There wasn’t a Magnolia Dog Pound Invitational in 2024. The track at Bulldog stadium was being upgraded at the time, and by April, the school eventually hosted the ever-important UIL Class 21/22-5A Area Meet.
It just wasn’t the same for Magnolia’s track and field athletes.
“We did (have a meet here) just because of the fact that having area, there’s a lot of competition and you have to lock in,” Magnolia senior sprinter Gertrude Osafo explained earlier this week. “But right now, I just feel like since it’s our home meet, we don’t have that area pressure on it just yet. It’s definitely going to give us that feel of other competition from not just our area, but other places as well.”
The Dog Pound Invitational is just its own unique vibe for the Bulldogs.
“Last year we had the area here, so we did have a (home) meet,” Magnolia senior distance runner Sophia Phillip said. “But I missed the Dog Pound because it’s our meet that we host. Everybody is like, ‘This is so cool’. So last year, I did kind of miss that a lot.
“I’m glad about it this year.”
The Dog Pound Invitational is back for its fourth edition Thursday. The field events take place at 12:30 p.m. while the running finals are set for 4:30 p.m. Magnolia’s seniors will be honored and presented on the track at 4 p.m.
Teams like Lake Creek, Magnolia West, Katy Jordan, Katy Morton Ranch, Willis, Tomball, Kingwood Park, Splendora, Cypress Woods, Brookshire Royal and John Cooper are involved in this year’s meet on the girl’s side. There is a boys meet as well.
LINK: 2025 Magnolia Dog Pound Invitational schedule and results
Osafo was sixth place in the 100-meter dash two years ago as a sophomore.
“My favorite part, I would say, is having all the schools come and being able to compete,” Osafo said. “It gives me adrenaline to show what me and my team have been working on and just being able to demonstrate that on the home track. Especially it being my senior year, it’s definitely going to be a memorable moment.”
Magnolia girls track and field head coach Marquis Bean simply loves hosting meets.
“I like running meets,” Bean said. “They had the Magnolia ISD Invitational before. When I was at Pasadena, I liked running meets. I think it’s fun to host. I think kids like running at home. It gives them a sense of identity, like we have our own. We have our own track on campus and it’s not like we have to share it with anybody else.”
The event has been scaled down and tweaked some compared to the inaugural meet in 2021.
“It started off pretty big,” Bean said. “We started with 22 teams and, oh boy, it was a lot. We rocked and rolled and had a great meet that year.”
By the third year, 2023, it was smaller.
“This year, we’re a little smaller than normal,” Bean said. “We moved the date due to the Texas A&M Invitational. Unfortunately, it’s a little smaller this year.”
Said Osafo, “There’s a lot of people and a lot of great competition. I think it’s going to give us that push and especially now being in 6A, it will give us that push to where we need to be.”
Most track teams don’t get that home meet opportunity. The outdoor regular season only lasts a couple months with typically one meet per week. There’s a lot of time on the bus and hanging out in the team area at other stadiums across the region and Texas.
Phillip recalled running the 1,600 two years ago when she finished sixth at Bulldog Stadium.
“You have your school basically there, so it’s a good audience,” she said. “You have your family, and since it’s close to the high school, they come out and support. I just really like it because the crowd is really big. There’s a lot of cheering and it just makes you run faster. It’s really good.”
The area meet experience of last year was simply different. There’s major pressure there as spots for the regional meet are on the line. The Dog Pound Invitational, although very competitive in its own right, is still preparation for the postseason, which begins in a couple weeks.
“We’ve got some really good teams,” Bean said. “Lake Creek is solid. They’re always really explosive and I’m excited to see them as a former district (team). I think we’re really good. Splendora has put some really good times in the 4X100, so I’m excited to see them. They’re really going to push and we’re trying things out this week. We’re really pushing the envelope with a few things.”
The Senior Night ceremony is a big deal, too. Magnolia has plenty of those who have accomplished big things graduating this year.
“The senior class has done a lot,” Bean said. “There’s record holders in all three of our relays. Sophia is our mile record holder and our 5K record outdoors. She’s edging toward the 800 and the two-mile record. Jenna Cicherski is on the brink of breaking the discus record. So we are losing a lot of big important athletes. I’m really going to miss them when they’re gone.”
Phillip didn’t quite know what to expect, but is looking forward to Senior Night.
“I’m really excited,” Phillip said. “I don’t know much about it, but I know your family comes and they announce you and like how long you’ve been in the sport. It’s really cool they’ll honor the seniors before the meet starts.”
Osafo is really looking forward to that moment.
“It’s very special just because of the fact we’ve been practicing here every day,” Osafo said. “Just to be able to walk across with my friends and family, it’s going to help me see that I’ve been putting in hard work and a lot of achievements and everything. Running at my last track meet at home is going to give me that feeling. I’m really excited about it.”
Osafo is a key part of the 4X200 that has broken the school record earlier this month. Osafo, the third leg, Aiyana Graham Knight, Violet Unruh and Amariah Molden ran it in 1:42.72 at the College Station Invitational on March 1.
“Honestly, it’s bittersweet,” Osafo said. “The season has gone well. Especially with our 4X200, I’m really excited on where we’re going to be headed to. The first time we ran it, we broke the school record. I’m just super excited on where that’s going to take us this year and I’m hoping that we can go far.”
As far as the Dog Pound Invitational goes, Bean is just looking forward to seeing his team receive the support of the home crowd. Bean himself remembers his mom yelling, ‘That’s my baby!’ at one his meets back in the day.
“It makes a big difference that the family is out there watching,” Bean said. “The whole school comes out and watches and we have a really big crowd. When you come down that home stretch, you hear the crowd.”
Members of the Magnolia girls track and field team pose for a photo at Bulldog Stadium, home of the Dog Pound Invitational. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
