It Only Takes One in Marisa Ellis quest for the State Championship

Canyon Lake’s Marisa Ellis Standing on Top of the Podium

The Canyon Lake Girls Track Team beat Fredericksburg at the State Track Meet held in Austin last weekend.

The Hawks finished with 10 points while the Billies garnered one point in this contest.

Fredericksburg had won every track meet they had entered during the regular season and also lapped CL during the District 27-3A Meet, 193 to 84 held over a month ago.

But Marisa Ellis had other thoughts as she jumped back over the 5’6 High Jump Bar and not only scored enough points to beat the invincible Billies, but Jumped right into the Canyon Lake’s record books with the first Team or Individual to place first in a State event.

That 5’6 jump was a personal best for Ellis that just so happened to be at the right time and just enough for a win and 10 points for the Hawks.

Ellis was in a zone as she made all her marks without a miss when the field was reduced to five students in this competition as the bar was raised to a 5’8 standard.

Recap: Ellis was at that height without a miss which gave her the championship if she finished tied with any of the other four girls without having any other person clearing the bar.

Each athlete would have three more tries at this new height and now you can see how nerves would be on edge as this event whittled down with each rotation.

“I tried to not be so nervous,” State Champion Ellis said calmly.

There were two girls that had reached heights over this mark so thinking that might happen again was certainly on the minds of all the participants no matter how many misses had occurred at this stage of the high jump event.

Heights Reached in Region Meets:

 Nina Sato         Anthony       5'2
 Marisa Ellis      HAWKS         5'4
 Reagan Luce       Hondo         5'5
 Morgan McKee      Greenwood     5'6
 Alexus Henry      Bridge City   5'6
 Kori Soignet      Silsbee       5'6
 Tracy Jander      Lorena        5'7
 Whitney Apari     Lone Star     5'8
 Kara Erickson     North Lamar   5'10

Ellis would of finished out of the point phase if those heights reached during Region Meets had been duplicated for this State Meet.

Kara Erickson from North Lamar had reached a full six inches more than Ellis and that

Ellis Clearing the High Jump Bar

will give you an idea of thinking that someone still in the hunt might hit on the 5’8 level.

Reaching that personal best of 5’6 was huge for Ellis and gave her a legitimate chance to finish in the top three.

Looking at the list above gives you an idea that only two of the girls had matched or beaten that 5’8 mark and Tracy Jander of Lorena had reached 5’7 but was already out when she did not make an earlier level.

Ellis was also seeded as the fist jumper and so that meant after each miss at that 5’8 mark all Ellis could do is wait as the next four jumpers tried to make it to their next level.

On that final round, Ellis had missed and with each girl coming next would tell her what place she might finish.

Now you can imagine as each girl would miss on that third round, that Ellis would move up a place.

Ellis started placed at 5th place and already higher than her finish last season in the Triple Jump in Austin.

Marisa Ellis getting some pointers from Track Coach Lacey Lambert at State

Next girl’s miss put Ellis in 4th place, 3rd place, 2nd place, and then with Erickson’s miss a Canyon Lake Champion was crowned.

Erickson would be that logical choice of any of the athletes that would put Ellis on the 2nd place podium with a 5’10 jump two weeks earlier to her credit.

A miss put Ellis on her shock the nation tour.

What were you thinking after that last girl missed the bar? “I was in shock,” Ellis said.