UIL Texas State Championships
Friday-Saturday, May 12-13 2006 -- Mike A. Myers Stadium, University of Texas, Austin TX
Eisenhower's Hour: 60 Minutes of Sprint History
Story by John Sullivan - Photos by Bert Richardson
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As the 5A (largest schools) finals started on Saturday night, the wind – which had been strong earlier in the day – seemed to be dropping steadily. The hope was it that it wouldn’t put a damper on times in the first event, the 4x100 relay. The reality was that fans at Mike A. Myers Stadium were about to watch an hour or so of sprint history.
US#1 Texas City, at 40.45, had run a strong race the night before in 4A (40.59) which seemed to have been affected by the wind. With the 2nd and 4th fastest boy’s teams in the country lining up in 5A, there was anticipation in the air. As the gun sounded, many eyes were on the US#2 Eisenhower squad from Houston in lane 2. Leading off was sr Randy Johnson, who held an edge at the handoff to sr Otis Johnson.
As sr Frank Eugene took the stick on the far turn, Eisenhower was in contention with several other teams. A clean pass to jr anchor Brandon Myers sent him powering down the homestretch with Garland and Elsik in hot pursuit. As Myers broke the tape the scoreboard flashed the unofficial time (39.9+) which was quickly adjusted to the official FAT 40.05, a season best by .44, new US#1 and the #3 all-time team in US high school history.
Garland, from the Dallas area, followed in 40.30, the 2nd best time in the country. Houston Elsik was third in a US#4 40.49. Left in the wake were 4 other teams bettering the Dyestat Elite 42.00 standard, including Judson at 40.95 and out of the medals!
After the race, the top 3 teams were hustled off to the awards stand and the Eisenhower quartet appeared to be all business picking up their hardware. Surely, they were aware that this was only the beginning as they hurried off to get ready for the 100 and 4x200 later in the schedule.
Their preparation must have been perfect. Just 40 minutes later Brandon Myers and Randy Johnson pushed each other to a 1-2 finish in the 100. Both got personal bests, Myers at 10.42 and Johnson at 10.44, with a +1.3 legal wind. Rarely has there been two sub-10.50 teammates in the same race.
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Above, Brandon Myers and Otis Johnson (outside lanes, far left) go 1-2 in the 100 Below, action during Eisenhower's 4x100 meter relay victory. |
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In an event that had been considered up for grabs, with no clear favorite, The Woodlands sr Ryan Montague got up for 3rd in a PR 10.51 despite a slip coming out of the blocks. This time, Eisenhower just skipped the awards with the 4x200 a mere 20 minutes away.
There was a definite buzz in the crowd as the teams lined up for the 4x2, their appetite for speed having only been temporarily satisfied by the 4x1, 100 and other great performances. With the top 4 teams in the U.S. settling into the blocks, including the same line-up for Eisenhower, there was no need to consult a psychic to know this was going to be quick.
Klein Forest, the alma mater of Olympic 4x4 gold medalist Derrick Brew, got a strong lead leg from Kelsey Caesar and seemed to hold a slight lead at the 1st exchange. It was too close to call at the end of lap one, with 5 or 6 teams making a serious bid for the win. Frank Eugene ran a good backstretch for Eisenhower and, as anchor Brandon Myers accepted the stick, it suddenly appeared clear - Eisenhower yet again.
Myers quickly rounded the turn and headed for gold, actually easing off in the final strides with victory well in hand. Again, the scoreboard confirmed their supremacy, displaying a US#1/#4 all-time 1:24.10. But that was just the beginning of the deepest 4x200 in prep history.
Eisenhower’s fellow Houstonians from Elsik. the leading US team coming in, were 2nd in US#2/#10 all-time 1:24.47, followed by US#3/#13 all-time Garland, the 4x100 silver winners, in 1:24.61. In 4th was US#4/#29 all-time Klein Forest, also from Houston, in 1:25.02. Crossing the line 5th was Duncanville in 1:25.18, tying the US#5 put up by Houston Worthing in capturing 4A gold the night before.
After this 60-minute stretch, that was very quick in more ways than one, Brandon Myers said, “I felt good. The curves on this track (a non-football facility) were nice and wide.” The junior had achieved triple gold after not even qualifying for state last year (he had been coming off an injury and fell victim to the tough Texas qualifying, which includes much competition and only the top 2 from each of 4 regions advance to the 8-man finals-only State meet).
Now Myers confirmed that he and his teammates are planning to run some post-season meets, declaring, “We’re ready for the other states. If I hadn’t looked up at the clock, we would have run 39. And if I hadn’t slowed up, we would have been 1:23.”
Then he sent a final warning, “I’m gonna run all 3 relays next year; (I’ve) never run the 400 or 4x4 before.”