Epic Texas State Championships Meet Filled With Historic Performances, But Taylor's Sprint Double Tops Them All

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Bert Richardson photos

INTERVIEWS by Ricky Quintana

Weather issues on Friday forced UIL officials to move much of the Class 5A/2A finals onto the day already occupied by the 6A/1A crowd. 

What resulted on Saturday at the Texas state track and field championships might go down as the greatest one-day state meet set of results in prep history. 

Start with Tate Taylor, a junior from Northside Harlan, who ran an all-time high school record 9.92 seconds to win the Class 6A 100 meters and No. 4 all-time 20.14 to win the 200 in a legendary performance. 

Taylor's times were both wind-legal. His 100 meters clocking eclipsed Christian Miller's 9.93 time from last year and it is also No. 2 all-time on the World U20 list behind Botswana superstar Letsile Tebogo, who ran 9.91.

In the 100 final, Taylor was facing Duncanville's Brayden Dashun Williams, who had earlier run a wind-aided 9.82 in his regional meet. Williams finished second on Saturday in 10.01 seconds, good for a share of No. 5 all-time. 

In the Class 5A boys 110 hurdles, Ja'Shaun Lloyd from Corsicana ran into a slight headwind and still ran 13.20 seconds -- fastest by any high schooler in 16 years and No. 2 all-time behind Wayne Davis. 

Lloyd came back later and won the 300-meter hurdles in 35.78, fastest time in the country this year and No. 21 all-time. 

In the 6A meet, Andrew Jones of Klein Collins won the 110 highs in US#3 13.41 and the 300 intermediates in US#2 36.09.

Sophomore Cooper Lutkenhaus of Justin Northwest ran a time of 1:47.04 in the 800 meters (53.25/53.80) that is No. 5 all-time outdoors, a sophomore class record and faster than the junior class record. Behind him, Luke Bone of Austin ran US#4 1:49.23 for distant second.

Lutkenhaus returned to the track later in the 400 meters and ran a time of 46.30 for second place. Elijah Ferguson of Katy Mayde Creek ran 46.05 for the win.

The Lancaster TX girls, already national record holders in the 4x100 relay with 43.84 from March 13, roared back to life in the state final and recorded a meet record time of 43.91. 

Mia Maxwell of Humble Atascocita rana wind-legal time of 11.04 seconds for US#2 and No. 5 all-time. It's a Texas all-time best. 

Southlake Carroll's Cade Leonard won a 6A distance double with 8:57.98 (with a 56.3 close) in the 3,200 meters, followed by a 4:10.18 in the 1,600. 

Naomi Booker from Tomball won the 6A girls 300 hurdles in US#6 41.30. 

In the Class 5A girls 400 meters final, Angel Brefo of Midlothian Heritage ran a US#6 time of 53.58 seconds and edged out Iowa Colony's Ashtyn Lewis, who ran US#7 52.75.

Ryhan Balous of McKinney North jumped an all-conditions US#1 21-2.75 (+2.2) to win the 5A girls long jump. 

In a state the values relays above anything else, there was a theme among the 12 team champions. All but one of them won the 4x400 finale. 

The lone exception was the 6A girls winners from Alvin Shadow Creek, who finished third in the 4x400 but won the 4x200 (US#2 1:33.71) and picked up key points in other events. 

The Humble Summer Creek girls ran US#3 3:38.92 to win the 6A 4x400. 

Houston Lamar went from nowhere to champion with its 4x400 victory in 3:11.94, the last event of the meet. Those 20 points lifted Lamar to 32 points. The only other event it scored in was the 4x100, a third-place finish. 

Iowa Colony, which won the 5A boys title, won the 4x100 relay in No. 4 all-time 39.74 seconds as Mansfield finished second in US#2 39.98. The Pioneers, already No. 2 all-time in the 4x200, won that event in 1:23.34. 

Adam Carter of Katy won the 6A shot put with 68-3.75 and placed second in the discus with 180-2.

Max Garvin of Class 2A Joaquin jumped US#6 17-1 to win the pole vault. 

Jayden Thrower from Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill won the 5A boys triple jump with 51-3.25. 

On Thursday in the 4A and 3A meet, Taylor Nunez helped Universal City Randolph win the Class 3A girls title with her victory in the 200 meters wth a wind-aided time of 22.76. She also won the 100 in 11.22 seconds and won the long jump with 20-9.50. 

Jaicee Jasmer from Sulphur Springs won the Class 4A girls pole vault with a personal best clearance of 14-4 tied for US#1. It's also tied for No. 15 all-time. 

Team Champions 

Class 6A - Houston Lamar boys 32 points, Alvin Shadow Creek girls 57 points - RESULTS

Class 5A - Alvin Iowa County boys 74 points, Fort Bend Marshall girls 60 points - RESULTS

Class 4A - Lindale boys 60 points, Brownwood girls 64 points - RESULTS

Class 3A - Holliday boys 66 points, Universal City Randolph girls 88 points - RESULTS

Class 2A - Tioga boys 70 points, Panhandle girls 72 points - RESULTS

Class 1A - Gordon boys 88 points, Gordon girls 52 points - RESULTS