Pioneer’s Thompson shines in state debut, grabs silver

AUSTIN — Sharyland Pioneer junior Derek Thompson watched from the stands three years ago as his brother, Evan, made his state debut. The then-junior finished third in the 5A boys shot put that season before winning the state title a year later.

The younger Thompson got his crack at state this season, debuting as a junior just like his brother did.

Derek made the most of his first state appearance, outdoing his older brother by earning a silver medal in the shot put during Day 2 of the UIL state track and field championships Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

“I’ve always been super competitive with (Evan),” Thompson said. “All season I was telling him I was going to break his school record, and I did at the regional meet and then again today. He wasn’t as physically gifted as I was. He’s a little shorter and stockier, but he had a work ethic like no other. That is something I will always credit to him because I’ll never be able to achieve the work ethic he has. He came out as a freshman throwing 30s and worked his way up to a state champion. … His marks and accolades have always been there for me as something to shoot for. That gold medal is still there left for me to try and achieve. We still have next year, though, so we’ll see.”

Thompson’s state medal performance didn’t start off quite like he expected. The junior thrower was still in his hotel eating breakfast before getting a call from his coach saying he needed to be at the stadium ASAP following the UIL’s decision to move up all field events due to possible inclement weather.

The sudden change didn’t seem to faze him, however, as he sat in second after one round of throws with a mark of 61 feet, 2 inches.

Sharyland Pioneer junior competes in the 5A boys shot put during Day 2 of the UIL state track and field championships Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. (Sixtum Pictures | Special to RGVSports)

“We woke up this morning in kind of a shock because they moved up the shot put by an hour and half,” Thompson said. “I’m eating breakfast in my hotel and all of a sudden, I get a call saying I’m throwing in 15 minutes. But I feel like my 64 at regionals just set the tone for me for this meet.”

Thompson’s opening mark set the tone for what would be a state medal performance for the junior thrower, as he added two more throws over 60 feet before the end of competition.

Among those was a mark of 62-10 on his final attempt to secure the 5A boys shot put silver medal. Frisco Heritage’s CJ Williams beat out Thompson for the gold, recording a mark of 66-3.25, with Midlothian’s Kyen Purser coming in third (61-7.75).

Thompson’s day didn’t end with the shot put, as he also competed in the 5A boys discus in the afternoon. He finished fifth in the event with a throw of 178-0.

Sharyland Pioneer junior competes in the 5A boys discus during Day 2 of the UIL state track and field championships Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. (Sixtum Pictures | Special to RGVSports)

“It feels pretty good,” Thompson said. “I’m coming off a sophomore season where I was unable to compete in any meets because I was injured. I’m just glad to be out here and back in the ring again. Then reaching the podium at state, that is just pretty awesome.”

Thompson was one of three RGV athletes to reach the podium during a shortened Day 2 of competition, which saw all the afternoon’s running events postponed to this morning due to inclement weather.

La Villa senior Kaycei Salazar was the first RGV athlete to medal Friday, taking home the silver in the Class 2A girls 3,200-meter run.

Salazar finished in 11 minutes, 19.02 seconds to secure the fourth state track medal of her career. Elyisan Fields’ Cara Sims won the race with a time of 10:47.51.

The Stephen F. Austin signee will look to add medals No. 5 and 6 today, with Salazar still set to run in the 2A girls 800- and 1,600-meter runs.

La Villa senior Kaycei Salazar celebrates after winning silver in the Class 2A girls 3,200-meter run during Day 2 of the UIL state track and field championships Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. (Sixtum Pictures | Special to RGVSports)

“Today really didn’t feel like a state race for me,” Salazar said. “I think it’s just because it was the 3,200 and I don’t really like it. I’ve come a long way, though, especially from last year after being hurt. I have two more races to go. I feel really confident going into those and will probably bring back some gold in those.”

Mission High senior Christopher Kirk was the RGV’s third podium finisher Friday after he took home the bronze in the 5A boys long jump.

The Region IV-5A champion moved into third on his second attempt of the day and didn’t look back, finishing with a mark of 23-4.5. Frisco Heritage’s Cordial Vann and Austin Anderson’s Zayden Sharp came in first (24-11) and second (24-7.25), respectively.

Kirk’s medal brings the RGV’s total through two days to six, with four athletes earning bronze and two athletes taking home silvers.

Mission High senior Christopher Kirk completes one of his attempts in the Class 5A long jump during Day 2 of the UIL state track and field championships Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. (Sixtum Pictures | Special to RGVSports)

The Valley will look to add more hardware during the final day competition, with 20 different events set to feature local athletes. Day 3 of the UIL state track and field championships begins at 9 a.m. with Class 1A and 6A field events, along with the boys and girls 3,200-meter runs from the same classifications.

Class 2A and 5A runners are set to follow the two-mile run following the postponement of their Friday finals due to inclement weather. The events are set to begin at 10:10 a.m.

The meet concludes with Class 1A and 6A running finals beginning at 5 a.m., with a pair of RGV athletes set to compete during that time.

For full results from today’s state track and field action, click here.

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