Zapata set to race in 110m Hurdles at State

Devine senior Quentin “Guido” Zapata is running the 110m Hurdles in Austin at Mike A. Meyers Stadium on Saturday, May 11 at approximately 6:30pm. Guido goes into the race with the top time from all four regional meets at 14.22 seconds.
Practices have probably seemed a little lonely for Guido and Head Coach Lon Cozby since the conclusion of Regional. Those two have been able to concentrate on specific parts of the 110m race, break it down, and improve on little things that could bump a little time off the final result.
Coach Cozby shed some light on practice goals for the past week or so. “Right now, we have the same mind set going into State as we did going into Regional. Guido is still working on staying consistently faster out of the blocks and over the second hurdle. He gets stronger throughout the race, so we are trying to fine-tune the initial part of the start of the race. He has been mentally focused each day and not only wants to do well, he wants to win the whole thing.”
The schedule
Class 4A track events begin with the 400m Relay at 5:30 pm, followed by the 800m Run at 6:00 pm. At 6:35 pm, the 4A Girls 100m Hurdles serve as the precursor to the boys 110m Hurdles. Make plans to be there early to grab a good seat, some popcorn, and a cold beverage.
The rest of the events that evening are similar to a regular meet schedule after the 110m Hurdles. The 100m Dash (7:05 pm), 800m Relay (7:35 pm), 400m Dash (8:05 pm), 300m Hurdles (8:35 pm), 200m Dash (9:05 pm), 1600m Run (9:35 pm), and the 1600m Relay (10:05 pm) close out the 2019 State Meet.
A complete list of events and times can be found at UIL.ORG under the State Track and Field tab.
The competition
After Guido’s 14.22 top-ranked time going into State Class 4A, his remaining competition for the opportunity to stand on the highest podium at the conclusion of the race looks like this:
2. Parker Dodd, Gilmer, Region 2, 14.30
3. Darshon Turk, Silsbee, Region 3, 14.37
4. Demetrius Uplegger, Venus, Region 3, 14.45
5. Christian Marshall, Wimberley, Region 4, 14.52
6. James Rodriguez, Lamesa, Region 1, 14.59
7. Tommy Bowden, Brownwood, Region 1, 14.73
8. Kevin Callahan, Dallas Carter, Region 2, 14.76
9. Phillip Gundl, El Campo, Region 4
By Jerel Beaty
Staff Writer