Our very own Jesuit Rangers Track and Field squad has continually swept through competition all season. This pattern has continued in the last month with the Rangers not only claiming the 7-6A district title but also with a dominant first-place overall win in the Area Championship. This effort led by the likes of Enrique Borrego ’22 and Hunter Krepp ’22. Two blazing seniors that have torched competition all season long.
District Championship
The Rangers would go on to claim their 7th district championship and complete the two-year sweep of district 7-6A. This was a full team effort as the Rangers had a combined eleven gold medals from relay teams’ individual athletes. Star individual performances included that of Charlie Humbert ’23 who swept both hurdle events winning the 300 hurdles with a 40.3 and the 110-meter hurdles with a 15.04 time. Star senior and Miami commit Enrique Borrego continued his hot streak this season snagging gold not only in the 3200 but also in the 1600 meter race. Concluding the gold medals for individual events on the track is Hunter Krepp who would run a 10.66 100 meter dash to claim the district championship in his event.
Roundup member Grant Kostos ’22 led the Rangers in field events with a 6-6 high jump mark that not only won him the district title but also tied the school record. Star underclassmen Thatch Balady ’24 cleared the 14-foot bar to earn himself a district title in the pole vault.
Finally, it was the Rangers relay team’s time to shine. If you aren’t familiar with the scoring in track relays, you double the points of individual events. This means you put your fastest guys on your relays because they’re by far the most important. The Rangers relays have been winning gold medals all season and that didn’t change in this meet. The 4×100 consisting of Sammy McFarland ’24, Cole Younger ’22, Thomas Wray ’22, and Hunter Krepp ’22 claimed gold. The 4×200 team with exactly the same lineup would run a 1:29 to win the district title in the event. The combined 40 points from these two relays would propel the Rangers into first for the team rankings dominating all other teams in overall points.
Relay Member and standout underclassmen Sammy McFarland ’24 described his experience in this meet as “electrifying”. When asked to explain this feeling he answered “it was really something special to not only compete with some of these freak athletes in our district but to win in the dominant fashion we did.”
Area Championship
With a district 7-6A title under their belts, the Rangers would now set their focus on the Area championship. However, this wouldn’t change their approach to success as they would continue the pattern of leaving their competition in the dust.
TCU football commit Hunter Krepp ’22 broke a 43-year-old school record to claim 2nd place in the Area, running a 10.46. This record was held by Clifton Murray ’79, a member of the Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame. Star distance runner Enrique Borrego ’22 made a mark of his own with 2 gold medals in the 1 and 2 mile runs. Junior hurdler Charlie Humbert clinched a pair of silver medals with impressive performances in the 300 and 110-meter hurdles. Charlie Thornton ’24 edged out his opponents for a third-place finish and a ticket to the Regional championship. Then, Caden Cutchall ’24 claimed a silver medal of his own running a 2:02 800-meter dash. Dechi Peterson ’22 would finish out the list of Ranger regional qualifiers with his third-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles.
To put it simply Jesuit’s field group absolutely killed their area competition. Three gold medalists and five regional qualifiers are out of this group. This included a 6’4 high jump to earn a gold medal from Roundup writer Grant Kostos ’22. Pole-vaulter Thatch Balady ’24 continued his hot streak clearing the 14-foot bar for his second meet in a row to claim first overall. Long jumper Carson Walls jumped a PR of 23 feet and 2 inches to finish first place. Rounding out the field performances was Dechi Peterson ’22 claiming silver in the high jump. Finally, Richard Hambleton ’22 placed 4th in the pole-vault to qualify for regionals.
The Rangers would clinch the area championship in overall scoring thanks to these athletes and especially their 4×100 meter relay. The squad kept the same lineup as the last meet and ran a blazing time of 42.19 seconds. This time would clinch first place in the event as well as propel the entire team to an overall first-place finish.
Analysis
The Rangers have defended their area title and have their sights set on sending athletes to the state championship. Only one more hurdle remains between these Rangers and the biggest stage in all of Texas. This is a vaunted regional field consisting of powerhouse programs like Allen and Prosper. The Rangers do have an opportunity to place top 2 in the regional championship as only the gold and silver medalists will move on. I think this is especially important when considering just how difficult it is to make it to Austin. For fans, I would closely follow how Enrique Borrego ’22 and Hunter Krepp ’22 compete in this meet. These two athletes have a very good chance but will need to perform to the best of their ability. Other athletes with a chance to make it are Charlie Humbert ’23 and Grant Kostos ’22.
All eyes will be on our senior-heavy 4×100 to see if they can do what it takes to make it. Allen is a near-shoo-in for the top qualifying spot in our region as they have a top 3 time in the state of Texas. Closely behind them is a very quick Prosper team. The Rangers will need to run their best race of the season in order to edge out the eagles. However, this is a group that works very hard and just might be able to do it.
Thank you for reading and tuning into The Roundup for more Ranger Track and field coverage.