High School Track & Field

Taylor’s Foster sets national, state marks at 19-6A meet

By Dennis Silva II, Sports Editor
Posted 4/10/21

Before he hangs up his Taylor track and field apparel for good, Bryce Foster has great expectations for how he wants to finish out his awe-inspiring high school career in the throwing ring.

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High School Track & Field

Taylor’s Foster sets national, state marks at 19-6A meet

Posted

Before he hangs up his Taylor track and field apparel for good, Bryce Foster has high hopes for how he wants to finish out his awe-inspiring high school career in the throwing ring.

Foster wants the state record in the discus, which is 215-feet, 2-inches. He is only four-feet, eight-inches off the mark. In the shot put, Foster wants the school record of 68-feet, 8-inches set by Otito Ogbonnia. In practice, he has a personal record of 69-feet, 7-inches.

For now, however, the Olympic hopeful and Texas A&M signee in football and track and field will have to settle for national and state marks. Foster breezed his way to district championships in the discus and shot put at the District 19-6A track and field meet at Paetow High on Tuesday, April 6. Foster’s mark of 210-feet, 10-inches in the discus is No. 1 in the nation

Foster, who qualified for state in both events his sophomore year and would have last year as well if the pandemic had not canceled the 2020 high school track and field postseason, is throwing as well as he has. Ever.

Why? How? Well, for one, he is more relaxed. No longer is recruiting occupying Foster’s mind. He is throwing with a clearer conscience.

“I’ve always had that little stress of the recruiting and colleges, and having that off my shoulders … I felt a big weight come off my shoulders whenever I did commit (in December),” Foster said. “I had my two best ever high school football games the two weeks after I committed, and that just shows how much of a burden it can be, even if it doesn’t look like it may be.”

Another key is Foster is now more of a technician of throwing. He doesn’t rely only on strength and power like he did his freshman and sophomore years. He is more a student of his craft.

“I think the biggest difference for me these last few years has been how more technically sound I’m trying to be,” Foster said. “My freshman and sophomore year, it was about how strong I was and how much I could bench and squat. But I didn’t realize how much of a technical aspect it could be and how much it could improve a throw.”

For instance, Foster is fully finishing his spin on throws.

“I was always landing flat-footed in the middle. I wouldn’t keep my spin going,” he said. “The spin is all about momentum, but when I would spin to the middle of the ring, I would step so hard that my spin would practically stop. I was losing momentum. So, I’ve been practicing keeping the spin going and not stopping and not slowing down.”

It allows for better acceleration throughout the throw.

Foster is also working on “getting everything into the implement.” When he throws, the discus and shot put go toward the right sector in direction, but his body is going left.

“It’s a whole bunch of yardage I can add on to my throw if I can just get everything going in the right direction,” Foster said. “It’s crazy how one mess up of a movement can throw off everything.”

Perhaps the most important factor of his success, he said, has been his confidence, which is sky high because he is more consistent as a thrower.

“A really big (mark) is coming soon for both of them,” said Foster, who has a practice personal record of 217 feet in the discus and the aforementioned 69-7 in the shot put.

Foster was one of eight individuals who won multiple district championships at the 19-6A meet, joining Tompkins’ David Foster (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash), Taylor’s Hollis Robinson (triple jump, high jump), Katy High’s Jada Campos (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash), Seven Lakes’ Paige Boucher (300-meter hurdles, triple jump), and Cinco Ranch’s Amelia Flynt (shot put, discus).

Cinco Ranch senior Sophie Atkinson and Tompkins freshman Jayden Keys were the only individuals to claim a district title in three events. Atkinson won gold in the 800-meter run, 1600-meter run and 3200-meter run. Keys won the 110-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and the long jump.

Tompkins won the boys team title with 194 points, dominating the field by winning nine of 17 events. Seven Lakes won the girls team title with 198 points. Cinco Ranch came in second place in both the boys and girls divisions.

The top four finishers in each event qualified for the area meet April 15 at Paetow High.

BOYS

Team

  1. Tompkins, 194
  2. Cinco Ranch, 123
  3. Seven Lakes, 104
  4. Morton Ranch, 73
  5. Taylor, 63.5
  6. Mayde Creek, 32
  7. Katy High, 30.5

100M Dash: 1. David Foster, Tompkins, 10.46; 2. Marquis Shoulders, Tompkins, 10.68; 3. Blake Harris, Tompkins, 10.82; 4. Julius Loughridge, Mayde Creek, 10.91.

200M Dash: 1. David Foster, Tompkins, 22.56; 2. TayShawn Wilson, Mayde Creek, 22.74; 3. Jackson Kimble, Cinco Ranch, 22.76; 4. Josh McMillan, Tompkins, 22.99.

400M Dash: 1. Mark Ngei, Tompkins, 48.72; 2. Alex Lopez, Seven Lakes, 50.94; 3. Joshua Johnson, Morton Ranch, 51.14; 4. Charles Umehai, Cinco Ranch, 51.16.

800M Run: 1. Wyatt Green, Cinco Ranch, 1:55.82; 2. Ruben Rojas Betanzos, Seven Lakes, 1:55.84; 3. Ryan Du Plessis, Cinco Ranch, 1:59.28; 4. Jake Wiggington, Tompkins, 1:59.33.

