Mineola Yellowjacket track added two more district championships to the trophy case with decisive wins in the District 13-3A track meet April 7-8 at Mineola High School. The girls team opened a 92-point margin over the second-place Quitman Lady Bulldogs, while the boys team built a 44-point margin over second-place Harmony.


The girls’ track and field effort was overwhelming. They mustered six first place finishes and 18 finishes in the top three spots to dominate the competition.


Those blue ribbons were produced by Abeni Kratzmeyer (12.51 in the 100 meters and 13’ in the pole vault), Kozbie Riley (63.84 in the 400 meters), Kapri Riley (13:28.07 in the 3,200 meters), Tahjae Black (15’11” in the long jump), and the 4x200 meter relay team of Emily Wiley, Riley Weekly, Shylah and Abeni Kratzmeyer with a time of 1:50.41.


Altogether, 13 Lady Jackets contributed to the point total. Juliana Stanley added seconds in the 400 and 800 meters. Wiley was runnerup in the 200. Keilee Riley, Kapri Riley and Hanna Zoch placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the 1,600. Keilee Riley and Zoch were 2nd and 3rd in the 3,200. Ava Johnson took second in the 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles with Allison Hooton third in the 300. The three Riley sisters teamed with Stanley for second in the 1,600-meter relay. Black took second in the triple jump and Cathering McLemore third in the discus. Shylah Kratzmeyer was third in the pole vault.


Fueled by multi-talented Brooklyn Marcee, the Lady Bulldogs of Quitman put together a fine showing as well. Marcee won the 100-meter (16.41) and 300-meter hurdles (49.41) and finished second in the pole vault (11’) and long jump (15’9”). Her performance combined with a blue ribbon finish of the 4x400 meter relay team of Bonnie Vander Schaaf, Sarah Smith, Madyson Pence and Savana Smith (4:25.86) secured a second place overall finish.


Vander Schaaf placed third in the 100 hurdles, Halie Davis second in the shot and the 800-meter relay team of Ashley Davis, Pence, Cristal Plata and Jazmin Rojas took third.


The Mineola boys squad used a similar formula for their championship run. First place finishes by Dawson Pendergrass (110-meter hurdles, 16:22), DJ Newsome (shot put, 43’2.5”), Adam Blalock (pole vault, 12’6”) and the 4x200 meter relay team of Jamarcus Kennedy, Jaxon Holland, Brady Shrum and Morgan Waggoner led the way. The relay team’s 1:30.57 broke the school record. The 4x400 relay team also won in 3:26.94 with Holland, T.J. Moreland, Shrum and Waggoner.


However, it was the additional 12 second and third place finishes which secured the victory for the Yellowjackets. Shrum placed second in the 100 meters, Holland second and Kennedy third in the 200, David Amador third in the 3,200, Moreland second in the 300 hurdles, Jackson Anderson second and Trevion Sneed third in the shot, Stephen Ogueri second and Anderson third in the discus, and Pendergrass third in the triple jump and second in the high jump with Holland third.


Quitman’s Brady Floyd (3rd), Brandon Jimenez (2nd) and Ford Tannebaum (2nd-110 meters and 3rd-300 meters) put in excellent performances and placed in the pole vault, 800 meters and hurdles, respectively.