Kerrville Tivy thrower Jackson Kerth hitting stride at right time ahead of state meet

May 12-As Kerrville Tivy junior Jackson Kerth prepares for the UIL state track and field championships, his confidence and results are soaring.

Kerth enters state coming off personal-best performances after he captured titles in the discus (189 feet, 1 inch) and shot put (64-9 1/4 ) at the Region IV-5A championships two weeks ago at Heroes Stadium.

"Having that confidence going into a meet is perfect," Kerth said. "The last few weeks I've been having and this week (heading into regionals), I really felt it and it showed."

Kerth is the best qualifier from the 5A regional meets in each event. Kerth's 189-10 is tops in the discus by nearly three feet. The 64-9 1/4 is two inches better than the field in the discus.

The state meet begins Thursday at Myers Stadium in Austin. Kerth is scheduled to compete in the shot put at 10:30 a.m. Friday and the discus at 3 p.m. Friday.

Kerth's improved results are coming at the right time. That's a relief considering his slow start to the season, especially in the discus. After recording a 170-6 at an AAU meet last July, Kerth's best mark was 159-3 through the first month of spring's high school season.

Then, things opened up. Kerth won the Blanco Panther Relays with a then-personal-best 177-10 on March 26. He followed with a 188-1 1/4 and finished second at the Texas Relays the following week. He won District 26-5A with a throw of 185-2 and took second at the District 25/26-5A area meet at 176-10 before winning regionals at 189-1.

"It needed to happen, honestly, earlier this year," Kerth said. "But luckily, we're starting to get it done. Starting to feel and get a lot more confident."

Kerth has maintained consistency in the shot put all season, hovering between 59 and 64 feet. He's had back-to-back personal bests in the shot put - from 64-2 at the area meet to 64-9 1/4 at regionals.

Kerth traces the beginning of his wave of confidence to the Texas Relays, where he marked the discus more that 12 feet better than he ever had at the time against an overhead wind that makes throwing difficult.

"I still got a really good one out there, which definitely built my confidence the last few weeks," Kerth said.

Although Kerth is the top qualifier in each event, Frisco Heritage senior and Mississippi signee C.J. Williams is the one to beat. Williams is the reigning state champion in each event.

Williams set a state record and logged the eighth-best national mark in history with a 221-3 in the discus at the District 11-5A championships. That's the state's top mark by nearly 20 feet this season. Williams won the district shot put at 72-0 1/4 , also tops in Texas. Kerth has the fifth-best mark in the discus and third-best in the shot put this season in the state.

Kerth is set to compete at Myers Stadium for the fourth time. He finished second to Williams in the discus and was fourth in the shot put at March's Texas Relays. Kerth was fourth in the shot put at last year's state meet and was fifth in the shot put at last year's Texas Relays. In addition, he competed at the Nike Outdoor Nationals last summer.

Competing against high-level competition helps his mental preparation for state.

"I don't get nervous anymore," Kerth said. "I just know that I have to compete at the best level I know how to compete at. Period. It feels much better not being in your head. I'm able to focus on what I've been training for and practicing for every single day of the year, honestly."

Kerth is a former defensive end who stopped playing football at the end of his freshman season once he noticed he was soaring in track and field. It's not a place he thought he would be in football-mad Texas. Kerth was concerned about his knees wearing out. Once he calculated the injury risk and his future, it was an easy decision.

"I had no idea I was going to be anywhere to where I was then and now (in track and field)," Kerth said. "I thought it was going to be something fun that I could do and still play football. Sophomore year, when I noticed my national rank, I knew I needed to quit football."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 6:52 PM.