By Michael Sudhalter

Special to The News

AUSTIN — Ireon Brown was sporting a smile after the UIL Class 5A Track & Field Championships 200-meter dash.

Sprinters across Class 5A aren’t as happy, since they know the Port Arthur Memorial  sophomore will be a force to reckoned with over the next two years.

“Hard work pays off,” Brown said after finishing second on Friday night at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Myers Stadium. “I have to work on my sprints. I could have won it.”

Brown, 16, finished in 20.85 seconds — just .14 away from gold medalist Keishawn Everly, a senior from Fort Worth Trimble Tech.

“That’s great for him to continue in the tradition that we’ve started over the last five years,” Memorial head coach Darrell Granger said. “Over the last five years, we’ve had either a runner-up or a state champion in the 200. In the future, I’m looking for Ireon to be the state champion.”

He’ll have two more chances at it. Brown said he was tired from running two relays earlier in the day, but he’ll always put “team first.”

Brown’s accomplishment was the highlight of an otherwise difficult day for the Titans.

The most heartbreaking moment came with the Titans leading the 4×200 relay (Brown, along with junior Michael Odoms, and seniors Gregory Laday Elijah Hines) entering the final turn.

Laday pulled his hamstring with the Titans firmly in the lead. He fell down and didn’t finish the relay.

“I feel like I let my team down,” Laday said. “When I got the baton, we were in the lead. I could feel my hamstring tighten up on me. I tried to push through it, but my hamstring wouldn’t let me, and I fell.”

Teammates and coaches consoled Laday — who will run track at Division I Northern Colorado next year — after the relay.

“It could have happened to any of us,” Brown said. “We told him to keep his head up. At the end of the day, we’re still the best.”

The Titans’ 4×100 relay finished third at regionals, but they earned a trip to state because they earned the wild card. At state, the 4×100 of Hines, Brown, Laday and Odoms finished fifth (41.08).

“Lane 1 is hard to maneuver, but no matter what, you come to compete,” Granger said.

The Memorial girls competed in the 4×200 relay — their only state event this year. The team of sophomores Coreyanna Gorrer, Zykirra Cabarras and Capri Wilson and junior Aniya Duhon was disqualified due to a zone violation. Before the zone violation, they were set to finish in seventh place.

RIGGS FOURTH IN HIGH JUMP

Preston Riggs of Port Neches-Groves took fourth in the high jump during the Friday morning session.

The senior jumped 6 feet, 4 inches, 2 inches shorter than his winning jump in the 5A Region III meet at Humble 13 days earlier. Quentin Johnson of Temple, who was second to Riggs in Humble, took the bronze at 6-8, missing out on silver to Milo Rios of El Paso Eastlake on missed jumps.

Mason Farley of Joshua won the event at 6-9.

Also Friday, PNG junior Jacie Droddy took sixth in the 5A girls long jump, going 18-2.5. The winning jump was 20-8, from Jasmine Moore of Mansfield Lake Ridge.

Port Arthur Memorial will compete this evening in the 5A boys 4×100-meter relay (5 p.m.) and girls and boys 4×200-meter relay (6:25). Memorial sophomore Ireon Brown will race the 200 meters at 7:25 p.m.

FROM ORANGE COUNTY

Eli Peveto of Little Cypress-Mauriceville took fourth in the 4A boys 3,200-meter run (9 minutes, 58.41 seconds). Maddison Helm of Orangefield was seventh in the 4A girls event (12:05.33).

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I.C. Murrell of The News contributed to this article.