GEORGE WEST, Texas — The Three Rivers boys 4x400 relay team finished second at UIL 2A Region IV to qualify for the State meet. An accomplishment that was achieved all while not having their own track most of the season, which is being updated as part of the November 2025 bond.
The Bulldogs track team needed a little help from their Live Oak County rivals, the George West Longhorns. That is where Three Rivers put in work to punch their ticket to State.
"Feels really good," said Three Rivers junior sprinter Ethan Conn. "There hasn't been many people at Austin from Three Rivers in a long time, and it just feels good to be there with us."
The Three Rivers' relay is led by senior Corbin Zamzow, followed by senior Diego Arvizu, sophomore Paxton Soliz and the last leg is Conn. They recently ran 3:22.73 at the region meet, breaking the school record by a second that has stood for 28 years. Conn's uncle Ben Hinojosa was on the 1998 team.
"Going down the back stretch I was just looking at the time and I could tell we were about to break it," Conn said. "Then I just knew it was the perfect moment."
That previous record was also held by the 1990 squad. Corbin Zamzow has an uncle on both relays, Stacy Zamzow in 1990 and Hinojosa in 1998.
"It means a lot to me that it's staying in the family," Corbin Zamzow said. "They've given me a lot of advice on how to run the race and everything about the 4x400."
Stacy is now a track coach in Goliad. He knows how hard it is to run the mile relay, and is proud to see the speed back in Three Rivers.
"You know it's just very special any time we get good 4x400's out of the South Texas area, much less the place where you graduated from" Stacy Zamzow said.
This is believed to be the first time the Three Rivers boys mile relay has punched their ticket to State since 1998.
"The entire squad is fast. I mean they're just fast," said Three Rivers track and field head coach Ramon Soliz. "There's not necessarily one guy that stands out, and so it's really a team effort."
The UIL 2A State track and field meat starts Friday at 9 AM at the University of Texas in Austin. Soliz also qualified for long jump.
