ELSA — Jesse Contreras is no stranger to the UIL state track meet, seeing his sister, Mackenzie Contreras, compete at state twice during her four-year career at Edcouch-Elsa.
Now, Contreras can etch his name next to his sister’s — the school’s record holder in the girls shot put — as the Yellow Jackets senior is set to compete in the shot put at the Class 5A UIL state track meet Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
“Seeing my sister definitely pushed me to do better,” said Contreras, who also qualified for regionals in the discus but not state, where only the top two from each region advance. “I wanted to go above that bar she set. I want for both of our names to be up there and not just hers.”
After making it to regionals as a sophomore, Contreras went into his junior year hungry to reach the state meet. Before Contreras had a chance to compete for a spot at state, the 2020 season ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On top of losing his junior year, Contreras also saw his sister’s senior season ended, adding more fuel going into his final year.
“It’s definitely extra motivation being cut off last year,” Contreras said. “I wasn’t able to go to regionals and have that chance to make it to state. My sister, she didn’t get her last year. Luckily, I was given my last year. So, I’m going to give it my all, no matter what.”
The extra motivation helped Contreras put together one of the most dominant seasons in Yellow Jackets history, with the senior thrower taking the top spot in the shot put in nine straight meets, including a first-place finish at the Region IV-5A meet with a throw of 53 feet, 9 inches.
During his winning streak, Contreras also set a personal record of 54 feet, 11 inches in the shot put during the Edcouch-Elsa Jacket Invitational on Feb. 27, earning him the second-farthest throw in school history, while ranking No. 9 in the state this year.
Contreras credits his success to his family, stating their support has been what has impacted him the most.
“My family has been here basically all of the time,” Contreras said. “I never really thought about it, but it hit me at once that not everybody has their family supporting them. That definitely pushed me to do a lot more and to realize how big a support my family was and how much they actually motivated me to do better.”
Yellow Jackets track and field head coach Victor Cardenas is not surprised by Contreras’ success, seeing firsthand his work ethic and the support he receives from his family.
“We knew as a freshman, once we started seeing him lift weights and started to see his commitment,” Cardenas said. “He was one of our football players. He was a tight end. He stood out because of his work ethic. He was always a hard worker. He never took any reps off. He never took any plays off and was always at practice. But he also had tremendous support from his parents.”
For Cardenas, Contreras has already established himself as one of the top throwers at Edcouch-Elsa. Still, Cardenas believes beating the school record of 56 feet, 7 inches — set by Andy Anderson in 1976 — would leave no doubt about Contreras’ status as the greatest to ever do it as a Yellow Jacket.
“I think he’s earned that right but until it’s in the record back, we can’t do anything until its officially official,” Cardenas said. “I never saw that Andy Anderson throw, but I’ve seen Jesse Contreras throw. I know what he brings to the table and what he’s all about.”
After finally breaking into the state meet, Contreras has clear goals in mind — beat the school record and finish on top among the best in the state.
“I plan on going into the state meet and just doing what I do,” Contreras said. “I’m going to do the best that I can and hopefully break that school record and be one of the top ones out there.”