AUSTIN – Caprock senior Alhosan Sheriff went from wildcard to a wildly popular Texas state track medal winner Friday night.

Sheriff saved his best for last pulling off a personal record time in the 110-meter hurdles in the final race of his high school career coming away with a bronze medal, the first state track medal by a Caprock High athlete since 2016 when Kang Lueth earned a bronze in the 800-meter run.

“I woke up feeling good today,” Sheriff said. “The whole time I was pumping myself up. I knew I had to go. I came in as the wildcard. This was my last year and I had to go out with a bang.”

Sheriff had placed third in the 110-meter hurdles at the Region I-5A meet two weeks ago in Lubbock meaning he had to have the best time of the four third place finishers in the four regions of Texas to complete the field of nine.

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That wildcard is rarely a thought to make the medal stand. Nobody told Sheriff or his track coach Robert Soleyjacks.

Sheriff is such a good athlete he plays football, basketball and runs track for the Longhorns. During a normal track meet he is busy pushing through fatigue on relays, running hurdles and jumping as one of the best triple jumpers in the 806.

Caprock track coach Robert Soleyjacks formed a plan with Sheriff taking advantage of the two weeks between regional as well as the chance to focus on one event – the 110 hurdles. The plan?

“Break down all different phases of his race,” Soleyjacks said. “Get him healthy and build his confidence up. … he felt the best he has all season going into this race.”

Sheriff drew line and down the line in lane two was Palo Duro’s Kyron Brown. Brown had beaten Sheriff in every race the two had competed in this year.

But this night belonged to Sheriff.

The young man whose family has a strong track tradition – his sister running at West Texas A&M, one of his brothers University of Texas-San Antonio – had a good start out of the blocks. Then at the sixth hurdle he put up a mindset of not being denied the medal stand when a runner inside of him approached.

“I felt great, I felt amazing the whole way,” Sherrif said of his personal best time of 13.91, .41 behind winner senior Traevonne Latimer of Angleton. “At hurdle six was the best part of my race. I don’t who was on the side of me, I think it’s the kid who got second. I saw him going fast and I was like ‘No, I’ve got to get him.’  And then I saw guy out in one of the farther lanes and he was running fast, too. I was like I have to get at least third.

“I knew coming in being the wildcard people would be underestimating my time. But in hurdles it can be anybody’s day.”

And this day was a day Sherriff deserved, said Coach Soleyjacks.

“There is nobody more deserving of this than Alhosan,” Soleyjacks said. “He shows up every day to improve whether its getting treatment for an injury or working on some aspect of his great athletic ability. He earned his fruits of labor.”

Sherrif praised his coaches like Coach Soleyjacks for helping guide to this medal and said words of encouragement from Caparock head football coach Rowdy Freeman telling him ‘you have to go if you want to get it’ inspired him.

Freeman said “winning this medal couldn’t have happened to a better kid. He earned it.”

Sherrif said the confidence to make the medal stand Friday arrived from “knowing everybody that was watching me I wanted to make everybody proud. All the people back home sending me good luck or wishing me the best, I had to do it fore them. I feel great. This was amazing.”

Amarillo ISD found the going tough

Except for Caprock’s Sherriff bronze medal, no other Amarillo ISD was able to make the medal stand as the talent was certainly on display during the 5A meet. Also, the 806 Wheelchair athletes came close but didn’t medal. Here’s the results:

• Amarillo High junior Willow Cornell finished 9th in the 100 meter hurdles with a 14.59
• Palo Duro junior Kyron Brown finished 5th in the 110 hurdles with a 14.32.
• Amarillo High boys 800 meter relay of Jude Dunavin, Creed Cavalier, Brandon Jiwa and Landon Barker finished 7th in 1:27.24.
• Amarillo High senior Sofia Quiles finished 5th in the 400 meter run at 55.93.
• Tascosa junior Chandler Graham finished 5th in 300 meter hurdles with a time of 44.54.
• Amarillo High sophomore Graeme Osteen finished 7th in the discus at 165-3.
• Amarillo High girls 1600 Relay of Mya Velsaquez, Kinley Davis, Willow Cornell, Sofia Quiles finished 7th in a time of 3:52.98.
• Caprock High junior Tristen West, a wheelchair participant, was fifth in the shotput, 6th in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 400-meter.
• Randall High senior Tahlie Brandt, a previous gold medal winner in the wheelchair competition, placed fourth in the shot put.
• Pampa High senior Avery Ferguson, a wheelchair participant, finished 7th in the 100 meter dash

CHECK OUT THE RESULTS

For a look at the complete results from Friday’s state track and field meet, please visit https://www.milesplit.live/meets/746342/schedule