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05-10-2007, 08:15 AM
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Junior hoping to lead Gobblers to state threepeat
May 10, 2007 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.
CUERO - It's amazing how much can change in less than 11 seconds and how many things can stay the same over eight years.
Anyone who saw Stephon Hargrove come out of the blocks last for the Class 3A 100-meter dash at last year's UIL Track and Field State Championships probably figured his chances for a medal were gone.
But as the crowd noise at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin swelled and the runners approached the finish line, Hargrove was racing to the front of the pack and crossed the finish line in second place in a time of 10.56 seconds.
Hargrove added a pair of gold medals in the 400- and 800-meter relays to the silver he won the 100 and helped lead Cuero to its second consecutive team championship.
Hargrove's performance and the results he achieved were hardly a surprise to those who are familiar with Hargrove and will watch the junior make his third straight appearance at the state meet on Saturday when the Gobblers go after their third consecutive team championship.
"I've known Stephon since he was 9 years old and I was coaching him in summer track," Cuero boys track coach Victor Mathis said. "He really hasn't changed. He's always been fast."
Hargrove has always been a slow starter, which has puzzled Mathis and Hargrove, who is thankful he's always had the ability to finish strong.
"I don't know why I'm the last person to leave the blocks," Hargrove said. "There's no real reason. Maybe it's because I don't want to jump."
There's no mystery about where Hargrove got his speed. His mother, Hazel Kitchen, ran on the track team at Stroman and his father, Luke Hargrove, ran on Cuero's 1988 state championship track team and held the school record in the 200 until it was broken by Brandon James in 2005.
"I think he got his height from his mom," Mathis said. "He got his speed from his dad. His dad was super fast."
Hargrove not only possesses his father's speed, he also has trumped him with his size, which has helped Stephon become a starter at fullback and defensive end on the Cuero football team.
Hargrove remembers being smaller than twin half-brothers and current Cuero teammates Corey and Corion Scott before he went through a growth spurt sometime during elementary school. Hargrove has not stopped growing, as his 6-foot-1, 225-pound frame attests.
"He's always been a big, boney kid," Mathis said. "He's like a man among boys. It's amazing he can run that fast with his size."
Hargrove enjoys running fast and has so much confidence in his ability - he predicted in junior high that he would break all his father's records - that he's able to remain calm before a race.
"I never get nervous," Hargrove said. "I don't know why. Maybe it's because I've been running summer track since I was little and I've been to a lot of big meets. I feel like if you get too excited or too anxious, something bad is going to happen."
Hargrove is emphatic that track is his favorite sport, even though he has attracted the attention of football recruiters, and he hopes to earn a scholarship to run track on the college level before becoming a coach in the sport.
Hargrove is also willing to sacrifice personal achievements for the benefit of the team, as he's shown by running a leg on the 800 relay almost immediately after competing in the 100.
"After the 100, I just try to get my energy back up," Hargrove said. "I just try to rest, cool off and drink some water or some Gatorade. I just tell myself that I have one more race and then I'm done, and then I go and do it."
Mathis appreciates Hargrove's commitment to the sport and his teammates. But Mathis admits his patience is tested by Hargrove's tendency to run to the level of his competition.
"It's hard to figure," Mathis said. "I know he wants to win. But when you've been running since your young and nobody can stay close to you and no matter what you do you get first, it's hard. But it's going to be totally different at state. He's going to have to run hard all the time at state."
Hargrove will be competing against three of the same runners in the 100 as he did at last year's state meet, including Dallas Madison's Shawnbry McNeal, who won the race, and Sweetwater's Skye Green, who was passed by Hargrove at the finish line and placed third.
Hargrove has worked hard this week with relay teammates Corey Scott, Fabian Olguin and Tre Gray on getting out of the blocks faster. But when asked if he had a definitive plan for the state meet, Hargrove's response suggests the more things change, the more they stay the same.
"There's not really anything special," Hargrove said. "I just want to do what I have to do to get first."
