For a team that has been practicing in a parking lot, the Escalante Lobos did pretty well March 27 at the Jaguar Invitational track and field meet in Santa Fe.
“We usually practice on the football field, but there’s too much snow,” said Escalante coach Diego Brusuelas, whose team does not have a track on which to train. “I measure distances out in the parking lot.”
The surprising Lobos, a Class AA team, finished tied for third place with Capital High School, a Class AAAA team, with 36 points. The host Jaguars let the visiting Lobos take the third-place trophy back to Tierra Amarilla. Santa Fe High School, a Class AAAAA team, finished second with 90 points and Artesia, a Class AAAA team, was first with 169 points. The Lobos also bested Española Valley and Pojoauque in the 15-team field.
“I’m just really happy and a little bit surprised,” Brusuelas said. “The kids work hard and they deserve it.”
The Lobos didn’t finish first in any events, but picked up points in every relay race to build their point total. The Lobos 400-meter relay team of John Salazar, Isaiah Maldonado, Eric Belser and Justin Atencio took third, while Salazar, Maldonado, Belser and Jacob Leyba took third in the 800-meter relay.
The Lobos took fifth in the 1600-medley relay, but it was the points that Escalante’s 1600-meter relay picked up in the meet’s final event that earned the Lobos a tie for third. Jacob Maestas, Rosendo Avalos, Jacob Flores and Rory Daggett brought the baton home in sixth place.
Salazar scored points in two individual events, placing sixth in the 200-meter run and the long jump. Atencio contributed a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles and fifth-place in the javelin to add to the Lobos’ total.
The Pojoaque Elks scored 31 points for an overall finish of fifth place, with distance runners James Viarral and Sam Roybal providing 29 of the team’s points. Viarral and Robyal finished first and second, respectively, in the 3200-meter run and second and third, respectively, in the 800-meter run.
The Elks’ Nick Zamora took third in the long jump and Albert Roybal sixth in 1600-meter run.
The Española Valley Sundevils scored 21 points and finished seventh. Dustin Casados had the Sundevils best showing, taking second place in the shot put and sixth in the discus.
The Dulce was the only other local team to participate in the event. It finished with 12 points and 10th overall. The Hawks’ Graham Thomas had a second-place finish in the 1600-meter run.
Girls
In the girls competition, Pojoaque was the top placer among local schools finished fourth in the team standings with 38 points.
Clovis won the girls team competition with 119 points. Artesia was second with 73 points and Cimarron third with 59 points.
Elkette Dionna Montoya turned in two state-qualifying efforts in individual events, winning the 800-meter run with a time of 2:33.64 and leaping 16 feet, 3 inches to finish second in the long jump. She anchored the Elkettes’ 800-meter relay team to a state-qualifying time of 1:54.97 and a third-place finish. Montoya had already qualified for state in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:01.67 March 20 at Rio Rancho
The Elkettes’ Sophia Torres won the 1600-meter run in 5:52.23 and finished second to Montoya in the 800-meter run. Torres had qualified for state in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:49.09 at Rio Rancho.
The Elkettes’ Kimberly Babicke sat out the Jaguar Invitational with a sore leg, but she has already run state-qualifying times in the 100-meter and 200-meter runs.
Pojoaque is the defending Class AAA state champion and has already qualified in nine events for the state championship meet to be held May 6 to 8 in Albuquerque.
Dulce finised with 17 and ninth overall. Dulce’s Keytiil Vicenti turned in a state-qualifying performance, winning the high jump with a leap of 4 feet, 10 inches. The Lady Hawks’ Kristen Calabaza was third in the 3200-meter run.
Española Valley score 13 point overal to finish in 10th place. Adrianna Mondragon took third in the 100-meter hurdles for the Lady Sundevils.
The Escalante Lady Lobos scored four points to finish in 12th place.