Katy High girls track and field coach James Darcy knew junior Jada Campos had something special when she attended his youth camp as an eight-year-old.

Campos has proven Darcy right. At the 19-20-6A area meet Thursday, April 15, at Paetow High, Campos won gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, posting a school-record time of 23.65 seconds in the 200 and 11.89 in the 100, and helped the Tigers’ 4x400 relay to a fourth-place finish.

The meet consists of the best from districts 19-6A (Katy ISD) and 20-6A (Fort Bend ISD), with the top four in each event qualifying for the Class 6A Region III meet next weekend in Humble.

“I don’t like to lose,” Campos said. “That’s why I love this sport. The competition is huge for me. I really enjoy running. On the track is where I’m good at, so it’s where I feel the most comfortable.”

Campos’ substantial growth through her high school career so far has come mentally more than anything physically.

“My confidence is so much more than what it was,” she said. “I went from wondering if I was going to win to now I know I’m not going to let anybody beat me. It’s not a cocky thing. You just have to have that in you. You enjoy it when you win a lot.”

The bad news for Campos’ opponents is she can do even better.

“Honestly, I felt there were a lot of areas I could improve,” Campos said. “I don’t feel like everything was 100 percent right. When I’m running, I can feel when I don’t do certain things right.”

It’s that strive for perfection that is part of Campos’ impressive makeup. Darcy had no doubt Campos could become a surefire star when he first saw her run almost 10 years ago. Her speed was unmatched, but it was so much more than that.

“There’s a lot of kids who are fast when they’re little, and that doesn’t translate all the time to the next level,” Darcy said. “But her attributes, the way she was raised and the kid and competitor she is, that’s why she’s great. She would’ve been good, no matter what. But what makes her great and elite is who she is.

“From the first day, the first workout, we didn’t have to make her run faster. We didn’t have to make her show up and work hard. The work ethic was there. She led by example and gives great effort in all she’s done.”

Darcy calls Campos “the ultimate leader.”

“A lot of times, kids who are that talented and that special are not great teammates or hard workers, but she’s as good of a teammate as you can ask for,” Darcy said. “She supports everybody, encourages everybody. She does everything (sprinters) Coach (Jason) Reed asks her to do. Never second-guesses a workout or practice or events we try to put her in.”

Campos said she has always been quick, but not necessarily fast.

“There’s a difference,” she said.

Running comes natural to her. But her speed continues evolving as she starts to master the technical aspect of the sport. It’s more of a feel than anything. Those techniques are starting to become second nature, no greater sign being her mark in the 200 dash.

Campos had a wind gauge reading of plus-1.5 meters per second in the 200 dash, qualifying her 23.65-mark as eligible for records. If a tail wind exceeds 2.0 or higher, the result cannot be registered as a record. Anything below 2.0 is considered “wind legal.”

“A wind legal 23.65 is pretty special,” Darcy gushed. “She just put herself in a pretty elite category. It’s going to be exciting to see how fast she runs the next few weeks. Right now, we just sit back, watch and enjoy what she’s doing. She’s special.”

Campos was one of five Katy ISD individuals to win multiple events at the area meet, joining Taylor’s Bryce Foster, Cinco Ranch’s Amelia Flynt and Heidi Nielson, and Seven Lakes’ Ruben Rojas Betanzos. Rojas Betanzos, a junior, was the only Katy ISD athlete to win three events: the 800, 1600 and 3200 runs. Seven Lakes senior Paige Boucher won gold in the 100-meter hurdles, silver in the 300-meter hurdles, and bronze in the long jump and triple jump.

Flynt’s 171-foot throw in the discus ranks No. 1 in the world under 18-years-old and No. 1 all-time in Texas Class 6A. Foster’s mark of 71-01 in the shot put is a program record, ranks No. 1 in the U.S. and is No. 6 all-time in Texas. He is 10 feet away from the state record. Seven Lakes junior Haley Tate’s 53.76 in the 400-meter dash ranks No. 1 in the state.

Seven Lakes won the girls team title in dominant fashion, scoring 162 points to second-place George Ranch’s 101 and winning six of 17 events, including all three relays. George Ranch won the boys team title with 130 points, squeaking by Tompkins’ 127.

The top four finishers in each event qualified for the regional meet April 23-24 at Turner Stadium.

BOYS RESULTS

Team: 1. Richmond George Ranch, 130; 2. Tompkins, 127; 3. Seven Lakes, 72; 4. Cinco Ranch, 56; 5. Taylor, 49; 6. Fort Bend Ridge Point, 35.5; 7. Fort Bend Austin, 29.5; 8. Fort Bend Bush, 26; 9. Morton Ranch, 23; 10. Fort Bend Travis, 22; 11. Mayde Creek, 22; 12. Katy High, 12; 13. Fort Bend Clements, 9; 14. Fort Bend Elkins, 8.

100M Dash: 1. David Foster, Tompkins, 10.72; 2. Marquis Shoulders, Tompkins, 10.92; 3. Blake Harris, Tompkins, 11.00; 4. Jeffery Ugochukwu, George Ranch, 11.12.