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.
link: http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/294/story/53636.html
Junior hoping to lead Gobblers to state threepeat
May 10, 2007 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.
CUERO - It's amazing how much can change in less than 11 seconds and how many things can stay the same over eight years.
Anyone who saw Stephon Hargrove come out of the blocks last for the Class 3A 100-meter dash at last year's UIL Track and Field State Championships probably figured his chances for a medal were gone.
But as the crowd noise at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin swelled and the runners approached the finish line, Hargrove was racing to the front of the pack and crossed the finish line in second place in a time of 10.56 seconds.
Hargrove added a pair of gold medals in the 400- and 800-meter relays to the silver he won the 100 and helped lead Cuero to its second consecutive team championship.
Hargrove's performance and the results he achieved were hardly a surprise to those who are familiar with Hargrove and will watch the junior make his third straight appearance at the state meet on Saturday when the Gobblers go after their third consecutive team championship.
"I've known Stephon since he was 9 years old and I was coaching him in summer track," Cuero boys track coach Victor Mathis said. "He really hasn't changed. He's always been fast."
Hargrove has always been a slow starter, which has puzzled Mathis and Hargrove, who is thankful he's always had the ability to finish strong.
"I don't know why I'm the last person to leave the blocks," Hargrove said. "There's no real reason. Maybe it's because I don't want to jump."
There's no mystery about where Hargrove got his speed. His mother, Hazel Kitchen, ran on the track team at Stroman and his father, Luke Hargrove, ran on Cuero's 1988 state championship track team and held the school record in the 200 until it was broken by Brandon James in 2005.
"I think he got his height from his mom," Mathis said. "He got his speed from his dad. His dad was super fast."
Hargrove not only possesses his father's speed, he also has trumped him with his size, which has helped Stephon become a starter at fullback and defensive end on the Cuero football team.
Hargrove remembers being smaller than twin half-brothers and current Cuero teammates Corey and Corion Scott before he went through a growth spurt sometime during elementary school. Hargrove has not stopped growing, as his 6-foot-1, 225-pound frame attests.
"He's always been a big, boney kid," Mathis said. "He's like a man among boys. It's amazing he can run that fast with his size."
Hargrove enjoys running fast and has so much confidence in his ability - he predicted in junior high that he would break all his father's records - that he's able to remain calm before a race.
"I never get nervous," Hargrove said. "I don't know why. Maybe it's because I've been running summer track since I was little and I've been to a lot of big meets. I feel like if you get too excited or too anxious, something bad is going to happen."
Hargrove is emphatic that track is his favorite sport, even though he has attracted the attention of football recruiters, and he hopes to earn a scholarship to run track on the college level before becoming a coach in the sport.
Hargrove is also willing to sacrifice personal achievements for the benefit of the team, as he's shown by running a leg on the 800 relay almost immediately after competing in the 100.
"After the 100, I just try to get my energy back up," Hargrove said. "I just try to rest, cool off and drink some water or some Gatorade. I just tell myself that I have one more race and then I'm done, and then I go and do it."
Mathis appreciates Hargrove's commitment to the sport and his teammates. But Mathis admits his patience is tested by Hargrove's tendency to run to the level of his competition.
"It's hard to figure," Mathis said. "I know he wants to win. But when you've been running since your young and nobody can stay close to you and no matter what you do you get first, it's hard. But it's going to be totally different at state. He's going to have to run hard all the time at state."
Hargrove will be competing against three of the same runners in the 100 as he did at last year's state meet, including Dallas Madison's Shawnbry McNeal, who won the race, and Sweetwater's Skye Green, who was passed by Hargrove at the finish line and placed third.
Hargrove has worked hard this week with relay teammates Corey Scott, Fabian Olguin and Tre Gray on getting out of the blocks faster. But when asked if he had a definitive plan for the state meet, Hargrove's response suggests the more things change, the more they stay the same.
"There's not really anything special," Hargrove said. "I just want to do what I have to do to get first."
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.
link: http://www.thevictoriaadvocate.com/294/story/53636.html