SportzBuzz - June 2024 | The Buzz Magazines

By Todd Freed, Staff writer | May 27, 2024

Click the Buzz Me button to receive email notifications when this writer publishes a new article or a new article in this column is published.

STATE CHAMPIONS The St. Thomas Eagles captured the TAPPS 6A Boys State Track & Field Championship. The title victory marked the Eagles fourth state championship in the last nine seasons.

The St. Thomas Eagles captured the TAPPS 6A Boys State Track & Field Championship for the fourth time in the last nine years with a decisive 39-point margin over second place Prestonwood Christian Academy. “I was really proud of our athletes and coaches,” said Eagles head track and field coach Nathan Labus. “There was a lot of rain and lightning delays to deal with and yet our guys maintained their focus.”

The Eagles were paced by several big performances including that of Edward Bocock who scored the most points individually and was named the Athlete of the Meet. Bocock won gold medals in both the triple jump and the 110-meter hurdles and finished fourth in the long jump. He also ran one of the fastest legs on the Eagles’ 1600-meter relay team, which won third place.

If all that weren’t enough, Bocock also finished fifth in the 300-meter hurdles despite falling down while leading the race. “Edward was projected to win the 300-meter hurdles, and while he was disappointed not to get the gold, for him to get up and finish the race and still score points just illustrates his talent,” said Labus.

The Eagles also scored big points in the field events with senior Larry Benton finishing first in the shot put and second in the discus throw, while fellow senior Tyler Day won the gold medal in the discus throw. In addition, Benton and Day also ran on the Eagles second place 800-meter relay team.

TRACK DYNASTY The St. Agnes Academy Tigers put forth another dominating performance to win the TAPPS 6A Girls State Track and Field Championship by a 74-point margin. The victory marked the Tigers eighth consecutive state championship.

It was a simply dominant showing for St. Agnes Academy, which won the TAPPS 6A Girls State Track and Field Championship. The Tigers outscored second place Plano John Paul II by a 74-point margin to secure the title. The victory also marked the school’s eighth consecutive state track and field championship.

“Just a total team effort across the board,” said Tigers head track and field coach Chris Warren. “We had standouts in virtually every event.” The Tigers standouts included sophomore Michaela Grimes, who won gold in the 100-meter hurdles, finished third in the 300-meter hurdles and ran on the second place 400-meter relay team.

Also winning a gold medal for the Tigers was freshman Anna Otero in the pole vault. In addition, the foursome of Isabella Stewart, Chizaram Chinwuba, Madison Taylor and Madeiline Soluren teamed up for a first-place finish in the 800-meter relay.

In the field events, the Tigers gained valuable points in the triple jump, long jump, and high jump from Sophia Bellard and Rebecca Jarosz who each medaled in two of those three events, while in the distance races Sophie Da Silva medaled in both the 1600 and 3200-meter runs. Another big contributor was sophomore Kaitlyn Elackett, who finished second in both the 100 and 300-meter hurdles and ran the second leg of the 1600-meter relay.

SPC CHAMPIONS The St. John’s Mavericks captured their first SPC Baseball Championship since the 1991 season. The Mavericks secured the title with a 6-4 victory over the rival Episcopal Knights in the SPC final.

For the first time since 1991, the St. John’s Mavericks are SPC Baseball Champions having secured the title with a 6-4 victory over rival Episcopal High School in the SPC baseball tournament final. “Our kids have been working so hard, and to see them achieve their goals is what it’s all about,” said Mavericks head baseball coach Clint Everts. “It was just really emotional for the kids, coaches, and parents and just really fun to be a part of something this special.”

As had been the case all season, the Mavericks were led by senior co-captains Sam Chase and Carson Luna in the SPC tournament final. A University of Texas signee, Luna doubled to score a pair of runs in a four-run seventh inning while Chase also connected on a two-run double in that same at-bat. Chase will play collegiate baseball at Washington and Lee University. “Those two guys have been our two and three-hole hitters all season and lead the team in virtually all offensive categories,” said Everts.

Also coming up clutch at the plate during the Mavericks’ three SPC tournament victories was sophomore Jack Stanger, who had five hits including a pair of doubles and a two-run homer over the course of the Mavericks three wins.

On the pitching mound, Amherst College signee Walker Dellinger posted a remarkably low 1.03 ERA this past season while also securing the Mavericks a 3-1 victory in the SPC tournament semifinal against Houston Christian. Pitching for the Mavericks in the SPC final victory were juniors Maxime Gonzales, Alexander Rustay, and Will Coffman.

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email [email protected].