State Meet Recap: Lee, Harmony win pole vault gold medals

AUSTIN — Robert E. Lee's Jay Roberson reached the point known as high man on the totem pole.

The senior passed his bar exam with flying colors and topped all competitors with a mark of 16 feet and six inches to capture the Class 5A boys pole vault at the state track and field meet Saturday, with 17,214 on hand at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

As soon as silver-medalist Noah Zorsky of Amarillo Tascosa missed a final time at 16-6, Roberson kneeled down on the north end of the competition area and soaked up the victory.

"I was thanking God, first thing off the bat," said Roberson, who battled a heel injury leading up to state. "I've had a rough season, a lot of injuries, and I couldn't of done it without him."

Roberson was one of two area vaulters to grab gold Saturday as Harmony's Daven Murphree won his third consecutive state title.

Roberson's win came in smooth fashion, with the versatile Red Raider going over his first three heights of 15-6, 16-0 and 16-3 and 16-6 on the first attempt. He attempted 17 feet three times before exiting the event and receiving congratulations from well-wishers.

"I'd been having monster practices," Roberson said of his journey to the top. "I was wanting to win it first thing off the bat and then set the conference record (17-6). ...one goal down anyways."

After finishing second a year ago in Class 3A at Fairfield, Robertson stepped up in class. In the process, he stepped his game up — literally. He not only sailed over the 16-foot barrier on three consecutive attempts, but propelled his body entirely over the bar, which stayed still each time.

"I finally got locked in to where I'd go hard over every bar," said Roberson, a standout hurdler in high school who is set to become a decathlete at Sam Houston State. "I was going as high as I could every time. It was nice to move up and win it all."

The gold medal made it two years straight for the Lee boys track program. Tyris Jefferson took gold in the boys long jump in 2012.

"He had the same thing Tyris had – determination," Lee boys track coach Elgin Johnson said. "He works hard, is devoted to what he's doing. He's a champion and he proved that today."

Point of View

The Longview boys scored 24 points to leave a mark on the 5A event.

The Lobos left with a pair of silver medals.

Cedrick King placed second in the long jump with a distance of 23 feet and ¾ inches. King posted clean marks on all six attempts, and notched the day's second best jump on his first attempt.

The Lobos' 4x100-meter relay of Jamycal Hasty, Dionte Wall, Jared Love and Nathan Jones raced to a second-place finish in 40.78 seconds.

Klein Oak claimed first in 40.66

Longview's time stands to become the nation's sixth-fastest of 2013.

All in the Family

DeSoto sophomore LaTyria Jefferson, the younger sister of Tyris Jefferson and John Tyler's Andre Jefferson, earned bronze in the 5A girls high jump.

The medal marked the third for the Jefferson clan in a 12-month span.

Andre Jefferson won the 4A boys high jump on Friday, the best mark of all six state competitions.

CLASS 3A

"I finally got locked in to where I'd go hard over every bar," said Roberson, a standout hurdler in high school who is set to become a decathlete at Sam Houston State. "I was going as high as I could every time. It was nice to move up and win it all."

The gold medal made it two years straight for the Lee boys track program. Tyris Jefferson took gold in the boys long jump in 2012.

"He had the same thing Tyris had – determination," Lee boys track coach Elgin Johnson said. "He works hard, is devoted to what he's doing. He's a champion and he proved that today."

Point of View

The Longview boys scored 24 points to leave a mark on the 5A event.

The Lobos left with a pair of silver medals.

Cedrick King placed second in the long jump with a distance of 23 feet and ¾ inches. King posted clean marks on all six attempts, and notched the day's second best jump on his first attempt.

The Lobos' 4x100-meter relay of Jamycal Hasty, Dionte Wall, Jared Love and Nathan Jones raced to a second-place finish in 40.78 seconds.

Klein Oak claimed first in 40.66

Longview's time stands to become the nation's sixth-fastest of 2013.

All in the Family

DeSoto sophomore LaTyria Jefferson, the younger sister of Tyris Jefferson and John Tyler's Andre Jefferson, earned bronze in the 5A girls high jump.

The medal marked the third for the Jefferson clan in a 12-month span.

Andre Jefferson won the 4A boys high jump on Friday, the best mark of all six state competitions.

CLASS 3A

Spring Hill's Morgan Knight shined bright, winning multiple medals on a field day at the state meet.

Knight won gold in the 3A boys discus and added silver in the shot put to highlight Class 3A area competitors at the UIL state track and field meet on Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Kilgore accounted for three bronze medals, with Tonye'cia Burks bagging two bronze medals in the triple jump and in the 400-meter dash and LaDarrin Anthony taking third in the shot put.

Chapel Hill's Jeffery Minor placed third in the high jump at 6 feet, 7 inches. The competitive event, won by Argyle's Spencer McCloud with a height of 6-8, also featured Chapel Hill's Gabriel Robinson.

Minor tied Shonderius Howard of Lampasas with a 6-7, but needed two tries to his one to lose the tiebreaker.

Shining Knight

Knight took his best shot on his first event, throwing 57-4 ½ on his fifth attempt to wrap up silver.

Anthony improved on the first five throws before fouling on his last try to settle for t hird at 55-6 ¾.

Celina's Tyler Finke finished first at 58-2 ¾.

"I came out on the fifth throw (and) the adrenaline was flowing," Knight said. "I was trying to chase the guy in front of me. I was shooting for second and I got it."

Knight entered with the discus as favored and showed why on his first throw of 171-1, his best of the competition. Five of his six throws proved good enough to win the meet.

Sealy's Austin Pratt (164-4) came in second, with Fort Stockton's Evan Card third (157-7).

