BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MORE: Complete results from the District 31-5A track finals
Complete results from the District 31-5A field event finals
Sharyland Pioneer, Mission Veterans shine on soggy first day of District 31-5A meet.
PHARR — Before the final race of the evening, and with the district championship on the line, plans unexpectedly changed.
The boys of Sharyland Pioneer led rival Sharyland High by five points in the team standings of the District 31-5A Championships heading into the 1600-meter relay. Crossing the finish line first meant the Diamondbacks’ first district title in program history. Any other result would leave things to chance.
But Pioneers’ Alec Garcia, the team’s best runner due to anchor the race, was pulled from the event after getting sick from exhaustion. Racing in his stead was sophomore Roman Garcia, who ran the third leg for the Diamondbacks.
Despite the reshuffled roster, Pioneer pulled through for a dramatic win at Valley View High School. Though Sharyland’s Jose Garza nearly caught Justin Romero on the back stretch of the final lap, Romero pulled away during the final 150 meters to give Pioneer the win in 3 minutes, 26.96 seconds, clinching the district crown to boot.
“I told (Roman), ‘You’re running. You gotta help us out. You can do it. I know you have the talent,’” Pioneer boys coach Thomas Lee said. “The kids were surrounding him. It was one of those times were the kids stepped up. It happens in sports all the time. That young man stepped up and we ended up winning. They all came to run today. That’s what the district meet does for each and every kid.”
Pioneer won a lone individual gold courtesy of senior Tristan Guerra, who won the 110 hurdles in 15.65 to qualify for the regional meet April 29 and 30 in San Antonio. Guerra also took second in the 300 hurdles with a time of 40.09. The top two finishers in all events Friday automatically qualify for regionals. Valley athletes in Class 5A do not have an area meet.
Friday marked a positive occasion for Guerra, who has battled inconsistent times and uneven performances in races throughout the season.
For Edinburg Vela’s Johnny Davila, however, Friday was more of the same. The senior anchored the 400 and 800 relays, giving gold medal performances for the SaberCats in each race. He then claimed an individual gold in the 200 dash in 21.93. Davila was a member of last year’s 1600-meter relay team that competed at the state meet.
“I had a great start in the 200,” Davila said. “I was hugging the curve and just staying on that white line and hugging the paint until I can get to the straight aways, and then I just kept pushing and tried to maintain at the end. That’s kind of what I’ve been working on in practice, hopefully it works out at regionals.”
While Davila did as Davila does, a new face emerged from the girls competition in Valley View’s Karla Ibarra. Though just a freshman, Ibarra took first in the 100 hurdles (15.50) and 200 dash (26.36), winning both races in close fashion. Ibarra beat Pioneer’s Rebeca Martinez, the defending champ in the 200, by .16 seconds.
The Lady Tigers won three individual golds on the evening, the most of any girls team.
“Towards the end of the season lately, she’s really been starting to focus a lot more,” Valley View girls coach Anthony Pinal said. “And that’s been the difference for her tonight, just focusing on what she wants and know that she has a lot of potential and talent.”
But while Valley View saw flashes of its future, the present belonged to Mission Veterans Memorial, who won its second district title in three years with 136 points, beating last year’s champion Sharyland Pioneer — who finished second with 115.50.
The Lady Patriots won the 400 and 1600 relays, but made up for a lackluster showing in the 800 relay with a strong performance in the open quarter mile. It was during that race in which Mariah Gonzalez took first in 58.12, and teammates Nyla Vela and Maria Gonzalez placed fourth and fifth respectively.
“The kids really made a statement in the (400),” Veterans girls coach Kathy Howell said. “… I think that was the turning point for us. We fell a little bit, but then we just needed to keep scoring. Sometimes they put it together, sometimes they don’t. You never know what can happen, so you’ve got to be prepared.”