Tascosa’s Ke’Mauri Pinkard and Stratford’s Bryce Braden among medalists at state track meet

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The state track meet continued on Friday with schools in 2A and 5A classifications.

Bryce Braden of Stratford was the only athlete from the area to win a gold medal on the day. He finished in first in the 2A boys discus throw with a distance of 168-10. The second longest throw in the event also came from Braden at 165-7, with the second place finisher sitting at 165-0. West Texas A&M football commit Landyn Hack finished fourth in the event.

In the 2A boys high jump, two athletes from the Texas Panhandle competed against one another. Caiden Crook of Panhandle High School finished in eighth at the meet and Luke Braden of Stratford took home fourth, barely being edged out for third by Isaac Johnson of Dawson.

Sierra Cornell of Amarillo High competed in two events on the day. She finished seventh in the 5A girls 800-meter and joined teammates Gracee May, Keely Harper, and Madyson Castellion for the 5A girls 4x400-meter relay. The Amarillo High girls team took fourth in the race.

Ke’Mauri Pinkard of Tascosa also competed in two events on the day. He finished fifth in the 5A boys long jump and took home a silver medal in the 5A boys triple jump.

Other Texas Panhandle athletes that competed in multiple events on the day included Randall’s Tahlie Brandt as well as the Panhandle High School girls relay team of Makennah Austin, Sydney Adee, Gracie Sims, and Leah Land.

Brandt took home two bronze medals in the girls 100m wheelchair and girls 400-meter wheelchair, just about a tenth of a second ahead of fourth in the latter of the two.

The Panhandle girls team won two silver medals with their excellent times in the 2A girls 4x200-meter and 2A girls 4x400-meter.

Gruver had two athletes take home medals with Pratt McLain taking bronze in the 2A pole vault and Candace Holland also claiming bronze in the 2A girls pole vault at 10-6.

Other athletes claiming bronze on the day were Tascosa’s Kendra Murray who took third in the girls shot put wheelchair competition, Vega’s Kami Drinnon in the 2A girls triple jump, and Farwell’s Kennedi Richey in the 2A girls 300-meter hurdles.

The state track tournament will wrap up in Austin on Saturday with 1A and 6A teams.

(Photography and videography credit: Jose Garcia, Gabriel Nieland, and Carlos Martinez)

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