The Lamar High School boys’ track team captured the 2025 UIL 6A state championship, earning 34 points with a bronze in the 4×100-meter relay and gold in the 4×400-meter relay. Lamar’s performance edged out Killeen Shoemaker (28 points) and Dekaney (26) for the title.
We had success along the way, but we all knew the ultimate goal was to win a state championship.
Gerrick Green, Lamar head track coach
This victory was more than just a milestone for Lamar, which hadn’t won a boys’ track and field title since 1956. It also marked a major achievement for Houston ISD, ending a championship drought that dated back to 2013 when the Wheatley girls claimed the Class 4A crown.
“We did it and it feels great,” said Ryan Johnson, who starts the 4×400-meter relay. “As a team, we knew we had a good shot at it if we worked hard.”
Green experimented with various relay lineups throughout the season, carefully balancing combinations that allowed athletes to compete in individual events while delivering strong relay performances.
The 4×100-meter team remained steady, featuring juniors Kayden Falls, Jordan Godfrey, Devin Carpenter and senior Bailey Hashmi. However, the 4×400-meter relay required more fine-tuning. Lamar’s initial lineup for that event included Carpenter and Godfrey and seniors Hashmi and Jack McGuire.
“As the season progressed and minor nagging injuries came about, we subbed in runners Blake Love, Jayden Jones, Jack McGuire and Tobe Ochulo,” said Green.
At the District meet, Lamar’s 4×400-meter relay team consisted of freshman Love and juniors Johnson, Jones and Carpenter. This squad ran 3:22.94, qualifying for the area round.
“The idea was to allow Jordan Godfrey and Bailey Hashmi to run two individual races along with the 4×100-meter relay,” said Green.
In the Area round, the 4×400-meter relay team consisted of Johnson, Carpenter, Love and Godfrey.
“At the Area round, we added Jordan back to the 4×400-meter relay but kept Bailey in two open events,” said Green.
Green’s hardest decision was deciding between Johnson and Carpenter, and who would run first and third.
“It just so happened that Devin was dealing with a slight hamstring strain and I didn’t want him pushing out the blocks, putting too much pressure on it, so Ryan made the most sense out of the blocks. At the Regional round, we put all four legs on, Johnson, Hashmi, Carpenter and Godfrey and the rest was history,” said Green.
Heading into Regionals, Lamar’s best time in the 4×400 relay was 3:15. However, that changed dramatically when they clocked an astonishing 3:08.51 at the Regional meet, shattering a 31-year-old record set by Beaumont Westbrook in 1994. That performance didn’t just rewrite state history; it ranked Lamar as the fifth-fastest high school 4×400 team in U.S. history, only trailing Hawthorne (Calif.) at 3:07.40 in 1985, New Bern (N.C.) at 3:08.05 in 2009, Junipero Serra (Calif.) at 3:08.42 in 2010 and the national record holder, Bullis (Md.), who ran 3:06.31 at the 2025 Penn Relays—anchored by Olympic gold medalist Quincy Wilson.
“We all knew the ultimate goal was to win a state championship, breaking the state record was our secondary goal,” said Green.
Fresh off breaking the state record in the 4×400-meter relay, Lamar arrived at Mike Myers Stadium in the spotlight. By the end of the meet, they had only added to the buzz, taking bronze in the 4×100-meter relay (40.30) and gold in the 4×400-meter relay (3:11.94) to clinch a 6A state championship.
“Breaking the record in the 4×400-meter relay felt surreal,” said Godfrey. “This was my first time going to state and to be a part of this team that ran the fastest time in state history and brought back the title feels amazing.”
After this season, Lamar will graduate just one member of its 4×400-meter and 4×100-meter relay team—senior Hashmi, who is set to run at Baylor University. With Johnson, Carpenter and Godfrey all returning, the team could be poised for another state title run.
“We are most definitely coming back next year faster and better,” said Carpenter. “With Hashmi graduating, we will be missing a crucial piece to our puzzle to success, but we are going to work harder at getting better. We will see who steps up for both relay teams, but as for the juniors, we will be ready.”
