Arp Wins State Track Title
By SHANE STARK
Staff Writer
AUSTIN — The Arp 1600-meter relay team fell to the track one by one, exhausted after crossing the line on a scorching afternoon. The Tigers had just run three sprint relays on the day, and in less than three and a half minutes completed their final event of the season —- but finished deeper in the pack than previously hoped.
Staff Writer
AUSTIN — The Arp 1600-meter relay team fell to the track one by one, exhausted after crossing the line on a scorching afternoon. The Tigers had just run three sprint relays on the day, and in less than three and a half minutes completed their final event of the season —- but finished deeper in the pack than previously hoped.
Yet the mood of the Arp crowd that huddled around them after the fourth-place showing wasn’t of solemn defeat. Instead, the Tigers and their faithful joined together to celebrate a moment that will likely go down in the annals of Tigers athletics.
Arp captured the Class 2A team title at the UIL State Track and Field Championships before a crowd of 12,200 on Saturday at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium. The Tigers, who qualified all three relays to the meet, scored 52 points to win their first team title in school history.
“I don’t feel it now, but it will feel good later,” said Lavocheya Cooper, breathing deeply and struggling to hold himself upright due to exhaustion after the relay. “It’s fun that we’re the best in the state.”
Arp had the championship virtually wrapped up entering the final event, due to Hempstead not fielding a 1600 relay. Hempstead finished second with 42 points, while Floydada and Crane tied for third with 38 points each.
Tatum, defending state champion and winner of two straight Region III titles over Arp, finished 10th with 15 points.
Arp coach Shannon Arrington wanted to dedicate the title to a pair of late supporters. Hershall Shuttlesworth coached the Arp track program for more than 20 years during the 1970-90s, and former school board president Wayne Roberts told Arrington about four years ago that a state championship would soon come the Tigers way.
“It’s awesome,” Arrington said. “These seniors that are on this team have made such a mark already…Arp used to be one of the few schools around that had a track. So track has always been big in Arp. It’s great.”
Arp came into state with a possible 80 points on the table. No points came out of Friday’s lone event — the long jump — when all-around standout Trumaine Jones placed seventh.
But the Tigers took little time to wrack up big numbers on the second day. The team of Josh Smith, Lamarcus Teal, Tywan Scott and Jones clocked in at 41.81 seconds to win the 400 relay and put 20 points on the board.
The 800 relay team (Darrell Shackleford, Lavocheya Cooper, Scott, Teal) then finished in 1:28.67 to bag another 16 points. That came moments before Jones earned eight points with silver in the 200 dash (21.36), and the 1600 relay of Jones, Cooper, Jeriod Amie and Shackleford produced another eight points in 3:23.23.
“It shows that we are the best in the state, and that no one can take us on,” said Shackleford, whose team also owns a share of the 800 relay state record that it matched last season.
Jones said this championship rivals another recently claimed by the Tigers.
“It’s a tie with the (2006) basketball title,” he said.
Winona’s Thompson Continues Family Tradition –- Sort Of
Winona’s Buck Thompson, whose father captured a discus state championship in 1976, earned one of his own Saturday. However, Thompson’s came in the shot put after the senior threw a personal-best 57 feet, 7 3/4 inches on his third attempt.
“I’m on Cloud Nine,” said Thompson, who finished fourth in the discus at 176-10 after throwing four personal bests.
Added throwers coach John Portwood: “Whatever he does, he’s successful at it…He came to compete.”
Thompson, whose strongest event had been discus throughout the season, held off Idalou’s Sean Reagan (57-05 1/2) for the gold. Taft’s Jacob Thormaehlen earned the bronze with a toss of 56-0 1/2.
In the discus, Thompson finished behind Reagan (184-01), Andrew Hudson of Bushland (181-02) and Hayden Eubanks of Chico (177-03).
Hawkins’ Gattis Wins Top Honor
Hawkins’ Madison Gattis was the strongest contestant in the 2A girls pole vault. She earned the gold medal with a vault of 11-03 in the first event of the day.
George West’s Amy Rabalais placed second (11-03) and Cisco’s Sundie Starr finished third (10-09).
Other Area Athletes Almost Reach Medal Stand
Union Grove’s Kristen Richardson, Big Sandy’s Jazz Montgomery and Harmony’s Jenny DeGoede ended the day with fourth-place showings in 2A girls.
Richardson’s came in the 400-meter dash (58.23); Montgomery’s in the triple jump (36-02 3/4); and Richardson’s in the discus (120-01).
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