1600M Run: 1. Ruben Rojas Betanzos, Seven Lakes, 4:22.42; 2. Gavin Saacke, Tompkins, 4:24.35; 3. Ethan Boyd, Cinco Ranch, 4:26.98; 4. Adrian Hahn Vadstein, Cinco Ranch, 4:27.52.

3200M Run: 1. Gavin Saacke, Tompkins, 9:43.40; 2. Adrian Hahn Vadstein, Cinco Ranch, 9:43.57; 3. Ruben Rojas Betanzos, Seven Lakes, 9:50.47; 4. Leopoldo Toro Figueira, Seven Lakes, 9:51.83.

110M Hurdles: 1. Jayden Keys, Tompkins, 14.26; 2. Hollis Robinson, Taylor, 14.62; 3. Shepherd Bowling, Katy, 14.65; 4. Justus Hadnot, Morton Ranch, 14.71.

300M Hurdles: 1. Jayden Keys, Tompkins, 39.67; 2. KJ Gilbert, Tompkins, 40.38; 3. JC Aquin, Tompkins, 40.74; 4. Chamar Smith, Morton Ranch, 40.92.

4x100M Relay: 1. Tompkins (Mark Ngei, Josh McMillan, Blake Harris, Marquis Shoulders), 41.88; 2. Mayde Creek (Alpha Khan, Julius Loughridge, Jordan Kelly, TayShawn Wilson), 42.67; 3. Cinco Ranch (Nathan Memilliod, Seth Salverino, Dion Milton, Mario Chalmers), 43.10; 4. Morton Ranch (Jaelon Davis, Justus Hadnot, Jermichael Johnson, Karsten Christopher), 43.18.

4x200M Relay: 1. Tompkins (Michael Ojoko, Josh McMillan, Daniel Crain, Caden Williams), 1:28.33; 2. Morton Ranch (Jaelon Davis, Jermichael Johnson, Robine Lane Jr., Vontez Hood), 1:29.14; 3. Cinco Ranch (Mario Chalmers, Seth Salverino, Jackson Kimble, Noah Abboud), 1:29.52; 4. Seven Lakes (Grayson Medford, Chidiebere Okoko, Preston Mendoza, Dylan Volpe), 1:29.82.

4x400M Relay: 1. Seven Lakes (Bogdan Pazin, Chidiebere Okoko, Alex Lopez, Christopher Gonzalez), 3:25.36; 2. Cinco Ranch (Jonathan Buck, Wyatt Green, Jackson Kimble, Charles Umehai), 3:25.73; 3. Morton Ranch (Robine Lane Jr., Chamar Smith, Jaelon Davis, Joshua Johnson), 3:28.99; 4. Tompkins (Mark Ngei, KJ Gilbert, Daniel Crain, JC Aquin), 3:30.51.

Long Jump: 1. Jayden Keys, Tompkins, 24’-2 ½”; 2. Seth Salverino, Cinco Ranch, 22’-10 ½”; 3. Jermichael Johnson, Morton Ranch, 22’-8”; 4. Caden Williams, Tompkins, 21’-8”.

Shot Put: 1. Bryce Foster, Taylor, 65’-3”; 2. Matthew Rueff, Seven Lakes, 55’-10 ¼”; 3. Aaron Session, Morton Ranch, 50’-6 ¾”; 4. Julius Loughridge, Mayde Creek, 49’-8 ¾”.

Discus: 1. Bryce Foster, Taylor, 210’-10”; 2. Matthew Rueff, Seven Lakes, 178’-5”; 3. Seth Roberts, Seven Lakes, 151’-7”; 4. Ian Flynt, Taylor, 149’-10”.

Triple Jump: 1. Hollis Robinson, Taylor, 46’-7”; 2. Jermichael Johnson, Morton Ranch, 44’-7 ¼: 3. Leonid Izvekov, Katy, 43’-1 ½” 4. Dylan Volpe, Seven Lakes, 42’-6”.

High Jump: 1. Hollis Robinson, Taylor, 6’-4”; 2. Blake Harris, Tompkins, 6’-2”; 3. Benjamin Wowo, Tompkins, 6’-2”; 4. Emmanuel Gregory, Cinco Ranch, 6’-0”.

Pole Vault: 1. Will Saxman, Cinco Ranch, 14’-6”; 2. Matthew Kumar, Tompkins, 13’-6”; 3. Ethan Becker, Taylor, 12’-6”; 4. William Rodriguez, Katy, 12’-6”.

GIRLS

Team

  1. Seven Lakes, 198
  2. Cinco Ranch, 146
  3. Tompkins, 108
  4. Mayde Creek, 75
  5. Katy High, 71
  6. Morton Ranch, 8
  7. Taylor, 6

100M Dash: 1. Jada Campos, Katy, 11.54; 2. Alyssa Tate, Seven Lakes, 11.78; 3. Brooke Jackson, Seven Lakes, 12.05; 4. Morgan Marshall, Tompkins, 12.09.

