How these state track champions from Fort Worth area high schools found their drive

At the 2024 UIL state track and field meet, Dunbar’s Kalani Lawson and Mansfield Timberview’s Cameron bates won their hurdles events to claim a state championship.

Here is an inside look at both athletes.

Back-to-back: Dunbar’s Kalani Lawson adds another title

Junior Kalani Lawson of Fort Worth Dunbar High School won the Class 4A 100-meter hurdle championship in 13.89 seconds, breaking the state record she set in winning the 2023 title.

The previous record of 14.04 seconds was set in 1996.

“There aren’t too many athletes that can say they’ve been to state three years in a row,” Dunbar head coach Leah Matthews said. “As an athlete, she is elite.”

Lawson wasn’t satisfied with another appearance. Her goal was to win the event but she knew there was a chance to set another record.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Lawson accepted a leadership position on the team as Dunbar’s top athlete. Her talent and success set a high standard.

“I have a young team, so she had to step up and be a leader,” Matthews said. “She is not a senior, so initially it was difficult because she is still young. But once she realized her role, she was able to step up and be a leader for her teammates.”

One of Lawson’s responsibilities as a leader was to balance 100 meter races with hurdles. It was a big challenge for a young athlete, but Matthews tends to remind Lawson of her greatness.

“A true sprinter should be able to do both,” Matthews said. “Sometimes I have to remind her of that when she is tired.”

What makes Lawson stand out from the rest? She works with an outside hurdles coach but also works with Matthews on speed and conditioning throughout the season.

Matthews said Lawson is also developing as she grows older and now has a greater awareness of her abilities.

“I don’t think she has reached her peak yet,” Matthews said. “With her training or her abilities.”

Matthews said greater consistency is an achievable goal for Lawson, who thrives on the big stage. Matthews wants to see her dominate the entirety of the 2025 season by leaving her foot on the gas.

“Once it sets in her mind that she can do this every week, it’ll be scary,” Matthews said.

Lawson started running in fifth grade, and she enjoys the sport because of the track environment. She strongly associates track and field with her personal growth and identity.

“It makes me happy,” Lawson said. “It makes me the person who I am.”

Putting in extra training hours can be challenging, especially for a high school athlete. Lawson said the dedication learned on the track is applicable to anything in life, and it helps her endure various challenges.

She emphasized that “discipline is key.”

“Even at times that I don’t want to do the workout, I know I’m going to have to do it anyway,” Lawson said. “And the world is not going to end. So, I can just do it.”

Lawson has already set a high standard, but there is always room to grow. That raises a question: What’s next for Lawson in her senior year with the Wildcats?

Lawson already has two state championships and a record to her name. She said she’ll continue to train in order to become even faster. She will rely on improved consistency and an increased belief in her ability to shine.

“Just trust the process and be more confident in myself,” Lawson said.

Football, family and track: Timberview’s Cameron Bates

At the 2023 state track meet, Cameron Bates of Mansfield Timberview High School posted a time of 36.79 in the 300 meter hurdles and finished in second place. He was less than a second away from winning a state championship.

Bates entered his senior year as one of Timberview’s top athletes. He is a three-star quarterback recruit committed to Boise State, and led the Wolves to a second place finish in District 5-5A D1. He was named to the 2024 Fort Worth All-Area football second team.

With the Broncos, Bates will focus on special teams and wide receiver.

Bates thrived in his junior track season, and his senior season brought high expectations.

“If I can do it on the field, I can do it on the track,” Bates said. “The journey has been really exciting — getting faster over the years. And I love being around a fun team.”

Bates, however, suffered an injury that kept him from running the majority of the 2024 track season.

Despite the setback, Timberview track head coach Trey Bates, who is also Cameron bates’ father, said his son is “always one to take care of business.”

“Once he came back he really got in stride pretty quick,” Trey Bates said. “We knew if that happened he could have a good chance to make it to state.”

Bates used district and area to get back to an elite level, and he had a phenomenal performance at the regional meet to enter state with the fastest time in Class 5A.

“Just because you go in ranked high — that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Trey Bates said. “He backed it up. He went out and executed his race.”

Bates ended his career at Mansfield Timberview as a state champion. Bates will soon leave for Boise State and will always have the shared experience of a state title with his father.

“That’s something you always want to experience with your kid,” Trey Bates said. “ He’s been a leader for the last three years at Timberview. ... He is somebody that we have always leaned on. Whatever it is we have needed him to do, he has been able to do it.”

The dynamic between Trey and Cameron Bates revolves around truth and high expectations. Both understand what Cameron is capable of and what needs to happen to produce results.

“It’s amazing knowing I’ll get the truth from him at every moment,” Cameron Bates said. “If I do bad, he’ll tell me the truth. If I do well, he’ll tell me the truth. ... He’s been there for me as a coach and a father. He’s going to be there always.”

Cameron Bates had offers from Texas Tech, Toledo and Sam Houston but chose Boise State because the Broncos “treated him like family.”

He won’t continue track in college, but he’ll take the lessons and skills he learned to the gridiron.

“When I get the football I get it and go,” Bates said. “And endurance wise, it helps me. When I run long I can come back for the next play and get ready and be able to do the same thing all over again.”