STATE TRACK 6A Notebook: Summer Creek wins second-straight boys state crown, full results
Rainey was a big piece of the Bulldogs' success, becoming the first-ever athlete to take gold in the 400 and 800-meter races at the 6A level at the state meet. The 4x400-meter relay finish gave him three golds - one of the most impressive performances of the meet.
The USC-signee was determined to walk away as a State Champion.
"Ever since last year when I got finished with State, I locked in," Rainey said. "I had one goal in mind and that was just to win every event I was put in at State. I was going to put the work in because that's my mentality. I want to win."
Ervin added about Rainey: "He's a special kid. Ultimately, I'm just a bus driver that makes sure he gets to the meet. He's easy to coach, most of the time. But when it comes to that track and the baton in his hands or lining up in the blocks, he's a dog. He's special."
In the field events earlier in the day, Aaron Davis shined winning the triple jump. Justin Craft took fourth in the shot put, which also gave the Bulldogs points before all their running events scored.
"We pride ourselves on being a total team," Ervin said. "We build up the field events, the running, the distance and everything to where we can have a situation like this and be the last team standing."
For Summer Creek it is back-to-back titles. For the city of Houston, it is the fifth-straight year that a boys track & field team claimed the top prize.
"We've got to keep it in H-Town," Ervin said.
Shadow Creek Girls Finish as State Runner-Up
The Sharks of Shadow Creek showed up and showed out in Austin.
With just a pair of relays, their path to the podium at the end of the night was to not only perform well in those races but to win them.
Not only did the Sharks win those races, but they posted the No. 1 time in the country in the 4x200-meter relay and No. 2 time in the country in the 4x400-meter relay. In the first, with Amaya Kennison-Jenkins, Mackenzie Collins, Sydney Bryant and Nia Parks, Shadow Creek posted a blazing 1:35.14.
Heading into the State Meet, Shadow Creek's best time was third-best in Texas at 1:37.05. But with their new mark, it surpassed Katy Seven Lakes (1:35.81) for the top time in Texas and in the nation.
With 20 points in their pocket, the last chance for more was in the final race of the night.
In the 4x400-meter relay, which had Collins, Kennison-Jenkins, Madyson Thurmond and Parks on it, the Sharks once again set the bar in the nation. They posted a 3:41.69, which bested their previous mark of 3:43.64 that was No. 5 in the country coming in. Their new mark put them the tops in Texas and No. 2 in the country behind Bullis School from Maryland (3:40.88).
The total of 40 points was enough to give Shadow Creek a State Runner-Up finish.
Record-Setting Day!
It seemed as though no record was safe.
Inside the walls of Mike A. Meyers Stadium on Saturday, as the Class 6A events for the day checked off the list, the number of record-setting performances grew as each set of events passed.
Houston-area athletes were a part of quite a few of those.
The biggest came from Tomball Memorial's Molly Haywood in the girls pole vault. Coming in, Haywood was not only a favorite to win the event but also break the state meet record of 13-feet-9-inches that was set only a year ago.
Haywood cleared that mark on her first try to tie the record and then went over at 14-feet to take ownership. Haywood was going jump for jump with Coppell's Skyler Schuller.
When the bar went up to 14-feet-3-inches, Haywood was the only one to clear it, bringing home gold and rewriting the record book.
"Super cool, I'm hoping to beat the record again next year," Haywood said. "But to have it is absolutely insane. I've looked up to some of the girls that have had it for years. To be able to jump like they do is outstanding."
In the 6A boys high jump, Strake Jesuit's Jayce Posey broke the Class 6A record from 2004, clearing 7-feet-4.25-inches.
The previous record was held by Cinco Ranch's Scott Sellers. In the 6A boys triple jump, Fort Bend Travis' went all out on his final Damilare Olukosi jump of the day to hit 51-feet-8.75-inches, breaking the previous 6A record from 2001. In that year, Nimitz's Stephen Brown hit 51-feet-6.25-inches.
In the 6A boys shot put, Seven Lakes' Matthew Rueff capped his high school career hitting 68-feet-1.75-inches in his final throw of the day.
"After my third throw I knew I was still missing it off my hand," Rueff said. "I went to my coach and said I have three throws left in my high school career. We went all out, wrapped hard and I just got through the front. I knew that was it when I threw it."
It gave the Auburn track-signee the gold and the Seven Lakes school record, passing Cooper Campbell, who had held it with a throw of 66-feet-7 1/2-inches.
"It means a lot, it's emotional," Rueff said about being in the record books. "I know all these guys, who were the school record holders in the past. Just to have some of them here and be able to watch it and know that I'm on there now it's awesome. It means a lot to me."
