Bulldogs, Bearcats state bound Tioga sends large group to Austin
Track season is closing in on the finish line in the Ranch Cities, with the Tioga Bulldogs, Pilot Point Bearcats and Aubrey Chaparrals track teams all competed at their respective regional meets April 18 and 19.
The Bulldogs captured Tioga’s first-ever regional championship in track at the UIL 2A-Region 2 Meet hosted at Porcupine Stadium in Springtown, with multiple runners earning an opportunity to compete at the state meet in Austin on May 1-3.
“Trying to advance as many kids as possible is always our first goal,” Tioga head boys track coach Beau Burrus said. “… With the [number] of kids that we had in all the events and having three relays go in there, it put us in a position to win the whole dang thing, and our kids came out and performed, and did exactly that.”
The Bulldogs’ championship performance was headlined by their relay teams, consisting of Quesyn Arrington (Fr.), Justin Arrington (So.), Jake David (So.), Greeley McAden (Jr.) and Austin Norwood (Sr.), that won gold in the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays, with times of 43.03 seconds and 1:29.48.
Newcomer Quesyn, who has been highlighted throughout the season by Burrus, said he appreciates the opportunity to run with his older brother, Justin, and that he’s looking forward to competing on the big stage.
“It’s awesome as a freshman to be able to run with my brother, and I’m thankful for the coaches and everyone that supported me,” he said. “… I'm excited just to go down there, compete and be able to put the brand on the map.”
The relay team also captured the silver medal in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:20.32, trailing the Hawley Bearcats by two hundredths of a second.
“We got edged out by a budding rivalry that we’ve found ourselves in with Hawley, … but we’re the two fastest times in the state,” Burrus said. “The wild card third-place team, Hamilton, is also coming out of our region, [so] this is a really tough region.”
Sam Mott (Sr.) kept the good times rolling for the Bulldogs in the individual events, winning gold in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.37 seconds.
Mott also finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.79 seconds.
Norwood punched his ticket to Austin individually with a silver medal finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.26 seconds, crossing the finish line four hundredths of a second behind Francis Patanpatan of Hawley High School.
Kyson Kirkland (So.), Garrison Black (So.), Alexis Santoyo-Pina (Jr.) and Cason Serna (Sr.) also contributed to Tioga’s regional championship but were not able to move on to the next round.
Kirland finished fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:03.54.
Black finished 11th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:50.74.
Santoyo-Pina placed 12th in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:46.28.
Serna placed eighth in the shot put with a distance of 43-feet-11-inches.
On the girls’ side, Kyndall Whitley (So.) was the lone Lady Bulldog to earn a spot in Austin.
Whitley won silver in the 100- and 200-meter dashes with times of 12.86 seconds and 26.33 seconds.
“What she did in the 200 was special,” Burrus said. “She was seeded fourth after the prelims and then went out and got it. … She snuck up there and got silver and people went nuts. Those were probably the loudest cheers from our group for any individual race.”
Whitley credited her performance to head girls track coach Rickey Smith and assistant coach Stephen Fewell.
“They were really encouraging, and they know what they’re talking about,” she said. “They knew what to do during each practice and how that would help me get better for the meet.”
Whitley also finished seventh in the triple jump with a distance of 34-feet-6 3/4-inches.
Lindsey Byler rounded out the field events for the Lady Bulldogs.
The senior placed fifth in the shot put with her best throw traveling 35-feet-11inches and eighth in the discus with a best of 108-feet-8inches.
