Carlson, Johnson, Lady Titans relays strong

[KFDM COOP]

Carlson, Johnson, Lady Titans relays strong

HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD

By Tom Halliburton

The Port Arthur News

ORANGEFIELD -- Taylor Carlson found it nothing unusual to excel in more than one thing Saturday. The Nederland junior merely does it all the time.

  Matt Johnson also is used to excelling in more than one thing, too. The Port Neches-Groves senior simply could do a better job of it with a healthy left leg.

  And Port Arthur Memorial's versatile girls just seem to know how to excel in most everything.

  Those were a few of the local heroes to stand out Saturday at West Orange-Stark's 17th annual Mustang Relays on the Bobcat track.

  Even though their new all-weather track is a week or so from being quite ready, the Lady Titans appear rather ready anyway. Coaches Sandra Bradford and Debra Arvie obviously are not willing to use the absence of a campus track as a sufficient excuse.

  Memorial's girls won six events and took home a whopping 159 1/2 points. That's especially impressive when you consider that runner-up Beaumont Central took home 83.

  Memorial's winners were 300-meter hurdler Paris Collins, senior shot putter Danielle Smith, senior long and triple jumper Terrell Robertson and ... ah, yes, the relay teams.

  Shakeitha Coles, Jasmine Eaglin, Terrell Robertson and Kierra Roy combined in that order for a 50.44, which barely clipped Silsbee's 50.77 for the gold medal. Since that time was not quite low enough to improve on Memorial's area-best 50.21, the same foursome shuffled around their order and ripped off an area-best 1:47.61 to beat Central (1:48.90) in the 800-meter relay by more than a full second.

  Don't be surprised next Saturday at West Brook's Alex Durley Stadium if everyone isn't gunning for Memorial at the 21st annual Beaumont ISD-YMBL Relays.

  "We're coming along," Titans coach Darrell Granger said. "We would be doing better with the track but we're still trying to make the best of it."

  Memorial settled for fourth in the boys points behind champ Central's 96. Host WO-S and PN-G tied for second with 72. But Granger's group competed Saturday without one of its dominant runners. Sprinter-quartermiler Rashaud Brown did not run in the WO-S meet due to a balky lower back.

  But as impressive as Memorial may be, Port Neches-Groves knows how Memorial feels to operate without a facility and nobody seems to handle the field part of track and field better than PN-G.

  Coach Kyle Segura's Indians won three of six field events and brought home a medal to the torn-up Reservation in every field event. Senior Jake Hemmings made it back-to-back wins, stretching it out to 140-4 3/4 in the discus, while Dylan Richards won the high jump at 6-0 on fewer misses. Then along jumped Matt Johnson.

  A former Super Team pass receiver and a capable long and triple jumper, Johnson came within one-fourth inch of Mark LeDoux's school record in the triple jump by going 42-5 3/4. The taller Memorial senior, Craig Bailey, won the event in 42-11 3/4.

  Johnson already had won the long jump during the morning chill with a leap of 20-3 1/2, but he's trying to overcome a tender left leg.

[AggiesAreWe]

Good to see Silsbee's Donovan Harris hasn't missed a beat, winning the 110 hurdles by a full second. Donovan looking to repeat as state champion in the 110 hurdles.

[stang4life]

Good to see Silsbee's Donovan Harris hasn't missed a beat, winning the 110 hurdles by a full second. Donovan looking to repeat as state champion in the 110 hurdles.

Saw him run in Austin last year at State...really exciting!  Glad to see that he rebounded so well!  Best of luck!!!