Golden Triangle temperatures flirted near the 90-degree mark Thursday. Add 10 more degrees to Austin's weekend forecast.

When Golden Triangle athletes participate in Friday and Saturday's 97th annual UIL state track and field championships, they face a weather condition completely foreign to anything throughout this outdoor high school season.

They also confront the hottest weather conditions perhaps ever for a Texas state track gala. Only Mexico's southerly breezes have any chance to provide relief on the hilltop at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the east corner of the University of Texas campus.

The Austin forecast by Thursday afternoon anticipated a high of 98 Friday and 99 Saturday, creating a completely new element of concern for athletes and coaches throughout the state's five classifications.

That means that Nederland junior Justin Krautz confronts an issue of running in the intense heat tonight when he steps onto the all-weather track for the 800-meter run around 6:37 p.m., as well as the 400-meter dash at 8 p.m. Yes, to be sure, it will still be very hot on Friday night at UT by 8 p.m.

Krautz displayed the necessary power to overtake his foes and capture two regional championships. Now the issue has changed to Justin's ability to withstand the heat.

Justin will begin from Lane 6 in the 800 meters. He will take off in the lane just to the left of Lancaster's Howard Shepard, the fastest regional qualifier. The Nederlander enters with the fourth-fastest regional time (1:56.18) but his season-best time of 1:55.05 gives Krautz an even stronger shot at a state medal. Shepard qualified for state in a blazing hot 1:53.19.

Justin's opportunity to reach the medal stand looks even greater in the open quarter where he arrives with the third-fastest qualifying time -- 48.37. Krautz will work from lane 3, right next to lane 4's Kevin Furlough of Dallas. The Woodrow Wilson quarter-miler ran the state's fastest qualifying time -- 47.69 -- at regionals.

Krautz is entered in two events out of 25 contests which contain Golden Triangle entrants in this year's meet. Twenty-five represented a substantial upgrade from 14 of a year ago.

The Golden Triangle contestant or contestants are favored -- based on regional qualifying performances -- in six of those 25 events. That list of "favorites" would include three boys relay races and three girls individual field events.

* Beaumont Central's group of Derrick Hall, Charles Thomas, Randy Wilson and Jeffery Thomas (41.33) in the 4A boys 400-meter relay.

* Central's quartet of Hall, Thomas, Thomas and Victor Spikes (1:25.81) in the 4A boys 800-meter relay.

* WO-S's foursome of James Haynes, Trey Franks, Seth Thomas and Josh Gloston (1:27.17) in the 3A boys 800-meter relay.

* Silsbee's Chasity Foster (eighth in the nation, 39-8.75) in the 3A girls triple jump.

* Beaumont Ozen's A'Lexus Brannon (No. 1 in the nation, 41-0.25) in the 4A girls triple jump.