UIL STATE TRACK & FIELD

The Woodlands Makes History in Austin

Seth Livingston
Joshua Koch
May 15, 2018, 7:14 pm
The Woodlands finished the night racking up 68 points across nine events Vype

AUSTIN – KeSean Carter wasn’t about to let a rough handoff ruin history.

The Woodlands senior got the baton, made the final turn at Mike A. Myers Stadium with the 34,306 in attendance roaring and turned on the jets.

Once the Class 6A 100-meter dash state champion hit the final stretch Carter was gone. The future Texas Tech football and track athlete hit the finish line, flexed his left arm, beat on his chest, did a slight LeBron James celebration and then did the eating motion the Dallas Cowboy’s running back Ezekiel Elliott is well known for.

Carter’s final push made The Woodland’s 4X200-meter relay the fastest-ever in the country at 1:23.25, breaking Port Arthur Memorial’s 2017 record of 1:23.52, and subsequently securing the program’s second-straight boys team state championship.

“It’s a blessing,” Carter said about being the fastest team in the country. “God got us through these injuries. Got our teammates healthy. It’s just a blessing. What can you say it’s a national record?”

The talk of being the fastest 4X200-meter relay team started in March.

The first time the group ran together at Rice University, The Woodlands coach Juris Green said he told people privately that he thought the guys could accomplish that feat.

“That anchor leg was about sub-20 second, about 19.4,” Green said. “Just fantastic.”

The Woodlands finished the night racking up 68 points across nine events and that was enough to top Converse Judson (49 points) for the 6A Boys Team Track & Field State Championship.

The Woodlands has now won two-straight team state cross country titles and two-straight team track and field titles, which has never been done by a boys team in history.

“I’m not sure how we top this,” Green said with a smile. “We win another one next year? I don’t know. We’re certainly going to enjoy this one and recognize how special it is.”

Outside of the relays, The Woodlands got points from the 100-meter dash, high jump, 3200 and 1600-meter runs, discus and shot put.

The Woodlands junior Patrick Piperi, after not scoring any points in last year's title run for the Highlanders, scored 14 with a bronze medal in the discus and a silver in the shot put.

"It means a lot, going back-to-back is crazy," Piperi said. "I came into the locker room first day of school and I told my coach we're going to win again. I'm very happy I could score points this time. It feels insane."

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Flying Through Familiar Territory

Tompkins feeling déjà vu en route to strong start to 2019

The Falcons are steep in quality depth. Via Vype

Originally Appeared on Vype

This new year 2019 feels a lot like 2017 for Tompkins.

That year, the Falcons were Class 6A state finalists, and seemed to be bound for Georgetown every season thereafter for a while due to the talented freshmen on the roster. But while last year was far from shabby, a regional finalist finish felt like a letdown.

"What we took from last year is we weren't that much of a team, and we needed to be more connected," junior forward Barbara Olivieri said. "This year, every girl is giving their all and we're all working together. When you have that type of bond, it doesn't matter who's out there, you can still look really good."

Indeed, the Falcons are feeling a bit of déjà vu after topping 2018 state semifinalist McAllen, 4-0, in the Falcon Bracket championship of the 64-team I-10 Shootout at Legacy Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Tompkins (6-0) routed the Bulldogs even with starters Lauryn Wild, Jullietta Haro, Avery Burchett and Sofie Wolf out of action.

The Falcons are steep in quality depth. While Olivieri and junior forward Skylar Parker, who admirably played well moving to the defensive midfield, starred, as per their ways, others like senior Carrie Gerdes and sophomores Kayla Eshbaugh and Jennifer Pham filled in nicely.

Oh, and sophomore forward Felicia Hernandez. It was Hernandez, after all, who tallied a hat trick with three goals against McAllen, emerging as yet another prominent playmaking threat for coach Jarrett Shipman alongside Parker and Olivieri.


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