200M Dash: 1. Jada Campos, Katy, 24.80; 2. Brooke Jackson, Seven Lakes, 15.58; 3. Ibiso David-West, 25.88; 4. Shelby Campassi, Seven Lakes, 26.28.

400M Dash: 1. Haley Tate, Seven Lakes, 55.76; 2. Avary Catchings, Seven Lakes, 58.60; 3. Deborah Imeh, Taylor, 58.69; 4. Kris Pasia, Tompkins, 59.79.

800M Run: 1. Sophie Atkinson, Cinco Ranch, 2:13.08; 2. Hayden Gold, Tompkins, 2:17.20; 3. Heidi Nielson, Cinco Ranch, 2:19.66; 4. Avary Catchings, Seven Lakes, 2:22.49.

1600M Run: 1. Sophie Atkinson, Cinco Ranch, 4:58.90; 2. Heidi Nielson, Cinco Ranch, 4:59.16; 3. Addison Stevenson, Tompkins, 5:11.31; 4. Hayden Gold, Tompkins, 5:14.21.

3200M Run: 1. Sophie Atkinson, Cinco Ranch, 10:43.49; 2. Heidi Nielson, Cinco Ranch, 10:49.20; 3. Isabella Rubio, Katy, 11:29.20; 4. Grace Havern, Seven Lakes, 11:30.53.

100M Hurdles: 1. Simone Ballard, Mayde Creek, 15.67; 2. Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 14.00; 3. Lanaye Keys, Tompkins, 14.53; 4. Jayla Wilson, Mayde Creek, 14.99.

300M Hurdles: 1. Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 45.94; 2. Summer Halphen, Seven Lakes, 46.81; 3. Jayla Wilson, Mayde Creek, 47.11; 4. Lanaye Keys, Tompkins, 47.59.

4x100M Relay: 1. Seven Lakes (Alyssa Tate, Sydney Kim, Ibiso David-West, Haley Tate), 47.05; 2. Tompkins (Caroline Redman, Anjie Saanumi, Morgan Marshall, Lanaye Keys), 48.40; 3. Mayde Creek (Demetria White, Michayla Ivory, Alaya Frazier, Miracle Boudine), 48.70; 4. Katy (Jaya Jackson-Bray, Victorious Orekoya, Alleigh Johnson, Kaycee McCoy). 49.86.

4x200M Relay: 1. Mayde Creek (Michayla Ivory, Miracle Boudine, Jayla Wilson, Demetria White), 1:41.60; 2. Seven Lakes (Shelby Campassi, Taylar Murray, Sydney Kim, Brooke Jackson), 1:41.61; 3. Cinco Ranch (Brandi Ash, Sydney McCray, Nikki Robison, Laila Ashraf), 1:44.69; 4. Tompkins (Amara Odu, Caroline Redman, Morgan Marshall, Anavaleria Martinez), 1:46.23.

4x400M Relay: 1. Seven Lakes (Alyssa Tate, Avary Catchings, Ibiso David-West, Haley Tate), 3:54.36; 2. Tompkins (Amara Odu, Marisa Marinchak, Hayden Gold, Kris Pasia), 4:07.14; 3. Cinco Ranch (Jennifer Edozie, Sydney McCray, Laila Ashraf, Brandi Ash), 4:10.56; 4. Katy (Simone Savage, Jada Campos, Jaya Jackson-Bray, Victorious Orekoya), 4:13.23.

Long Jump: 1. Lanaye Keys, Tompkins, 18’-10 ½”; 2. Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 18’-0”; 3. Tolu Odetola, Tompkins, 17’-8”; 4. Demetria White, Mayde Creek, 17’-3”.

Shot Put: 1. Amelia Flynt, Cinco Ranch, 46’-11”; 2. Zena Tarhini, Mayde Creek, 38’-3 ¼” 3. Kaycee McCoy, Katy, 35’-9 ¾”; 4. Matilda Gbenda, Cinco Ranch, 35’-5”.

Discus: 1. Amelia Flynt, Cinco Ranch, 149’-6”; 2. Toryn Turpin, Katy, 120’-11”; 3. Matilda Gbenda, 109’-6”; 4. Kayla McKey, Mayde Creek, 109’-0”.

Triple Jump: 1. Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 38’-6 ¾”; 2. Nikki Robison, Cinco Ranch, 36-7 ¾”; 3. Tolu Odetola, Tompkins, 36’-6 ½”; 4. Hailey East, Cinco Ranch, 36’-3 ¾”.

High Jump: 1. Chandler Lee, Katy, 5’-2”; 2. Hayley Byrd, Cinco Ranch, 5’-0”; 2. Summer Halphen Seven Lakes, 5’-0”; 4. Sri Boodoo, Cinco Ranch, 4’-10”.

Pole Vault: 1. Lauren Schmitt, Seven Lakes, 11’-6”; 2. Mia Martinson, Seven Lakes, 10’-6”; 3. Bella Borreson, Cinco Ranch, 10’-6”; 4. Aubrey Tupper, Seven Lakes, 10’-0”.

Katy ISD, athletics, high school track and field, Katy, Texas, District 19-6A, Bryce Foster, Taylor High School, Taylor Mustangs