On Thursday in Austin, Rockdale High School freshman Timothy Grice will line up in the lane four starting blocks of the 200-meter dash at the UIL State Track and Field Championships.
With a time of 21.85 at the Region III track meet finals almost two weeks ago, Grice has the second best time heading into the race.
Who’s the one runner with a better time than him? Spearman senior Brenen Thompson, who won gold in the same race last May with a 21.27 and will be back in Austin this fall to join the Longhorn football team. Thompson also entertained offers from Alabama, Oregon and Texas A&M last summer before signing with the ’Horns in October.
For Grice, who broke a 36-year-old RHS record held by Virgil Clark in the 200-meter dash when he ran a 21 . 47 at regionals, getting to this point is surreal. “Making it to state as a freshman is a humbling experience and I’m honored to represent Rockdale ,” Grice said.
Like Thompson, Grice says he hopes to play Division-I football.
“My goals for the future, my brothers and my coaches are what keep me focused and motivated,” he said. RHS head track coach Chris Van Cleave talked about Tim’s conditioning leading up to the big race. “Honestly, the training has been fairly similar,” he said. “We didn’t add anything new, but we did take out some volume.” Volume refers to the amount of repetitions one does during an exercise.
“The only real difference is that Tim is by himself now (during practice),” he said. “But he is a driven kid.”
“I was pretty heart-broken that we didn’t get more kids to Austin, but these things happen,” Van Cleave added.
“Tim is one of those kids who make you love coaching even more. We talk about the weekly plan each Monday, and he does everything that I ever ask of him,” he said. “I just want Tim to realize how special this is, but not let the moment get too big. It’s a special thing to represent your family, school and community at the State Track meet. Him being a freshman makes it all that more impressive.”
Grice, who will be the first freshman to represent the Blue-and-Gold at the state track meet since Jaquayln Crawford ran as a part of the Tiger state champion 4x200-meter relay team in 2015 and the first RHS ninth-grader to compete in an individual event at state since Dae Dae Robertson competed in the 300-meter hurdles in 2013.
THORNDALE—For the second straight year, Bulldog Track and Field has two representatives competing at state.
THS senior Branson McCoy is back at the state meet for the second year in a row after finishing second in the 100-meter dash at last month’s regional meet in Kingsville. McCoy returns to Austin after battling back from an injury he faced in late January during basketball season.
Stryker Leschber will make his first trip to state after qualifying in the discus. The Columbia University commit placed second behind Shiner’s Doug Brooks.
Both athletes will compete Friday in Austin. Their competition times are in the table to the right.
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