Fort Bend Marshall Boys 4x100 On Cusp Of 40-Second Barrier

By Todd Grasley for DyeStat

The Fort Bend Marshall TX boys 4x100 relay team is on a mission.

Three of the four members – Sylvester LaBorne, Devon Achane and Bryson Stubblefield – were all sophomores on last year's UIL Class 5A runner-up squad. The Buffaloes ran 40.35 seconds and still lost to Mansfield Legacy, which clocked 40.17 for the state title. 

Fort Bend Marshall has the full lineup back and has added junior Malik Hornsby, a transfer from Houston Austin, to the mix.

This group, all juniors, is looking to make history.  

Fort Bend Marshall, of Houston suburb Missouri City, ran a US#1 time of 40.15 seconds April 4 at the District 24-5A meet. That is the No. 18 in prep history and 0.02 shy of the school record set in 2016. In the 4x200, the team ran 1:23.99.

“This group of young men are dangerously competitive,” said coach Lloyd Banks, who is in his ninth year with the Buffaloes. “I mean they compete in everything. If we were playing hopscotch, they’ll find away to make it intense.”

The athletes on the team have always been successful (Achane is a five-star football prospect), but are beginning to understand the importance of working together and fine-tuning small details, Banks said. 

The district meet pitted Fort Bend Marshall against Shadow Creek (40.36) in a race that added a layer of pressure and forced the group to focus all the way through the anchor leg.

The quartet responded to the challenge.

“We just compete everyday in everything we do,” Stubblefield said. “From blocks to our sprint intervals, all we know is to go get it! We’ve been dreaming about being a part of this program since elementary school, so to be in this position to carry on the tradition of excellence here at Marshall means a lot to me as well as my brothers.”   

The Fort Bend Marshall boys have been a wrecking ball in Texas track and field, winning three UIL 5A state championships (2015, 2016, 2018) and placing runner-up in 2013 and 2014.

“I would have to say it’s the culture of competition that has been passed down from class to class since my staff and I have been here,” Banks said.  “We just believe in being urgent, competitive and doing the little things right.”

Despite the overall team's success, the Buffaloes have only come away with one 4x100 crown, back in 2016 when they ran a school-record 40.13. The runners on the current team were running sub-varsity track then.

Banks said there are no secrets to running fast and getting the baton around. Any coach could learn the basics at nearly any track and field clinic. 

“Again, we just truly believe that if you breed your kids to be tough and compete, when those lights come on, they’ll perform,” he said. 

Stubblefield added that the bond that exists among the four runners helps. 

“Absolutely,” he said. “Those are my brothers, my family. We work hard everyday, so there is a trust factor there. Also, I see them grind, so I know in the meets they’ll do their part. I have nothing to worry about.”

The national high school record, by the legendary Wyatt TX team from Fort Worth, has been on the books for 21 years (39.76 seconds).  READ 'ALL EYES ON US' BY DYESTAT'S DAVE DEVINE

Only five schools, all from Texas, have ever dipped under the 40-second barrier. 

Fort Bend Marshall aims to be the next to do it.  

“We simply want to get better each week, but if the record is there we’ll gladly take it,”  Achane said. “I can’t lie. To run sub-40 would be cool, but it's just not our primary focus right now. State championship first. We like rings around here.”

Stubblefield was a bit more animated on the team's goals.

“Thirty-nine or die!” Stubblefield said. “Our coach always tells us don’t focus on that. But honestly, we want it and we know if we just continue to do what we do, and execute, we’ll get it!”