200M Dash: 1. Chidube Ike-Belonwu, Austin, 21.46; 2. Kyjah Savery, George Ranch, 21.50; 3. Bert Emanuel Jr., Ridge Point, 21.71; 4. Tay’Shawn Wilson, Mayde Creek, 21.86.

400M Dash: 1. Mark Ngei, Tompkins, 48.26; 2. Cameron Chretien, George Ranch, 49.84; 3. Grant Celestine, George Ranch, 50.37; 4. Alex Lopez, Seven Lakes, 50.73.

800M Run: 1. Ruben Rojas Betanzos, Seven Lakes, 1:53.61; 2. Wyatt Green, Cinco Ranch, 1:54.84; 3. Ryan Du Plessis, Cinco Ranch, 1:56.79; 4. Jacob Curtis, George Ranch, 1:56.83.

1600M Run: 1. Ruben Rojas Betanzos, Seven Lakes, 4:17.56; 2. Gavin Saacke, Tompkins, 4:18.20; 3. Ethan Boyd, Cinco Ranch, 4:21.35; 4. Adrian Hahn Vadstein, Cinco Ranch, 4:23.70.

3200M Run: 1. Ruben Rojas Betanzos, Seven Lakes, 9:24.89; 2. Gavin Saacke, Tompkins, 9:27.75; 3. Adrian Hahn Vadstein, Cinco Ranch, 9:34.85; 4. Leo Toro, Seven Lakes, 9:57.45.

110M Hurdles: 1. Shane Gardner, George Ranch, 14.36; 2. Shepherd Bowling, Katy, 14.76; 3. Hollis Robinson, Taylor, 14.87; 4. Justus Hadnot, Morton Ranch, 14.90.

300M Hurdles: 1. Bryce McCray, George Ranch, 37.15; 2. Felipe Medrado, Clements, 38.79; 3. Jayden Keys, Tompkins, 39.43; 4. Ifeoluwa Famogun, George Ranch, 39.53.

4x100M Relay: 1. Tompkins (Harris, Ngei, Shoulders, Foster), 40.77; 2. George Ranch (Cook, Savery, Jenkins, Ugochukwu), 41.50; 3. Mayde Creek (Kelly, Loughridge, Khan, Wilson), 42.11; 4. Bush (Tatum, Kuykendall, Sunmonu, Borgella), 42.46.

4x200M Relay: 1. George Ranch (Cook, Savery, Jenkins, Gardner), 1:26.94; 2. Austin (Blanchette, Franklin, Zilich, Ike-Belonwu), 1:27.32; 3. Ridge Point (Charlo, Colbert, Gordon, Emanuel Jr.), 1:28.40; 4. Tompkins (Ojoko, Crain, Williams, McMillan), 1:29.02.

4x400M Relay: 1. George Ranch (Cook, Celestine, Chretien, McCray), 3:17.75; 2. Bush (Pierre, Kuykendall, Tatum, Sunmonu), 3:21.39; 3. Seven Lakes (Lopez. Okoko, Volpe, Gonzales), 3:21.56; 4. Travis (Mendiola, Okeya, Price, Van Wyk), 3:21.97.

Long Jump: 1. Jayden Keys, Tompkins, 24-04.00; 2. Henry Chukwu, George Ranch, 22-10.00; 3. Jermichael Johnson, Morton Ranch, 22-00.00; 4. Savion Sims, Elkins, 21-09.00.

Shot Put: 1. Bryce Foster, Taylor, 71-01.00; 2. Matthew Rueff, Seven Lakes, 57-00.25; 3. Aaron Session, Morton Ranch, 50-03.25; 4. Julius Loughridge, Mayde Creek, 49-03.25.

Discus: 1. Bryce Foster, Taylor, 184-02; 2. Matthew Rueff, Seven Lakes, 163-05; 3. Seth Roberts, Seven Lakes, 150-07; 4. Ian Flynt, Taylor, 149-10.

Triple Jump: 1. Damilare Olukosi, Travis, 46-06.00; 2. Hollis Robinson, Taylor, 46-01.00; 3. Karson Gordon, Ridge Point, 45-07.50; 4. Jermichael Johnson, Morton Ranch, 44-01.75.

High Jump: 1. Blake Harris, Tompkins, 6-04.00; 2. Hollis Robinson, Taylor, 6-02.00; 3. Benjamin Wowo, Tompkins, 6-02.00; 4. Shane Gardner, George Ranch, 6-01.00.

Pole Vault: 1. William Saxman, Cinco Ranch, 15-00.00; 2. Matthew Kumar, Tompkins, 14-06.00; 3. Parker Brannon, Ridge Point, 14-00.00; 4. Ethan Becker, Taylor, 13-00.00.

GIRLS RESULTS

Team: 1. Seven Lakes, 162; 2. Richmond George Ranch, 101; 3. Cinco Ranch, 88.5; 4. Fort Bend Bush, 77; 5. Katy High, 48; 6. Tompkins, 44; 7. Fort Bend Elkins, 37; 8. Mayde Creek, 30; 9. Fort Bend Austin, 22; 10. Fort Bend Ridge Point, 6; 11. Fort Bend Travis, 3.5; 12. Fort Bend Dulles, 1.

