Everybody calls Andre Carter "Stick."

"Stick" is also the common term called out by relay teams when they are ready to hand off. The Bryan senior will be yelling it and hearing it Friday as a member of two Viking relay teams at the Class 5A Region II track meet at Baylor's Hart-Patterson Track in Waco.

Carter picked up his nickname from his dad, and he's not likely to lose it. With his thin build, it's a nickname that, well ... sticks.

"They called my dad 'Sticky' and called me 'Little Sticky,'" Carter said. The name got shortened to "Stick" as Carter's track career drew longer -- and better.

"This could be the best year of my life," Carter said. "I love track. I've been running since I was about seven or eight years old."

Carter believes at least one of Bryan's relay teams will earn a trip to the UIL state meet, but as a member of two running quartets, he's also well aware to take his steps -- and handoffs -- one at a time.

"I worked on making it to regionals and then going to state," Carter said. "That's all I want, and I told them, too. Going to state is what we have been working for this whole season."

He has experience on his side. As a junior, Carter was a member of Bryan's 800-meter relay team that reached regionals but didn't get out of the preliminaries, finishing in 1 minute, 28.44 seconds.

All four members of Bryan's 800 relay squad have regional experience.

"It helps a lot because I know what to expect when I get there," Carter said of his regional return. "They had better work hard, because this is nothing like district."

Running fast is one thing. Running fast side-by-side with some of the speediest sprinters in the state is another.

"Those guys who have been there have seen the speed on the track," Bryan coach Justin Smith said. "The big thing is it helps them be at ease and they aren't overwhelmed by what they see at the track. That puts them in a mindset of just going out and taking care of business."

Carter also will run on the Vikings' sprint relay, handling what can often be the longer backstretch. Top sprinters squeeze a little more than 100 meters out of that third leg depending on where they receive and hand off the baton.

He will lead off the 800 relay and thinks he knows who will get his handoff. Junior teammate C.J. Demouchette made a surprise switch in positions at the District 13-5A meet, moving up to the second spot from his usual anchor leg.

And he didn't tell Carter.

"He confused me," said a smiling Carter. "I didn't know whether to give him the baton or ask him what he was doing. I was thinking 'What is C.J. doing right here?' I didn't know what to do, so I just gave him the baton."

It proved to be a good decision. Bryan raced to victory with Monterell Washington and Tre Odom closing out the race in a season-best 41.84 seconds.

"You want guys to peak at the right time," Smith said. "At district, they ran the best time of the year. I'm looking forward to them running the best time of the year at the regional meet."

Bryan's 41.84 is quick, but the Vikings are chasing Rowlett's 41.22 set at the Lancaster regional qualifiers' meet last week.

The top two finishers at each event qualify for the state meet.

Bryan also ran its best 800 relay time at the 13-5A meet in Temple, finishing in 1:27.07. Spring Westfield holds Region II's top time at 1:25.94.

But the margin Bryan has to make up on paper doesn't intimidate Carter, who says the Vikings are viewing this year's trip to regionals with more expectations than last year.

"It's way bigger," Carter said. "We've got a real chance to make it out in the 4x2, and we're going to do that."

Carter might've been handed down his nickname, but he had to prove himself to keep it.

In middle schools he ran the 800 and 1,600 but wanted to return to sprints. His desire motivated him to work harder, and it led to a strong high school career in the sprints.

Carter also will compete in the 200 at regionals, though he would appear to face long odds at reaching state. He finished fifth at 22.53 at the Baylor regional qualifiers meet last week. Killeen Shoemakers's Derrick Mayes won at 21.48 and Mayes' time is the sixth-best time in Region II.

"The sprint relay is going to be big, because it will give me confidence in the open 200," Carter said. "It was a tough race at district, and I didn't think I was going to do that well, but I got second behind Derrick Mayes, who I played against. I guarded him."

Mayes had been a football opponent for Carter, who was secondary standout for the Vikings' football team.

"It's easier on the track because it's just speed," Carter said. "You don't have to worry about technique. But football gives you a lot competitionwise. You don't want to lose."

• David Campbell's e-mail address is david.campbell@theeagle.com.

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