"I was disappointed with my distance, but it's first place," said Knight, who set a goal to win two gold medals as a senior next year. "I'm going to take it."

Triple-double

Thanks to her jumping and running skills, Burks became the area's lone girl trackster to win multiple medals.

In the triple jump, Burks busted a 39-6 on her first ump, her best of the day. She stayed consistent throughout, hitting 39-0 ½ again on her second leap, and getting past 38 feet on the following three attempts.

Felicienne Axel of Columbus finished first (40-1 ½), just ahead of Waco Connally's Khalaya Williams (40-0).

Burks visited the medal stand again after taking third in the 400 in 57.30 behind Lubbock Estacado's Sahari Freeman (55.78) and Mexia's Ashley Johnson (56.96).

In both events, Burks set new personal records.

"It brings a lot out you don't think you have," Burks said of the state meet. "I'm very satisfied, ecstatic."

MORE RESULTS

Other 3A area competitors include: Bullard's Haden Bryant (eighth, 110 hurdles, 14.81), Chapel Hill's Gabriel Robinson (seventh, high jump, 6-2) and Kevone Kennedy (eighth, discus, 139-3), Gilmer's Nick Smith (disqualified, 300 hurdles), Henderson's Gabe Meruelo (fourth, 14-9, pole vault, ), Tevin Vanzandt (fifth, 48.64, 400), and 4x200 girls relay (ninth, 1:43.48), Palestine's Mason Munoz (eighth, 800, 2:05.68; eighth, 1600, 4:51.29); Rains' Charlotte Brown (eighth, pole vault, 10-6) and Russell Grant (fifth, triple jump, 44-10 ¾), Spring Hill's Casey Rice (fourth, pole vault, 11-9) and Wills Point's Holly Cunigan (ninth, shot put, 30-3 ¾).

CLASS 2A/1A

Two likely teammates next year for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks axed the competition in their final high school meets.

Harmony's Daven Murphree met the gold standard for the third straight year in Class 2A, and Winona's Colton Chadbourne matched the pole vault star with the precious medal of his own.

Murphree made it three straight titles in the pole vault, and Chadbourne copped a gold medal in the 300-meter hurdles on Saturday at the state track and field meet.

Entering the state meet, Murphree hoped to set a national record by going 18 feet and four inches. He finished more than three feet short, clearing 15-3 and nothing afterward.

"If you don't win your state meet, that makes you look bad," Murphree said. "It meant a lot. Today wasn't my best day but I came to win state and that's what I did."

White Oak's Riley Lakin captured silver in the pole vault at 14-9.

Despite missing the record, Murphree remains the national leader with a mark of 17-8 1/2. He plans to go after the national record several more times during a busy summer.

"I came to get the gold medal and set the record, but it meant more to me to win the meet," Murphree said after collecting his medal. "I just know God's given me everything I have. That's the reason I was able to do what I was able to do."

Chadbourne completed his high school career in style, clocking a time of 38.44 to beat Commerce's Buck Wilson (38.80) to the finish line.

Chadbourne competed in the 110 hurdles before his gold-medal effort, taking seventh at 15.21. Despite finishing in the back of the pack, Chadbourne considered the race just what he needed to get warmed up for his signature event.

"I got all my jitters out and it helped me get ready to run the 300 hurdles," said Chadbourne, who used the birthdays Saturday of classmates Raylynn Ambrose and Shelby King as motivation for his win. "I came to win and that's what I did. I went over the hurdles just like I wanted, finished hard and came out with the gold."

Relay switch

The Arp boys and Grapeland girls, who both hoped to win team titles, combined for three bronze medals in the relays.

Arp's quartet of Mike Potts, John Hawkins, Tevin Tucker and Marcolas Johnson race to a time of 1:28.56 to get third in the 4x100 behind Karnes City (1:27.02) and Rosebud-Lott (1:27.67).

Grapeland's foursome of Jayde Wesbrook, Paige Scott, Kala Smith and Rosaline McCoy turned in times of 49.47 in the 4x100 and 1:45.85 in the 4x200 to take third in both races.

Dallas Gateway, who won the Class 1A Division girls title with 48 points, set new meet records while winning both the 4x100 (47.89) and 4x200 (1:41.99).

Grapeland scored 34 points to finish fourth. Dallas Gateway won the Class 1A Division I girls title with 48 points.

Arp accumulated 16 points to take 12th in the Class 2A boys team standings, adding a fifth-place showing in the 4x100 and eighth-place effort in the 4x400. East Bernard won the team title with 57 points.

Bronze Age

On a day where four different East Texans took home gold medals, a trio earned bronze medals.

Cross Road's Natalee Alexander achieved a second consecutive bronze medal, jumping 5-5 to take third in the 1A girls high jump.

Alexander tied Junction's Kaitlin Lumpkins for the second-best mark. Alexander, however, needed three jumps at the height, compared to two for Lumpkins. New Deal's Jordan Menton (5-6) finished first.

Lindale sophomore Travicia Acy appeared at state for the second consecutive year and improved five places. Acy ascended to 5-6 to take third behind Azle's Elisha Peters (5-9) and Bay City's Shaniya Mitchell (5-6). Mitchell made it over 5-6 on her first try while Acy missed her first attempt at the same height to lose the tiebreaker for second.

Whitehouse senior Fulani Petties, who defeated Acy at regionals and brought the best qualifying mark to state, placed eighth at 5-2.

Grapeland's Cymone Davis delivered six points for the Sandies with a third-place showing in the 1A Division I girls shot put. Davis maxed out at 39-5 ½.

The Sandies compete in five events today, including two relays, in hopes of winning a state title.