The Houston-area had multiple athletes make it to Austin in differing events. Some were in multiple field events, while others held court in the field in the morning and on the oval come the evening.
In the field events, Klein High's India Alix made it onto the podium in the long jump and the triple jump. It was a successful first-ever trip to the UIL State Track & Field meet for Alix, who hit 20-feet in the long jump for silver and 41-feet-11.25-inches in the triple jump for bronze.
"It pumped me up," Alix said about missing state last year. "I trained harder and longer. I got a better recovery with a new regiment going so I could get myself mentally and physically prepared."
In the running events, Summer Creek's Rainey brough home a pair of gold medals in the 400-meter, the 800-meter races and the 4x400-meter relay. Mayde Creek's Simone Ballard garnered the gold in the 100 and 300-meter hurdles.
Klein Forest's Jelani Watkins won gold in the 200-meter dash, 4x200-meter relay and silver in the 4x100-meter relay.
"This gives me a lot of confidence," Watkins said. "Because it shows me that I can compete with older guys."
Top Performers
6A Girls High Jump – Jaela Auguste (Grand Oaks) – 2nd place (5-feet-8-inches)6A Boys High Jump – Jace Posey (Strake Jesuit) -State Champion (7-feet-4.25-inches)
6A Girls 3200 Meter – Reese Vannerson (2nd place – 9:01.17)
6A Boys Shot Put – Matthew Rueff (Seven Lakes) (State Champion – 68-feet-1.75-inches)
6A Girls Long Jump – India Alix (Klein) – 2nd place (20-feet)
6A Boys Long Jump – Aaron Davis (Summer Creek) – State Champion (25-feet-3.75-inches); Jayden Keys (Tompkins) – 3rd place (24-feet-8.25-inches)
6A Boys Pole Vault – Matthew Kumar (Tompkins) – State Champion (16-feet-3-inches)
6A Girls Triple Jump – Jade Johnson (Summer Creek) – State Champion (42-feet-6-inches), India Alix (Klein) – 3rd place (41-feet-11.25-inches)
6A Boys Triple Jump – Damilare Olukosi (FB Travis) – State Champion (51-feet-8.75-inches); Jaden Harris (North Shore) – 2nd place (50-feet-3.75-inches)
6A Girls Pole Vault – Molly Haywood (Tomball Memorial) – State Champion & New State Meet Record (14-feet-3-inches)
6A Boys Discus – Mitchell Blakeslee (The Woodlands – 2nd place (181-feet); Chris Herpin (Pearland Dawson – 3rd place (176-feet-6-inches)
6A Girls 4X100 Relay – Fort Bend Bush (State Champion – 45.33); Klein Forest (3rd – 45.98)
6A Boys 4x100 Relay – Klein Forest (2nd – 40.11); Shadow Creek (3rd – 40.28)
6A Boys 800 Meter – Darius Rainey (Summer Creek) – State Champion (1:50.63)
6A Girls 100 Meter Hurdles – Simone Ballard (Mayde Creek) – State Champion (13.33); Zaire Moore (Cypress Falls) – 2nd (13.61); Rylee Hampton (Cypress Ridge) – 3rd (13.73)
6A Boys 110 Meter Hurdles – Donovan Bradley (Summer Creek) – 2nd (13.71); Shane Gardner (George Ranch) – 3rd (13.73)
6A Girls 100 Meter Dash – Nita Koom-Dadzie (Kingwood) – 2nd (11.53)
6A Boys 100 Meter Dash – Isaac Henderson (Shadow Creek) – 2nd (10.31)
6A Girls 4x200-Meter Relay – Shadow Creek (State Champions – 1:35.14)
6A Boys 4x200 Meter Relay – Klein Forest (State Champions – 1:23.37)
6A Girls 400 Meter – Haley Tate (Seven Lakes) - 2nd place – 53.03; Rachel Joseph (FB Bush) – 3rd place – 53.42
6A Boys 400 Meter – Darius Rainey (Summer Creek) – State Champion (46.36)
6A Girls 300 Meter Hurdles – Simone Ballard (Mayde Creek) – State Champion (41.11); Kayla Meyers (Klein Forest) – 2nd (41.51)
6A Boys 300 Meter Hurdles - Eugene Liger (Cypress Woods) - State Champion (36.57); Donovan Bradley (Summer Creek) - 3rd (37.18)
6A Girls 200 Meter Dash - Cameryn Dickson (Clear Brook) - 2nd place (23.20)
6A Boys 200 Meter Dash - Jelani Watkins (Klein Forest) - State Champion (20.78); Tyriq Brunn (Shadow Creek) - 2nd place (21.00)
6A Boys 1600 Meter Race - Emanuel Galdino (Stratford) - State Champion (4:06.40); Ruben Rojas (Seven Lakes) - 3rd place (4:08.76)
6A Girls 4x400 Relay - Shadow Creek (State Champion) - 3:41.69; Atascocita (3rd) - 3:44.86
6A Boys 4X400 Relay - Summer Creek (State Champion) - 3:10.36; Klein (3rd) - 3:13.29
Summer Creek junior Donovan Bradley is expecting to haul in more gold medals at the UIL Class 6A state track and field meet this week in Austin.
