During practice Tuesday, Memorial freshman Paris Martin donned a jersey from the 2017 USA Track and Field Junior Olympics in Houston.

It’s organizations like Amateur Athletic Union and USATF that give so many middle and high school athletes training grounds in between the scholastic seasons. So, to Memorial boys coach Darrell Granger, it’s no wonder why so many freshmen qualify for their respective UIL region meets.

“It’s just the tradition that’s coming back to where these kids have all been exposed to summer track,” Granger said. “It’s just their time, now. Even though they’re young, they’ve been in the track game for a long time, and it’s showing that when they’re freshmen, they can go out and compete on the varsity level.”

Four Memorial freshmen — three boys and Martin — will compete Friday and Saturday in the 5A Region III championships at Clear Creek ISD’s Challenger Columbia Stadium for a spot in the May 10-11 state meet at the University of Texas at Austin. The top two finishers in each event and the best third-place finisher out of all the four UIL regions advance to state.

Memorial’s Kristopher Ross claimed the Area 11-5A championship in the shot put, topping sophomore teammate and District 21-5A champion Tre’Vonte Caines. Two of Ross’ classmates, Troy Dixon (100 meters and 4×100-meter relay) and Jaylon Guilbeau (800) are going to Webster, as well.

They’re not the only fresh faces, if you will, competing in Webster.

Port Neches-Groves’ Sanaria Butler is competing in two events as well, the 400 meters and triple jump. And Nederland’s Ke’Asia Hall is running the anchor leg on the 4×200-meter relay.

Butler made a late sprint from the back of the pack in the area 400-meter race to claim another medal. She also earned bronze in the triple jump.

“I was just trying to finish the race and make it to regionals,” she said, adding the late sprint was part of the plan. “Just don’t go out as fast so I can finish the race stronger than everyone.”

PNG coach Brittany Fruge thinks senior leadership is a factor in the success of local freshmen. Butler gets plenty of that from Jacie Droddy, a three-time district and three-time area champion in the long jump who’s competing in three events in Webster.

“I know for us here, Jacie Droddy and my other seniors are tremendous leaders,” Fruge said. “If I’m not around … I trust my seniors that they will stay on these underclassmen.”

Memorial’s Troy Dixon knows a thing about running to victory in a relay. He was inserted into the anchor leg of the 4×100-meter team after Memorial took second to Nederland in the April 11 District 21-5A final. Dixon’s run in the April 17 area meet helped the Titans take gold.

“It felt great that I was able to help the team,” Dixon said. “I work with (100-meter qualifier) James Ward a lot; he pushes me.”

Granger said it took Dixon some time to return to top form following a hip flexor injury earlier in the season. Dixon had run the first leg of the 4×100 to start the year.

Guilbeau made the 5A Region III 800-meter run by placing fourth in areas. He was the district runner-up to teammate Lamont Freeman Jr.

“I want to thank coach Granger; he pushes me every day in practice,” Guilbeau said. “Running with Lamont, he pushed me every day in practice, too. It’s just like, I’m working hard every day to go to state and chasing a dream.”

Hall will have one shot at Austin in the 4×200. A third-place finisher in the district 200 meters, Hall also led the relay team to bronze in areas.

Hall said she “kind of” had an idea she’d get to the region meet.

“I know I have a big future and everything,” she said. “I just put God first, and so, I trust in Him and He’ll take me far.”

Nederland coach Allie Crommett placed Hall on the 4×200 team in the middle of the season. Since then, the quartet set a school record of 1 minute, 46.97 seconds in winning the District 21-5A title, beating the old mark from 2011 by less than a second.

“We already were running decently fast in the middle of the year without her,” Crommett said. “But we knew how close we were to our school record, and putting her on anchor would push us toward that, and we had seen what everyone else in the district had been running.”

Turns out, Martin and the Lady Titans will get to go head-to-head with Hall and the Bulldogs one more time. The anchor legs are young, but they have high goals to reach.

“Always doing better than you did at the last track meet and keep doing better and better and better,” Martin said.

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