.
Arlington Lamar's Evan Martinez is poised to win both the shot put and discus. In the shot put, he has thrown 69-2.75 this year which is nearly 10-feet more than the nearest competitor. He has thrown over 66-feet at five meets this year. He is also the top seed in the discus with a top throw of 198-4 and has surpassed 180-feet five times.
Tyler Grant of Grand Oaks, Priest Ashe of Crowley and Xavier Westmoreland of Klein have each thrown over 180-feet and Grant has a toss of 192-5 this season.
For the second straight year, The Woodlands, Duncanville, and Klein Forest had an epic 4x400 relay battle
In the long jump, Keys is the favorite and is the only athlete to jump over 25-feet this year. Four others have jumped over 24-feet, including Jackson Norris and Hightower's Kade Phillips who have each soared 24-7.
The high jump may take a 7-foot clearance to win. Houston Lamar's Kaleb Goodly is the top seed with a 6-11 clearance while Jersey Village's Landon Freeman has jumped 6-10. There are four others who have cleared at least 6-8.
If there is one event that will likely be remembered from this year it will be the 4x100m relay. Atascocita has the top time coming in while Duncanville and Galena Park North Shore have broken 40 seconds and Katy Tompkins has run 40.01. The current meet record is 39.76 and that could fall.
The 4x200m may also see a new meet record. The Woodlands' record of 1:23.25 has stood for six years. Duncanville enters with a time of 1:23.42 while The Woodlands' current team has clocked a 1:23.73.
The 4x400m relay will not likely see a new meet record, but it could play a big part in the race for the team title. Atascocita and Duncanville enter as the top two teams, but five teams have run faster than 3:14.00 this year.