Bradley’s rise key to Summer Creek’s state run
So, when Holloway responded to a tweet of Bradley’s last week, acknowledging his reverence of the second-fastest man in 110-meter hurdles history, Bradley did the first thing that came to his mind.
He started dancing.
“Keep working hard.. your hard work isn’t going unnoticed,” Holloway tweeted Bradley on May 4.
“It felt unreal,” Bradley said. “I danced in my room for a good minute. Grant has always been someone I’ve looked up to. I just admired his pure dominance. He wasn’t afraid to go out there and shine.”
Bradley’s stock is on a rise. Holloway knows. Others are starting to see it, too.
Like his role model, Bradley is not failing to shine.
Bradley is a big reason why Summer Creek’s boys track and field team is a favorite to repeat as UIL Class 6A state champions this weekend in Austin. Bradley won the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdle events at the Region III-6A meet two weeks ago—posting times of 13.67 and 37.48 seconds, respectively—and ran the first leg of the Bulldogs’ 4x100 regional champ relay.
It’s a far cry from last season, when Bradley finished 14th at regionals in the 300 hurdles, though still made it to state as part of the Bulldogs’ eventual 4x400 gold medal relay.
The difference this year for Bradley is between the ears. He always had the speed and raw talent. But the intensity of big moments is no longer feared. It is welcomed.
“I know what to expect now,” Bradley said. “Last year was literally my first everything, because my freshman year (2020) was the COVID year. So, I think a lot of it was a big shock. But after I ran state last year, I realized it was not as big as I was making it. Most of it was in my head.
“I think mainly what messed me up was the pressure. The moment. At the time, I was so immature mentally and I didn’t understand how to deal with that type of emotion. If I had just run at regionals like I did the whole season, I would have got the wild card (bid) to state. I was just so in my head.”
With this year being an important one for his recruiting, Bradley set out to prove he can compete under pressure.
It started with the Junior Olympics last July. In front of a crowd of about 5,000 people at Turner Stadium in Humble, the same site that hosts the regional meet, Bradley finished second in the 400-meter hurdles.
Since then, he has continued to blossom. He credits his parents and grandparents for keeping him humble and grounded. He recently had a long talk with his family about his ambitions and season, and his grandparents encouraged his focus be put in God’s hands.
“That’s what I’ve been doing, and it’s working,” Bradley said. “I’m a new person. All I did was I prayed, and, mentally, I know that everyone is nervous, and what we do on this earth, with those types of nerves, is what makes us.
“As an athlete, I’m starting to learn that my biggest barrier is my own head. I can do anything I want through God, and telling myself and reassuring myself of that is what’s helping me.”
Summer Creek junior Donovan Bradley.Courtesy of Donovan Bradley social media
Bradley acquainted himself more with the weight room this season. He has been lifting more, and, as a result, his technique is more efficient.
His base is stronger, and his arms are no longer “all over the place, wild and everywhere,” he said.
“Coming into this season, I was just very confident in what I can do,” Bradley said. “I feel like track is a feeling. If you feel like you can do it, you can. And I had this feeling in my heart this season … like in the 110s, I wanted to become something. I just go with that gut feeling. I know what I want for myself, and as long as I stay humble and work, God is going to take care of me.”
Bradley holds personal records of 13.55 and 36.82 seconds, respectively, in the 110 and 300 hurdles. Both of those marks were set at the prestigious 94th Texas Relays at the University of Texas—the site of this week’s state meet—in late March, where only the best of the best compete.
But Bradley wants more.
He is a young man with great ambition. Humble, but confident. Grounded, but self-assured.
“I really, really, really want to break a state record,” Bradley said. “If not the 300 hurdles, then the 110. I have another year, and have summer track to do it, but when I’m done, I want people, when they look at me and when they talk about me, to see me like a legend.”