Lifelong friends, the LBJ relay team of Ali Scott, Tre’Awn Young-Henderson, Antoine “Sticks” Baker and Ladainian Green knows something about rounding the corners.
Such was the case Saturday on the final day of the Texas Relays. On a partly cloudy afternoon with nary a drop of rain at Myers Stadium, the Jaguars discovered gold in the 800-meter Division I relay race.
The result did not surprise Baker, who said the team’s brotherhood stems from playing sports together for more than a decade.
“Everything is about trust,” said Baker, sweat dripping from his forehead minutes after the race. “We do everything together. Football, basketball, track. That’s all we know.”
The relay had a confusing finish. El Cerrito (Calif.) actually crossed the finish line first with a meet-record time of 1:24.88, breaking the mark of 1:25.17 that LBJ had set on Friday. But LBJ was declared the winner because El Cerrito should have been competing in Division II (large school) races.
Relays official Allen Dews confirmed the reversal, saying a pre-meet clerical error led to the mix-up. The LBJ squad didn’t know they had won until 30 minutes after the race.
“They were sad (about finishing second), but when I told them they came in first place and would retain the meet record, their faces flipped,” LBJ coach Justin Beaman said. “It wasn’t celebratory as we realize the ultimate goal is to win state, but it was a moment to reflect on the process and the value of hard work.”
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Green, who ran LBJ’s anchor leg, said winning with his longtime friends is special.
“I know everything about them, they know everything about me,” Green said. “I know how they feel, how they run and the signals we give each other. We have a tradition (at LBJ) that we do everything together. Not every school is like that.”
LBJ, which had a chance to win three relay medals on Saturday, fell short in the 400 relay, finishing fourth. The Jaguars finished their day with a seventh-place finish in the 1,600 relay.
Three in a row for Lago Vista sprinter
Speaking of big winners, Lago Vista’s Swayde Griffin won the 110-meter hurdles DI with a time of 13:46 seconds. It was his third straight victory in that event at the Texas Relays.
“I’m competing against myself,” said Griffin, a senior who will play football for Arizona in the fall. He has already won the event at the UIL state track and field meet twice.
Georgetown’s Lily Muzzy came up big when it mattered most, winning the girls triple jump with a leap of 41 feet, 9.25 inches. Her winning jump came on his sixth and final attempt. Before that, she was in sixth place. She edged out Plano John Paul II’s Samantha Ennin, who finished in second at 40-8.25.
Around the Relays: medals won on the final day
First for the area: Vandegrift’s Kai McCullough was the first Central Texas athlete to reach the podium. Running the 3,200 meters at 8:30 a.m., he earned a silver medal in the event, finishing at 9:09.55, five seconds behind Canyon’s Lathan Lewter.
Badgers relay wins silver: Lampasas reached the medal stand too, finishing second in the 1,600 relay. The team of Sean Smith, Aaron Everts, Dacoda Fry and Ty Johnson finished at 3:17.42, a half step behind Lindale, which touched the tape at 3:17.22.
Dragons relay third: Round Rock earned a bronze medal by finishing third in the girls 3,200 relay. The team of Ivy Parada, Lola Cope, Merritt Moore and Meredith Wolfe finished in 9 minutes, 13.40 seconds, roughly 13 seconds behind race winner Long Beach Wilson.
MORE: Faith Moore of Anderson among area competitors to watch at Relays
Back home for the Relays: Former Vista Ridge discus thrower Chesni Scott, now a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma, returned to Myers Stadium and finished seventh in the event. At OU, she also competes in the hammer throw, a field event not sanctioned by the UIL.
