UIL STATE TRACK & FIELD
The Woodlands Makes History in Austin
Joshua Koch
May 15, 2018, 8:14 pm
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."
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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