Port Arthur Memorial track coach Darrell Granger often fielded questions about Elijah Hines last year.

“People would always ask me, where is the running back?” Granger said. “I would say, the running back can’t make the relay until his senior year. It finally came this year where he’s an integral part of what we’re doing. He’s been very consistent all year in running the 100 and the 4×100.”

Hines, now a senior, had hoped to challenge for a spot on at least one of Memorial’s would-be record-setting relay teams. With the likes of 2017 seniors Kary Vincent Jr. and De’Andre Angelle ahead of him, the eventual Louisiana Tech football signee had his work cut out for him.

But an injury lingering from football season hampered Hines, and he only competed in jumps for the 5A state runner-up Titans.

This spring, track followers finally got to see Hines at his fastest. He is, after all, the fastest guy in District 22-5A.

“I was ready to run,” Hines said. “I had a slow start last year, but now I’m running full force.”

Memorial convincingly won the 22-5A team championship on April 7 at Beaumont’s Babe Zaharias Stadium, thanks in no small part to Hines and sophomore Ireon Brown. Hines bested his seed time in the 100 meters by 0.03 second, turning in 10.97 to win the gold.

Hines, who finished second to teammate Xavier Hull in the long jump, also won the triple jump. And he’s earned his place on the 4×100- and 4×200-meter quartets, which made up two-thirds of Memorial’s relay sweep.

Brown, the district 200-meter champion, is a regular on those two relays, but Granger is moving him from the 4×200 to 4×400 for Thursday’s 5A area meet at Barbers Hill High School while Hull, another sprinter, recovers from a hamstring pull.

“[Brown is] still going to have three races, but to accomplish that, that’s the norm for my 200-meter runners with Corey [Dauphine, 2015 graduate and Tulane running back] and K.J. [Vincent, now an LSU sprinter] doing that in the past,” Granger said. “Ireon will just be the next great sprinter we have.”

Brown gave a glimpse of Memorial’s track future as a freshman last season, running on the state record-setting 4×100, national record-setting 4×200 and 4×400 teams.

“He’s good,” Hines said of Brown. “I run with him every day in practice. I beat him sometimes.”

But Brown didn’t offer any secrets to his early success as a Titan.

“Come out here and keep doing what I’m doing. Don’t slack off,” he said.

With the 5A Region III meet next weekend in Humble, Granger is going into the area meet with the plan of keeping his Titans active and healthy after two weeks off.

“With relays and injuries that can take place, you have to be cautious, but you still want to the win in the same process,” Granger said. “I really liked it this year because we ran last week and had the week off. I think it’s really going to benefit us with Xavier and the strain.”

I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews