Atascocita's Jelani Watkins ends high school track career sweeping state, undefeated in 5 events

ByJoseph Gleason KTRK logo
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Atascocita's Jelani Watkins ends HS track career sweeping state
Jelani Watkins accounted for 40 of Atascocita High School's 70 state championship points en route to the track program's Class 6A title on Saturday.

HUMBLE, Texas (KTRK) -- It's hard to imagine a better finish to a high school athletic career than Atascocita's Jelani Watkins.

Watkins helped the Eagles win the Class 6A state track championship in Austin on Saturday.

Watkins accounted for 40 of the team's 70 championship points. The high school senior won gold in the 100-meter dash at 10.19 seconds, the 200-meter at 20.60 seconds, and ran the anchor leg of the 4x100-meter relay team that ran the fastest time ever posted by any U.S. high school - 38.92 seconds - last March.

With the clean sweep at state, Watkins finished the season undefeated in the 100 meters, 200-meter, 4x100-meter, 4x200-meter, and 4x400-meter relays.

"It came with a lot of ups and downs, but I was able to overcome it with family and God," Watkins said about his prep track career that puts him at the top of the all-time best Houston-area sprinters.

Watkins transferred to Atascocita from Klein Forest High School, where he helped the Golden Eagles win state a year ago.

Watkins won gold a year ago in the 200-meter, 4x100, and 4x400-meter relays that secured the points to win state.

Now that track is over, Watkins will turn his focus to football, where he will play wide receiver at LSU.

WATCH: Eyewitness Sports follows Jelani Watkins from his freshman to senior year