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RANKINGS
THE BIG TICKET: Headlines entering the UIL Regional Track Meet
There are so many uber-athletes on stage this week as the Regional Track Meets dominate the high school outlook. Let’s take a look at the BIG TICKETS in Greater Houston as teams and individuals battle for their spot at State.
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JELANI WATKINS, Atascocita
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Atascocita’s Jelani Watkins is “that” guy. Watkins has made the Eagles a State favorite after transferring from Klein Forest last summer. He led KF to a State title a year ago and is the two-time defending champion in the 200-meters. He will lead the all-time national record holder for the 4 x100 relay team as well as the 4x200. The LSU football signee could almost win a track meet himself with a shot in the 100-meters also in his grasp. Remember Matthew Boling? Well, all eyes will be on Watkins as he continues to build on his resume.
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KEVIN BELLO, Cinco Ranch
Who is this guy? The senior won a the 100 and 400-meters at the Area Meet and finished second in the 200-meters. He also anchors the 4x400 relay. He will be a force to be reckoned with in the Class Region III Meet.
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BATTLE OF THE STICKS
2023-24 Klein Forest Girls Track & FieldJamey Wright (VYPE)
Klein Forest, Paetow, Randle and Summer Creek girls are showing out in the Class 6A and 5A relays. The Klein Forest Golden Eagles are the current queens coming out of Houston, but the competition is heating up. They will be in Region II, and Paetow and Summer Creek will battle it out in Region III. The new school – Randle – is going to be dangerous on the girls and boys side. Are they the new FB Marshall?
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LONDON CALLING
Katy’s London Jackson-Bray in the next big thing in girls track. She has won the 100 and 200 in the Area Meet and is no stranger to elite track and field. Don’t sleep on Celeste Robinson of Cypress Ranch in the sprints along with Avia Jones of Klein Forest.
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H(Hurdle)-TOWN
Ridge Point's Mason DossettJamey Wright (VYPE)
The city of Houston is loaded with tremendous hurdlers. Ridge Point’s Mason Dossett (Baylor football) is a beast in the 100-hurdles and Tompkins’ Jayden Keys carry the flag in the 300 hurdles. Cy Park’s Calvion Fuller (100 meters) and Andrew Jones of Klein Collins (300 meters) are also contenders. On the girls side, Lillian Harden of Bridgeland is a favorite to get to State. Kelly Frederick of Summer Creek and Mackenzie Collins of Shadow Creek are also hurdle specialists along with Aaliyah Booker of The Woodlands.
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SPEED MERCHANTS
Iliya Dryaba of The WoodlandsBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Other names who will emerge this week include Tompkins’ Jhase McMillan (Montana State football), Klein Cain’s Darius Rogers, Tomball Memorial’s Braylin Byrd, Klein Forest’s Lawson Jacobs, FB Bush's Amariya Hardeman, Dekaney’s Tanook Hines and Iliya Dryaba of The Woodlands are legit blurs on the track. Watch out for freshmen Landen Williams-Callis of Randle and Jordan Riggs of FB Marshall, who are looking special and will have big-time careers.
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THE LONG RUN
Klein's Katie KoontsJamey Wright (VYPE)
Pearland’s Maddie Peters is “that” girl. She has dominated the Houston long-distance landscape for a few seasons now. Staucie Lees of Grand Oaks and Katie Koonts (Tulsa-signee) of Klein are also contenders from H-Town. Cool story… Tompkins siblings Griffen and Rowan Saacke are tremendous long-distance talents on the boys and girls side, respectively. They push each other, which makes them solid candidates to reach the podium.
THE FIVE: Atascocita track, Katy softball, Seven Lakes soccer among others the talk of H-Town
SPEED CITY
The city of Houston is setting new track and field standards on the oval this spring. The Atascocita Eagles set a new national record for the 4 x 100 over the weekend running a 38.92 at the event. Tory Blaylock, Landon Fontenot, Jordan Parker and Jelani Watkins (LSU-signee) have etched their names in history. The Eagles also have the fastest time in Texas in the 4 x 200 relay. Watkins has run a 10.22 in the 100-meters at the Bluebonnet Invitational, the second fastest time in Texas as well. Remember Klein Forest and FB Marshall won State Track last season. Is it Atascocita’s turn this year?
JAEDON'S JOURNEY
Jaedon Ledee’s basketball journey has been an interesting one. He started at McCullough Junior High, the feeder to The Woodlands, before transferring to Kinkaid. At Kinkaid, he became a national recruit and signed with the Ohio State University. From Ohio State, he transferred to TCU for two years and then to San Diego State. He has flourished out west, especially this season. He was the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and averaged 21.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He has averaged 29 points in the NCAA Tournament and picked up All-American honors along the way. He helped lead SDSU to the National Championship Game last year and his team is in the Sweet 16 this season. The next question is, where will he get drafted?
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HOLD THOSE TIGERS
The Katy Tiger softball team has that look in their eye. After being bounced early in the postseason a year ago, the Tigers are back for blood. At 23-1-1 and undefeated in district play, coach Kalum Haack has a chance to win his third State Title (2015 and 2019) come late May. Pitcher Cameryn Harrison is the eighth-ranked player in the country and is headed to Arkansas. Ashtyn Reichardt gets it done at the plate and is also headed to play for the Razorbacks. EK Smith is a sophomore and on the USA National Team. Don’t sleep on Montgomery Henderson (Oklahoma State) or Lauryn Soeken (LSU) as they have put up dominant performances this year.
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RINK IS ROLLING
Cy-Fair’s Landon Rink is a national recruit as a defensive lineman. The 6-foot-2 junior showed off his prowess at the Under Armour Camp in Houston a few weeks ago. His performance earned him a invite to the Under Armour All-American Game in January. Rink likes Texas A&M, Penn State, Oklahoma and Ohio State so much that he will going to official visits to those schools. He was at USC this weekend.
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ON THE CUSP OF HISTORY
Seven Lakes boys soccer can make big-time history this postseason. The Spartans, led by coach James Krueger, are the defending Class 6A State Champs. If they reach the State Tournament, Seven Lakes will be the first Class 6A team to advance to State three straight seasons. If they win State, they will be the first team to ever win back-to-back Class 6A State titles. The team is led by Aiden Morrison and goalie Ben Aviles Vera.