Snook, Cameron girls have shot at state track titles

Team members rarely slip on their spiked shoes at the UIL state track and field meet with plans for a team championship.

It has to be in the back of the minds of the Cameron Lady Yoe and the Snook Lady Bluejays, though.

While neither team could lock up a title until Saturday, Friday's opening day of competition at the Mike A. Myers Stadium could help set things in motion for Snook.

Snook's Shakera Barnes will compete in the long jump at noon Friday. Points in that event are a bonus for the sophomore, who will compete in four events in two days.

As the defending champion, Barnes has the best credentials in the 400 meters, but the competition is strong.

Snook's Tia Evans, part of the initial wild-card class of competitors who qualified despite finishing third at regional, could play a major role in the 100. Both of Snook's girls relay teams should contend for medals, with Lady Bluejays the gold-medal favorite in the 400 relay. Overall, Snook has the potential to score 80 points.

Cameron's quest will start early Saturday with Brook Brashear a long shot in the pole vault. But she is a long shot who has taken great strides in the event this season, and she will be relay contributor.

With Martha Bustamante running the 800 and 1,600, the Lady Yoe have an 80-point potential but should be tested in the race for the team title by Universal City Randolph, which also has the potential to score 80. The Centerville girls shared the girls Class 2A title with Rice Consolidated last year when each team scored 36.

Cameron has the best qualifying time in the sprint relay and has a shot at double gold with their 800 relay team. Relay teams are awarded double points for their events, making them critical to a team's chances.

Rockdale junior Daniel Brooks will bid for unprecendented triple when he runs the 110 hurdles, 100 and 300 hurdles. He won the 110 hurdles and the 100 at Myers Stadium at the Texas Relays. In the 300 hurdles, Brooks stayed alive at the 3A Region III meet despite falling. He got up and came from behind to finish second. His father, Tony, still holds the 3A state record in the event.

Senior Will Antkowiak of Brenham and Bremond's Johnathon White will try to offer up encores to previous outstanding peformances. Antkowiak, who will also run the 1,600, is back in the 3,200 in which he set the 4A state record last season. White is the two-time champion in the Class A 800 and will have some sibling rivalry. His brother Jacob is also qualified in the event.

Navasota's Rodney Brown won state in the 3A discus last year and may be the man to beat again. But Rockdale's Le'Raven Clark, the 2010 bronze medalist, has beaten him in a meet this year. The two will also square off in the shot put. Clark qualified as the wild card.

Re'Jana Ellison of Hearne has a state meet on her list accomplishments and the sophomore will run the 100, 200 and compete in the triple jump and has medal chances on all three. She won bronze in the 100 and 200 last year. A strong performance in the triple jump Friday could boost her Saturday afternoon confidence.

There will likely be surprises, although A&M Consolidated sophomore Henry Taylor may be poised to leave the "surprise" tag behind. Earlier this year, he was a raw but talented runner. The talent has not left, but he ran an exceptional turn at the Region II meet to earn his first state berth. He will be the only Brazos Valley competitor to run Saturday evening in the 5A competition.