100M Dash: 1. Jada Campos, Katy, 11.89; 2. Alyssa Tate, Seven Lakes, 11.95; 3. Gabriel Ayiteyfio, George Ranch, 12.31; 4. Brooke Jackson, Seven Lakes, 12.34.

200M Dash: 1. Jada Campos, Katy, 23.65; 2. Ibiso David-West, Seven Lakes, 24.79; 3. Brooke Jackson, Seven Lakes, 24.96; 4. Christina Pleasant, Bush, 25.43.

400M Dash: 1. Haley Tate, Seven Lakes, 53.76; 2. Rachel Joseph, Bush, 55.64; 3. Mfoniso Andrew, Elkins, 55.93; 4. Avary Catchings, Seven Lakes, 57.87.

800M Run: 1. Heidi Nielson, Cinco Ranch, 2:12.39; 2. Sophie Atkinson, Cinco Ranch, 2:12.93; 3. Courtny Wilmington, Elkins, 2:16.13; 4. Mariana Chapa, Austin, 2:16.29.

1600M Run: 1. Sophie Atkinson, Cinco Ranch, 4:46.33; 2. Heidi Nielson, Cinco Ranch, 4:46.38; 3. Addison Stevenson, Tompkins, 5:01.47; 4. Hayden Gold, Tompkins, 5:09.45.

3200M Run: 1. Heidi Nielson, Cinco Ranch, 10:18.66; 2. Sophie Atkinson, Cinco Ranch, 10:31.46; 3. Isabella Rubio, Katy, 11:15.77; 4. Madison Haldiman, George Ranch, 11:17.98.

100M Hurdles: 1. Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 14.24; 2. Jade Harris, Austin, 14.73; 3. Lanaye Keys, Tompkins, 15.04; 4. Jayla Wilson, Mayde Creek, 15.30.

300M Hurdles: 1. Lauren Moore, Bush, 44.90; 2. Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 44.96; 3. Summer Halphen, Seven Lakes, 45.96; 4. Lanaye Keys, Tompkins, 45.97.

4x100M Relay: 1. Seven Lakes (A. Tate, H. Tate, Kim, David-West), 46.15; 2. Bush (Moore, Joseph, Russell, Pleasant), 47.07; 3. George Ranch (Cummings, Tilford-Rutherford. Franklin, Ayiteyfio), 47.48; 4. Tompkins (Keys, Redman, Saanumi, Marshall), 47.92.

4x200M Relay: 1. Seven Lakes (Jackson, Campassi, Murray, Kim), 1:40.48; 2. Mayde Creek (White, Boudine, Ivory, Wilson), 1:40.94; 3. George Ranch (Cummings, Tilford-Rutherford, Franklin, Ayiteyfio), 1:41.97; 4. Bush (Pleasant, Duplechain, Dennis, Williams), 1:42.44.

4x400M Relay: 1. Seven Lakes (A. Tate, H. Tate, David-West, Catchings), 3:45.92; 2. Elkins (Holman, Andrew, Jackson, Wilmington), 3:48.64; 3. Bush (Duplechain, Joseph, Williams, Russell), 3:55.65; 4. Katy (Savage, Bay, Orekoya, Campos), 4:03.00.

Long Jump: 1. Alexis Tilford-Rutherford, George Ranch, 19-06.00; 2. Genesis Griffin, George Ranch, 17-11.75; 3 Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 17-08.75; 4. Tolu Odetola, Tompkins, 17-02.25.

Shot Put: 1. Amelia Flynt, Cinco Ranch, 44-01.75; 2. Arianna Stegall, Bush, 41-05.25; 3. Jordan Houston, Ridge Point, 40-00.o0; 4. Zena Tarhini, Mayde Creek, 38-06.00.

Discus: 1. Amelia Flynt, Cinco Ranch, 171-00; 2. Arianna Stegall, Bush, 138-08; 3. Toryn Turpin, Katy, 131-01; 4. Sydney Freeman, Elkins, 114-09.

Triple Jump: 1. Alexis Tilford-Rutherford, George Ranch, 39-06.75; 2. Genesis Griffin, George Ranch, 38-02.50; 3. Paige Boucher, Seven Lakes, 37-01.50.; 4. Hailey East, Cinco Ranch, 39-09.00.

High Jump: 1. Gabriela Ayiteyfio, George Ranch, 5-02.00; 2. Chandler Lee, Taylor, 5-02.00; 3. Elizabeth Pringle, Fort Bend Austin, 5-00.00; 4. Hayley Byrd, Cinco Ranch, 5-00.00.

Pole Vault: 1. Lauren Schmitt, Seven Lakes, 12-00.00; 2. Mia Martinson, Seven Lakes, 11-06.00; 3. Taylor Reeves, George Ranch, 11-06.00; 4. Aubrey Tupper, Seven Lakes, 10-06.00.