The Pilot Point Bearcats and Lady Cats left it all out on the track with their recent showing at the UIL 3A Region II Track Meet in Whitehouse on May 1 and 2.
The Bearcats finished tied for fourth out of 36 teams, with a team total of 34 points and a gold medal performance from one of their relay teams.
“They went out there and competed, and they did great,” said Tyler Lawson, Pilot Point head boys track coach. “The schedule got changed for us with the weather that came in. … Friday had really bad conditions. It was 50 degrees and raining, and they did exactly what they’ve done all year long.”
The Bearcats’ 4x400meter relay team—Michael Marsh, Drevion James, David Pickrel and Hunter Newman— were the team’s top performers, finishing first in the event with a Pilot Point ISD and 3A Region II Meet record time of 3:20.47.
Newman, who ran the anchor leg, said the Bearcats refused to lose.
“There was a girl from another school who was crying because her team didn’t make it in the 4x1, and I remember thinking, ‘That can’t be us this year,’” he said. “… When I took the handoff, Gunter was right behind us, and when we hit the first straightaway, he passed me, and we made eye contact and the thing I was thinking was, ‘Too early.’ We got to the final curve, and the moment I saw the finish line, I knew I had to book it.”
Newman described the moment of crossing the finish line as “euphoric.”
Marsh expanded on Newman’s description of the moment.
“With the last three years ending in heartbreak for us, it feels good to finally be able to break through and make it to State,” he said. “… Now we’re looking forward to having the chance to compete against the best, and we already broke the school record; why not break it even more?”
The Bearcats’ 4x400meter relay team will compete at the UIL 3A State Track Meet at 8:45 p.m. Thursday at Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium.
Newman also finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.78 seconds.
Jack Harpool was the Bearcats’ next top performer, winning bronze in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.38 seconds.
In the field events, Caleb Johnson and Luke Conner finished eighth and 12th, with jumps of 6-feet and 5-feet-10inches, respectively.
Kaleb Reid finished eighth in the pole vault with a best of 12-feet-6inches.
The Bearcats 4x200meter relay team finished fifth with a time of 1:28.97.
The Lady Cats finished tied for 17th out of 37 teams, with a team total of 12 points.
“We had a bunch of kids make it to regionals, and everybody competed really well,” said Jeff Price, Pilot Point girls track coach. “We didn’t get anybody to State, but I thought the kids competed really well. Ava [Smith] got third in the mile, Peytyn [Goodin] was fourth in her open 400 and then the girls’ mile relay finished seventh in the finals, and it was really fun to see all the girls compete.”
Smith was the Lady Cats’ top performer, winning bronze in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:27.29.
Goodin finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 59.09 seconds.
Sophia Garcia finished fifth in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:05.46.
Kaelyn Chaney placed eighth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:28.73, and Alliyah Smith placed 13th in the shot put with a personal best throw of 30-feet-10-inches.
The Lady Cats’ 4x400meter relay team finished seventh with a time of 4:09.77.
Price thanked Chad Worrell, Pilot Point athletic director and head football coach; the Pilot Point track coaching staff; Pilot Point ISD Superintendent Dr. Shannon Fuller; and the Pilot Point parents for their support of the Lady Cats’ season.
