Gatesville vaulter Amos Phillips returns to UIL state meet

Gatesville has another reason to circle Austin on the calendar, and Amos Phillips is carrying the Hornets back into the UIL state meet with him. The Gatesville High School senior won gold in the boys pole vault at the UIL 4A Region III meet after clearing 14 feet, 6 inches, a mark that sent him back to the Class 4A state stage later this month.

For Gatesville, Phillips’ return is more than one athlete advancing. It is a sign that the program is still producing competitors who can survive the pressure of the postseason, where only the best remain standing when the bar keeps rising. Phillips had already claimed the District 23-4A pole vault title in Lorena on April 8-9 by clearing 14-0, then moved through area and region to reach the final meet again. Gatesville sent 19 athletes, 10 girls and nine boys, from district to area in April, and Phillips kept the Hornets in the conversation at the top of the field events.

His path looks even more demanding when set against last season. Phillips finished eighth in the Class 4A state pole vault in 2025, and this year’s trip gives him a second straight chance to finish higher in Austin. The UIL lists the 2026 Track & Field State Meet for Thursday, May 14 through Saturday, May 16 at Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium, with Class 3A and 4A field events scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Thursday. Phillips will be one of the local names to watch when the state meet opens.

The return also carries a family dimension that makes the moment stand out in Gatesville. The Messenger reported that Phillips’ family has had other athletes compete in the state pole vault, adding another chapter to a local track lineage already tied to the event. Phillips has also been recognized beyond the runway, including as Gatesville ISD’s December Student Spotlight recipient, and his athletic profile has become familiar across town because of repeated coverage in football, basketball and track.

For Gatesville, a state finish from Phillips would do more than add another line to the record book. It would reaffirm the Hornets as a program that can develop athletes who keep climbing through district, area and region, and it would send one more senior from Coryell County onto the state podium chase with a chance to make the school’s spring season even bigger.