By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
LYFORD — It was disappointing for high school athletes across the state when the UIL canceled spring sports seasons due to COVID-19, but particularly so for programs like Harlingen High’s boys track & field team.
The Cardinals were one of the top teams in the Rio Grande Valley after winning five consecutive track meet team titles. They felt strongly about their chances at winning the program’s first Region IV meet championship and envisioned multiple UIL state qualifiers when the season abruptly ended.
But instead of dwelling on the what-ifs, the returning Cardinals will focus on picking up where they left off next season.
“It’s unfortunate our season got cut short, you could see they were hitting their stride. But we have a good group coming back next year, and I think we’ll be able to make another push,” Harlingen High track & field coach Efrain Ambriz said. “I’m not going to want to linger on what could have happened this year, but the goal will be to use it as motivation to propel us forward.”
Two of the top returning talents that will aim to lead the team to success next season are Eric Quilantan and Jose Garcia. Those two incoming seniors, along with Pedro Luna, have been working with Ambriz for three years and have high hopes for their final season.
“The biggest thing I see in all those guys is the passion to run track,” Ambriz said. “It’s not a sport that’s rewarding at practice, and you don’t see results right away. They don’t complain. They love to train, and they’re all in.”
Quilantan is a multi-event athlete who was named male high point individual twice in the shortened 2020 season. He competed in the 400-meter run, 400 relay, 1,600 relay, long jump, triple jump and occasionally in the 200 dash.
Ambriz called Quilantan “the all-around athlete that, as a coach, you look forward to working with.”
Quilantan kicked off his strong season by clinching gold in all five of his events — with personal bests in the 200 and long jump — at the Harlingen Relays, despite limited practice because he was still in season helping the Cardinals basketball team reach the playoffs.
“I was kind of rusty still, but I just went out and performed, and it was really memorable because it was my first time getting all golds in one meet,” Quilantan said.
Garcia is one of the top sprinters in Region IV. He holds the Valley record in the 100 dash with a time of 10.30, which he set at the 2019 District 31/32-6A area meet, where he also broke the 200 meet record with a time of 21.30. He competed in the 100 at the 2019 UIL state track & field meet after taking first place at the Region IV meet with a record dash of 10.43.
This season, Garcia competed in the 100, 200, 400 relay, 800 relay and long jump. The 400 relay, where he joined Quilantan, Luna and senior Rayden Berry, boasts the second-fastest time in school history (42.58), earned in a gold-medal finish at the Mission Veterans Memorial Patriot Relays.
Garcia said the sprint relay is one of his favorite events, and though he’ll miss running with Berry, he’s confident the relay will do well next season, too. He, Quilantan and Luna have been working out together during this extended offseason to build chemistry.
“Not only do I work out with them, but there’s a very strong bond we have with each other,” Garcia said. “We like to work and try to get better. We challenge each other at practices.”
The depth of the program can pose a challenge for Ambriz as he decides what athletes need to compete in which events. He said a lot of strategy and point calculating goes into his decisions before every meet.
Ambriz praised the team-first mentality his top athletes have and said that quality, along with a strong work ethic, will help Quilantan, Garcia and Luna be his leaders next season.
“These guys aren’t just one event guys, they do multiple events, and that’s another key thing you need: guys that are willing to sacrifice their individual achievements for the team,” Ambriz said. “Sometimes instead of running an open event, they’re going to run a relay because they’re doing it for the team’s sake, and that makes things more rewarding.”
Garcia and Quilantan are ready to take on leadership responsibilities, and will have high expectations for themselves and the team in their senior year.
“I have upcoming kids looking up to me and wanting to work really hard to get to where I’m at,” Garcia said. “I have some kids texting me, asking for tips on how to be fast. I like that because it motivates me to work harder so I can teach these kids what it’s all about.”
Quilantan said the Cardinals will use the disappointment of a promising season cut short as fuel next year. He knows it won’t be easy to replace the graduating seniors, but he’s confident in the strength of the program and is ready to lead the troops.
“We were one of the best teams the Cardinals have had … it’s going to be tough to fill those spots,” Quilantan said. “We had a lot of guys that pushed us during practices, so there’s a lot of underclassmen that will be stepping up. I want to make sure everyone pushes themselves to their max potential and we achieve all our goals. We’re going to give it our all, because you never know if an occurrence like this could happen again.”