Track and field: Midland Lee sprinters power their way to a Region I-5A title

LUBBOCK It took all of one event Saturday at the Region I-5A Track and Field Championships to ensure that District 2-5A would be represented on the track at the state meet.

Midland Lee's girls 400-meter relay team of Shequestiny O'Neal, Chantesean White, Laquisha Harris and Dautry Williams took care of that.

The Lady Rebels quartet ran a flawless race and took the title in 47.29 seconds, just edging powerhouse Arlington Bowie (47.30) for the opening gold of the running finals session at Texas Tech's Fuller Track Stadium.

White, a senior, later added a second-place finish in the 400 for a state trip in that event and she was quite happy with a sixth-place finish in the 200.

"My race is the 400, but I love running the 4 by 1 with the girls," White said. "We set our goals high. A lot of people were like, ‘Are you sure?' At the very beginning we wanted to go to state. Our No. 1 priority was going to state and we worked as hard as we could and did what we had to do."

Mission accomplished.

>> TO BE CONTINUED: Greenwood senior Josh Cook just started running track this season, but forgive him for being a little disappointed at his runner-up showings in the 100 and 200 in the Region I-3A Championships.

Sure, Cook was running at the regional level for the first time and his second-place finishes - both times behind Snyder's Kenneth Turner - earned him a trip to state.

But that's not exactly the point.

"I didn't come here to get second," Cook said. "It's not a total letdown, but it's always nice to get first."

Cook did get a taste of gold, however, while helping lead Greenwood's 800 relay team to a first-place finish.

Aaron Norris, Jarrett Hall and Zachery Owens were the other relay members for the Rangers.

>> MATURE PERSPECTIVE: Monahans junior Quincy Titus fell just short of a Class 3A state berth in the 110 hurdles by taking third.

Titus finished in 14.73 seconds behind Demetrion Cooper of Wichita Falls Hirschi (14.51) and Spencer Sims of Graham (14.61).

Titus let out a yell as he crossed the finish line, but was all smiles after receiving his bronze medal.

"I ran my hardest," Titus said. "I'm not saying I have next year because it's not always promised. But you have to give it your best and if it doesn't come out like you like, you've got to suck it up and go to the next thing. That's life."