Braylon Kinzie becomes Wichita Falls High’s final athlete at a state meet

On By Vaseline

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AUSTIN – Wichita Falls sophomore Braylon Kinzie didn’t make the history he wanted to make at the Class 4A UIL state championships, but that will take two more years.

Still, what Kinzie performed on Thursday was special. When Kinzie left the track after a ninth-place finish in the 300 hurdles to complete his two-event day, he became the last track athlete at 123-year-old Wichita Falls High School to wear the Coyote jersey.

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Wichita Falls’ final bell will ring on May 21, the doors will close for good and the students will be distributed to the new Legacy and Memorial schools. Kinzie will be at Memorial next year as he looks to build on a special 2024 season, but Thursday was a swan song of sorts for Old High.

“It doesn’t matter where I placed or how I finished, it doesn’t matter that we’re here and hungry for more,” said Kinzie, who finished seventh in the 800 in 1:57.75 two hours earlier. “I feel very blessed, I feel like I have respected the name well over the last year.

“I’m excited to move on to next year, let’s keep going.”

While Kinzie had his day in Austin, the Coyote baseball team began a three-game playoff against Decatur on Thursday night.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

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