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AUSTIN – Cuero turned slim and none into another one.

The Gobblers overcame a slew of injuries to bring home their third Class 3A team title in four years Friday at the UIL Track and Field Championships.

Cuero scored 22 points in the field events before winning the 400- and 800-meter relays on a brutally hot and muggy day at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

The Gobblers scored 62 points and begin their celebration before Atlanta, which finished second with 52.5 points, ran the 1,600-meter relay.

“I was really, really surprised,”said Cuero coach Victor Mathis, who had done his best to downplay his team’s chances. “I told them if we were going to have any chance at all we had to win both relays or at least get second. They did what they’re supposed to do.”

Brent Johnson finished second in the long jump (23 feet, 1 inch), Kaeron Johnson (176-10) and Desmond Patton (163-3) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the discus, and Isaiah Glover (46-10.75) got fourth in the triple jump to get Cuero started on its title run.

“I was hoping for about 16 to 18 points in the field events,” Mathis said. “We got 22 and I think we were sitting in real good shape.”

Mathis didn’t really know what kind of position Cuero was in until he watched Amand Avery-Green, Glover, Johnson and Stefon Hargrove combine to win the 400 relay in a time of 41.34 seconds and the 800 relay in a time of 1:26.72.

The Gobblers were in third place behind Waco La Vega and Atlanta when Hargrove got the baton from Johnson but he sprinted to the lead and was pulling away from La Vega’s Chad Ward at the finish line. Hargrove repeated the feat in the 800 relay and held off West Orange-Stark’s Joshua Gloston.

“The person who really surprised me was Hargrove,” Mathis said. “I clocked his split at 20.4 (in the 800). I mean he was the key. Everybody ran well, but he came from third place in the sprint relay and 800-meter relay to get first.”

Hargrove was running in his fourth and final state meet and was determined to make it a memorable one.

“I really did take it to heart that this was going to be my last year,” Hargrove said. “I wanted to do it for my boys. I just had to go out there and do it so I could pull through for them.”

The Gobblers wanted to send Hargrove out with another team title.

“We wanted to win so we could do it for Stefon because this is his last year,” Brent Johnson said. “That’s what we’ve been practicing for all year is to win a state championship.”

Goliad’s Amanda Clemons and Karnes City’s Brittany Kinney went home with gold medals. Clemons won the girls Class 3A long jump (18-8.5) and Kinney won the girls Class 2A triple jump (37-10.25).

Clemons, a senior, took control immediately, making her first jump her best jump. Yoakum’s Tameika Harris finished third in the event with a jump of 18-3.

“I envisioned it this way,” said Clemons, who was making her second appearance at the state meet and also finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.02). “I’m glad it happened this way. I was so glad. I felt that way and the mark came out that way. It got rid of a lot of stress. I knew what to expect and I felt confident on what I needed to do out there.”

Kinney, a freshman, came into the meet seeded second but won with a season-best jump.

“Coming in I knew the girl from Big Sandy had jumped 38 and I had only gone 36 so I didn’t know what my chances were,” Kinney said. “But I was able to get my mark and my footwork down and go 37 and I’m really happy.”

Van Vleck’s C.J. Griggs (47-3) and Michael Alliniece (46-8.25) finished second and third, respectively, in the boys Class 2A triple jump and were first and second until the final round.

“The first part I was real nervous but I just let that go and I jumped,” Griggs said.

“I knew I was going to place pretty high because I’ve been doing that in all the meets,”Alliniece added. “I had a sprained ankle but I had to overcome it.”

Goliad’s Aaron Franklin earned a bronze medal in the Class 3A boys 300 hurdles with a season-best time of 38.44.

“I’m happy,” Franklin said. “That was my best time and I gave it all I had.”

Gonzales’ Shelby Zigmond cleared 5-4 to earn a bronze medal in the Class 3A girls high jump, despite jumping in the heat of the afternoon.

“I’m pretty pleased,” Zigmond said. “It was just hot. It doesn’t make a difference. You still have to jump.”