LUBBOCK – All four Amarillo ISD high schools had something in common Saturday at the Region 1-5A Track and Field Championships at Lowrey Field Plains Capital Park.
Each school has athletes packing their bags for the 2025 University Interscholastic League state meet in Austin next month.
Led by the Amarillo High girls claiming the 1-5A regional title in dramatic style winning the last event of the meet (1600 Relay) – by the way, only the second time in AISD history a girls track team has won regionals – Amarillo ISD athletes found their way to the medal stand collecting six gold medals, five silver medals and six bronze medals in individual events and relays.
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Amarillo High girls, the first AISD track team winning regionals in 2021, scored 20 points in claiming the 1600 Relay and captured the team crown with 66 points.
Do the math, without those 20 points AHS doesn’t eclipse Denton Ryan finishing second with 59 points or Aledo third with 57 points. Aledo was also in the 1600 Relay and finished fifth.
AHS girls head coach Jonathan Woodward spoke with emotion in his voice afterwards knowing his mentor Joe Bain passed away this past year and the former AHS track coach eat, breathed and preached the importance of the 1600 Relay.
“This was impressive,” said Woodward, also the coach of the 2021 Lady Sandie regional champs. “It’s perfect it came down to the mile relay. I love the mile relay and that come from my mentor. It’s ironic (Coach Bain) passed away last September and this came down to the mile relay.”
Woodard called on Sofia Quiles in the leadoff, sophomore Willow Cornell to run the second leg, Memori Hibbler for the third leg and senior Sierra Cornell for the anchor leg.
The race quickly became a three-team showdown with Burleson pretty much leading the opening three laps and Burleson Centennial and AHS going back and forth in second and third.
AHS was in third when Sierra Cornell was handed the baton.
Sierra had already gutted out a drama-filled 800 winning by an eyelash at 2:13.36351 over Burleson’s Kathryn Evans 2:13.36556.
Meanwhile, Quiles and Hibbler had been apart of a wild turn of emotions when Burleson was disqualified after the 800 Relay because its first runner had fallen and rolled into the AHS lane.
Burleson won the race and AHS finished third. But after almost 45 minutes of discussion, it was declared Burleson would be DQ’d moving AHS up to second and a berth into the state meet as only the top two teams earn berths.
Evans anchored Burleson’s 1600 Relay so that’s who Sierra Cornell was trying to chase down when she took the baton.
“Some races are strategy races,” Sierra Cornell said. “The 4 by 4 you just go all out since it’s the last race of the day.”
And, all out is what she did.
Sierra took over second place on the back stretch passing Burleson Centennial’s Ella Magallan. Magallan hung behind Sierra as they both reached the final curve.
Sierra ran past Burleson’s Evans and never looked back finishing almost a full second in front of Magallan.
“I think I went in with confidence when I got the baton and just said to myself ‘You got to go. You got to,’ ” Sierra Cornell said. “I knew I could come off the curve with speed and she kind of smacked me a little bit and it gave a little boost to go faster so I wouldn’t get hit in the head.”
Adding to Sierra’s gold in the 800, and Amarillo High’s gold in 1600 Relay and silver in the 800 Relay, were a second place and silver medal effort in the 300 hurdles by Willow Cornell and a bronze in the shot put by senior Ava Rahlfs.
“I’m so happy,” Sierra Cornell said. “This is my last year running and my sister (Willow) is a sophomore, so I get to run one last time with her. As far as winning regionals, it’s the best.”
Also earning trips to state for the AISD during Saturday’s running events were ever-improving Palo Duro sophomore Kyron Brown in the 110 hurdles and Caprock’s Tristen West in the three wheelchair events.
Brown went over the hurdles in 14.30 seconds and had the best celebration of day leaping and bounding off the track after nipping Fossil Ridge’s Caleb Mande by 4 one hundredths of a second.
West won the silver in the shot put and breezed to wins in the 100- and 400-meter races. Officially, West will have to wait until early next week to be certified the was wheelchair qualification goes but all indication he will be at state in three events.
AISD athletes finding the medal stand in third place were the AHS boys 1600 Relay, Tascosa sophomore Chandler Graham in the 300 hurdles and senior Saphina Stanley in the 400 meter run.
Stanley also placed third in the triple jump.
Amarillo ISD also was a bright shining light in the boys’ high jump and throws as a trio of underclassmen punched their tickets to state.
On Friday, Tascosa junior Aaron Phares uncorked a personal best throw of 54-4 1/4 to win by three inches over Lubbock Cooper’s Sione Vega.
Phares has caught fire recently as he finished third in district but has found a groove and saved his best throws of the year for the right time. Friday’s effort arrived on his first throw of six and was one of two throws of the all the competitors eclipsing the 54-feet mark.
Amarillo High sophomore Hunter Spier proved he will be a name to watch for in the future as he finished on the medal stand at third in the shot-put competition with his effort 53-10 3/4
Saturday morning Tascosa doubled its gold pleasure when junior Chester Creery proved clutch and saving his best for just right the right time.
Creery jumped his personal best 6 foot, 6-inches clearing the height on his third and final attempt. At the time three other competitors were in the competition and each bowed out 6-4.
This was Creery’s personal best effort and he felt confident after his second miss just brushing the bar off with his rear end.
“That second jump I barely nicked it with my butt so I kicked just a little early,” said Creery, who started high jumping in the 7th grade. “I knew at that point I was going to clear this next one. I knew this was the time to shine. I have to show up. Going to state means so much to me. All this hard work I have put into this event. It’s awesome. It’s like a dream come true, really.”
Also on Saturday, Amarillo High freshman Kenneth Osteen didn’t throw a personal best but proved timing is everything as it takes just one good throw to find the golden ticket to state.
Osteen’s third throw of the day was good for 157 feet, more than 18 feet better than any of his other five throws (short of his personal best of 165 feet).
Osteen’s effort was good for a silver medal and a trip to the UIL state meet in Austin. The winning throw went to Colleyville Heritage senior Matthew Udemba at 177-4.
“I had a really bad week of practice, and all my other throws were pretty bad,” said Osteen, who has only been throwing the discus for two years. “But on that third throw I felt calm and kind of went for it. It’s just my freshman year so I don’t have high expectations going to state. Those people are monsters down there.”
Amarillo High boys track coach Andrew Murga said he reminded Osteen it only takes one good throw to earn one of the two coveted state berths.
“He was calm and relaxed on that throw,” Murga said of Osteen’s clutch effort. “I’ve told him, man, it just takes one throw. He was super excited for it, his family is super excited so we are all happy for him. Kenneth’s big thing is his technique. Just on the eye test you can just tell there are bigger, stronger kids. But with him and his range and lankiness that helped him really chunk it out there.”
Tascosa’s junior Maggie Marhefka, a star swimmer for the Lady Rebs, finished third in the discus on Friday less than two feet away from a trip to state.
Check out the results
The top two competitors from each event qualified for the UIL Class 5A state track and field meet set for May 1-3 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
For a look at the full results from the Region I-5A meet, please visit https://milesplit.live/meets/681501