HighPoints Magazine

The High School Sports Magazine for North Houston Metro

Track and Field and Cross Country

Ebow Leads the Way to the 18-4A Title

Tuesday, 03 May 2011 01:13

Being a part of a State Champion 4x400 meter relay team last year paid off in more ways than one for Kingwood Park's 4A running star Ian Ebow.

"I ran with Brett Parker who is now at Texas A&M, and it was Brett that came and talked to us this year and told us that we had the ability to win State again," the Panther senior, Ebow says.

That pep talk came after the KP track relayers had a slow start to their season, a beginning that had nothing to do with building up a momentum driven peak, but everything to do with a lack of belief in the new team that had taken shape after graduation with Jesse Hernandez and Ari Nelson replacing Parker and Kolby Chandler.

"We had to realize that if we worked harder and focused better we had the ability to do it (win state)," Ebow says.

Ian finished the 18-4A meet at Turner Stadium with three Gold medals and his veteran relay partner, Nick Rollo took a pair of Golds. Meanwhile, the number one high school hurdler in the U.S, Mariam Amadu of K-Park won the 300 and 100 hurdles, going away. The usual accomplished names made an appearance for the Lady Panthers of Brittney Lanehart: Zahri Jackson, Jennifer Nwuli, also hauled in Golden rewards, while classy Grace Fletcher ended the Humble area portion of her career with a second place finish in the 3200. She along with the others will head to the 3-4A regionals at Huntsville's Sam Houston State. Finally, the last bit of individual news concerned the new pups on the block, Summer Creek High. Lady Bulldog Asia Roberts took three Golds in the running events, while the Maroon's Girls finished third on the team chart. Huntsville won the Girls division, with K-Park not far behind in second. On the Boys side, S-Creek made their debut with a fourth place finish, including Aaron Lecesne qualifying for regional in the 400 meter dash and Dominique Sauls in the High Jump, along with Kiante Matlock in the Shot Put. Meantime, KP's Michael Lindberg won the long-distance double with Gold taken in the two mile and the mile, while KP's Zahri Jackson won by less than nine-tenths of a second over Willis Cali Roper in the mile. On the Boy's side, Ebow's K-Parkers won the team title, while Humble finished as runnerup, and Willis hit third. Summer Creek took fourth in their first go round. One special note: the sister of the pole-vaulter who won the last two State crowns in 5A, won some acclaim for herself, Megan Arnold won the Pole Vault competition. Miranda Delamorena of S-Creek finished third in that event and qualified for regional. They all head to Huntsville, while the 5A'ers in Region Two move to Waco, and of course, don't forget that the Region 3-5A and 3-3A'ers will be in Turner Stadium the first week in May.

Making Tracks

Monday, 02 May 2011 19:07

Team winners in the 14-5A meet at Humble's Turner Stadium are: Girls- The Woodlands High School in first place, TW College Park in second, and Atascocita in third, with Kingwood finishing fourth. Boys: TWHS in first, Kingwood in second, Atascocita in third place, and TWCP in fourth. Notable performances include the long distance double with two mile and one mile run triumphs in the Boys division for Justin Brinkley of Kingwood High, Brian Gohlke of TW Coll. Park was second in both. Brinkley's 4:13 and change was roughly only two seconds behind the state's fastest miler this year, Lewisville Flour Mound Marcus' Craig Lutz. Dalton Rowan of Oak Ridge High won both the Shot Put, and Discus contests, and Robert Semien of Atascocita took the both the 110 and 300 meter hurdles titles and the 1600, 4X400 relay crown. His teammate D.J. Beyette was part of that same relay Gold- 1600 meters(mile) and an individual Gold in the 800 meters. On the Girls side, Jones with her triple Gold was joined by N'Dia Warren-Jacques of Oak Ridge in the Discus and Shot Put; Oca Williams of TWCP in the Long and Triple Jump, Katie Willard of TWHS in the 800 and 1600 meter run, and Jiullian Anderson of Atascocita in the 1600 relay and the 400 meter dash. Fantastic frosh Madi McLellan of TWHS won the 3200 meters( two mile), and finally Alexis Crowe in the 200 meter dash, and 800 meter relay, representing The Woodlands.

Running To Live

Monday, 02 May 2011 18:34

Over the years, Track and Field and all the other kinds of running competitions that anyone can name have been filled with inspirational stories. Perhaps there is none more amazing and awe-inspiring than the story of Wilma Rudolph. Or, is that the one that carries with it the largest amount of jaw dropping admiration?

It's arguable that someone who had suffered childhood Polio as Rudolph did while growing up in the rural segregated south during the 1950s, has a lock on most inspirational backstory. Especially after she became one of the greatest Olympic athletes this country has ever produced. But, dominating women's Track and Field in the 1960s after what Wilma Rudolph overcame in Tennessee, is not the only incredible episode in the history of the sport. Not when there is Atascocita High's Ariel Jones. Not when she is running to live, with the truth. Not when her surrogate sister is facing a similar tale. Ariel Ariel_hurdle

Recently, there was a piece in Sports Illustrated in which a tri-athlete, a 70 year old tri-athlete-- swimming biking, and running triathlons' athlete--was covered.

The Grace of a Winner and the Honors That Follow

Tuesday, 22 February 2011 22:12

The Grace of a Winner and the Honors That Follow

Kingwood Park High has only been around for four years, but between its stellar athletes, particularly in Basketball and Cross-Country/Track and Field, and its outstanding academic reputation, the phrase “state of the art” might be becoming too weak and passe’ when it comes to describing its impact in this community.