Jameson Garcia, Amarillo High track, Jr.
On the track: Amarillo High rolled to a decisive team points win at the Amarillo Relays Meet of Champions this past weekend at Dick Bivins Stadium, and nobody was a bigger part of that than Garcia. He anchored both the 400 and 800 meter relay teams who won gold, and took home a bronze in the 100. In the 400 relay, Garcia was the last to run after Xavian Landry, Tyrese Molden and JQ Ervin ran their legs, and Garcia edged Tascosa’s Tayden Barnes at the finish line to give AHS a win in 41.72 seconds, a season best mark. Garcia later closed with the same quartet in the 800 meters with a winning time of 1:26.79, setting a new meet record. In the 100, Garcia earned bronze with a 10.83. Those performances helped Amarillo High win the team title with 168 points, well ahead of crosstown rival Tascosa in second with 113.50. Track season is merely the continuation of an outstanding athletic year for the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Garcia, who’s also a standout wide receiver in football and will return for his third varsity season next fall.
Coach Steve Bergeski: “We know he’s going to be a big part in what we do this year. It’s been nice to get him out and have a full, healthy track season so far. The last few years he’s had some nagging injuries and we were able to get him the last few weeks of last season. He’s worked his tail off this offseason. He’s one of those guys who can run the 100 or the 200. His competitiveness is what makes him special. It was a pleasure to see him out there. His combination of size and speed isn’t what you normally come across in a high school athlete. A lot of the stuff you do in track is going to correlate to playing receiver. I think he’s figured that out and he’s kind of using both to his advantage. He’s always hit the weight room hard.”
Garcia: “It’s a blessing to run fast times but we’ve just got to keep getting faster and faster. We’ve got a long ways to go and we’ve got a lot of potential as a team. We’re just getting started. My ultimate goal for the season is a 10.5 (in the 100). I’ve been dealing with a pulled hamstring. I was coming into it not feeling 100 percent but we were just trying to go get gold for the relays. As far as my 100 I always try to PR. Our expectations are always going to be high so we’ve just got to continue to get better at every meet. Track has helped with my recruiting. I knew that would help me with football. That was always the goal.”
About Garcia
Favorite band or musician: Drake
Favorite social media platform: Snapchat
Favorite athlete: Dez Bryant
Bet you didn’t know: Has twin sisters, Ava and Alli.
Parents: Jason and Jamie Garcia