Marquis Morris is Among California's Elite
Marquis Morris (Left) is among California’s premier track and field athletes
By Chris Jackson Wednesday May 15, 2013
CONCORD-Great athletes come around all the time in the Bay Area,
but athletes like De La Salle junior Marquis Morris don’t come around every
year.
Morris has shone his talents in the hurdles. Neither event he
competes in is his better event, but his 300 meter hurdle time leads California
(37.19 seconds). That time also ranks 13th in the nation, proving
more why he’s becoming an elite athlete at the high school level.
Not only is Morris ranked nationally in 300 hurdles, but he is
also ranked in the 110 meter hurdles. His time of 14.06 seconds at the East Bay
Athletic League Championships on Saturday is ranked third in the state and
19th in the entire country.
Marquis won the 110 and 300 hurdles at the EBAL championships on
Friday, but he additionally won the 100 meters in a time of 10.70 seconds, .03
seconds ahead of Cal’s Karris Johnson, who is heading to Utah State on a
football scholarship.
Winning one event is hard enough in the East Bay Athletic
League, which is ranked among the nation’s best leagues, but winning three
events signifies something greater. It signifies that not only are you a good
athlete, but you are a premier athlete, and that title can only be put on a
handful of names.
Nothing seems to faze Morris out on the track. When he was neck
to neck with Amador Valley’s Sam Peters halfway through the 110 hurdles, Morris
shifted into fourth gear and ended up winning by just under one second.
In the 300 hurdles Saturday at the EBAL championships, Morris
dominated. He came into the race ranked 1st in the state, and Amador
Valley’s Sam Peters cam in ranked 4th in the state. Morris ended up
winning in 37.19 seconds, and Peters came in 2nd in 39.59 seconds. By
the final turn of the race, Morris was far ahead of all the other competitors.
But if you thought that the stud junior hurdler Morris was just
state ranked in the hurdles (also nationally), don’t be surprised hearing this.
Morris’ 100 meter time on Saturday ranks 8th in California.
One premier athlete you may remember out of the Bay Area was
David Klech, out of Cal High (San Ramon). He was an NCS champion in the 110
hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400 meters, high jump and long jump, and he was nationally
ranked in the top 5 in all of those events. While we’re not saying any athlete
will ever be as good as Klech ever again in the Bay Area, Marquis Morris might
be the closest one to him since then. While Morris doesn’t compete in any field
events, he is the closest athlete to Klech on the track. Every race he competes
in, he wins.
Morris is competing at the NCS Tri-Valley Meet this Saturday at
Granada. He will be competing in three events and will be a lock for the North
Coast Section Meet of Champions.
Athletes comparable to Marquis Morris are a dime a dozen. They
don’t come around every day, and with one more year still under his belt after
this year, expect great things out of the highly touted Morris. A state title in
one of the three events Morris competes in is an extremely achievable goal.
CONCORD-Great athletes come around all the time in the Bay Area,
but athletes like De La Salle junior Marquis Morris don’t come around every
year.
Morris has shone his talents in the hurdles. Neither event he
competes in is his better event, but his 300 meter hurdle time leads California
(37.19 seconds). That time also ranks 13th in the nation, proving
more why he’s becoming an elite athlete at the high school level.
Not only is Morris ranked nationally in 300 hurdles, but he is
also ranked in the 110 meter hurdles. His time of 14.06 seconds at the East Bay
Athletic League Championships on Saturday is ranked third in the state and
19th in the entire country.
Marquis won the 110 and 300 hurdles at the EBAL championships on
Friday, but he additionally won the 100 meters in a time of 10.70 seconds, .03
seconds ahead of Cal’s Karris Johnson, who is heading to Utah State on a
football scholarship.
Winning one event is hard enough in the East Bay Athletic
League, which is ranked among the nation’s best leagues, but winning three
events signifies something greater. It signifies that not only are you a good
athlete, but you are a premier athlete, and that title can only be put on a
handful of names.
Nothing seems to faze Morris out on the track. When he was neck
to neck with Amador Valley’s Sam Peters halfway through the 110 hurdles, Morris
shifted into fourth gear and ended up winning by just under one second.
In the 300 hurdles Saturday at the EBAL championships, Morris
dominated. He came into the race ranked 1st in the state, and Amador
Valley’s Sam Peters cam in ranked 4th in the state. Morris ended up
winning in 37.19 seconds, and Peters came in 2nd in 39.59 seconds. By
the final turn of the race, Morris was far ahead of all the other competitors.
But if you thought that the stud junior hurdler Morris was just
state ranked in the hurdles (also nationally), don’t be surprised hearing this.
Morris’ 100 meter time on Saturday ranks 8th in California.
One premier athlete you may remember out of the Bay Area was
David Klech, out of Cal High (San Ramon). He was an NCS champion in the 110
hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400 meters, high jump and long jump, and he was nationally
ranked in the top 5 in all of those events. While we’re not saying any athlete
will ever be as good as Klech ever again in the Bay Area, Marquis Morris might
be the closest one to him since then. While Morris doesn’t compete in any field
events, he is the closest athlete to Klech on the track. Every race he competes
in, he wins.
Morris is competing at the NCS Tri-Valley Meet this Saturday at
Granada. He will be competing in three events and will be a lock for the North
Coast Section Meet of Champions.
Athletes comparable to Marquis Morris are a dime a dozen. They
don’t come around every day, and with one more year still under his belt after
this year, expect great things out of the highly touted Morris. A state title in
one of the three events Morris competes in is an extremely achievable goal.