SAN BENITO — Hurdling caught Isaac Castellano’s eye at a young age. He recalls watching a YouTube video of the Olympics when he was 5 and feeling a calling to the sport.
Castellano’s love for the sport continued to blossom, beginning his own career at a local parks and rec league coached by Donna High hurdling legend Vince Castillo.
Watching Castillo and other Valley hurdling greats such as Harlingen High’s Randy Bermea capture hardware at the UIL state meets in the sport he loved further nurtured Castellano’s love for hurdling.
Fast forward more than a decade later, and Castellano’s is blazing his own path on the track at Edinburg North, evolving into one of the Valley’s top hurdlers during the past two years, including a Region IV-6A appearance last season.
He kicked off his senior season with a bang, taking home the gold in the 110-meter hurdles at the 15th annual Bobby Morrow Relays on Friday at Bobby Morrow Stadium in San Benito. He also added a silver-medal finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.7 seconds.
“It is always good coming out with a win, “Castellano said. “Starting off my senior year with a win, it is just different. I feel like I put in all this work to be a completely different hurdler. Hopefully we can just keep going.”
Castellano has stood out on the track since he was a sophomore, qualifying for the area meet in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles that year. He followed it up with a return to area in both events as a junior, and also punching his ticket to the Region IV-6A meet in the 110-meter hurdles.
If his work in the hurdles doesn’t catch observers’ eyes, his flashy look on the track surely will, donning pearls, a gold chain and diamond earrings while competing.
“My friends and family, they call me ‘Hollywood.’ It is just fashion,” Castellano said. “That is how you stand out on the track. From the spikes to the jewelry, you got to look good.”
Castellano hopes to return to the regional meet during his final ride at Edinburg North, with his eyes set on getting to where his idols once were.
“Growing up watching guys like Vince Castillo and Randy Bermea, I always dreamed of being in their shoes one day,” Castellano said. “Regionals didn’t go as I had planned last year. I didn’t qualify for state, and I didn’t perform as good as I wanted to. Just going into the offseason, I started to put in extra work to possibly become the hurdler I want to be and hopefully make it to the regional finals, if not state.”
Castellano highlighted a dominant afternoon by the Cougars’ boys team, finishing first overall in the team standings with 124 points. Sharyland Pioneer finished second with 92 points, followed by Weslaco East with 67 points.
The Cougars captured gold medals in five of 11 possible events, with the meet’s field events cancelled due to the weather.
Senior distance runner Alexis Rodriguez captured a pair of golds for Edinburg North, taking first in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs with times of 2:02.1 and 4:33.5, respectively.
The Cougars’ 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams rounded out the team’s gold medals, falling just short of a sweep of the relays with a second-place finish in the 4×100 relay.
Weslaco East’s Gael Romo was among the top individual performers in the boys division, joining North’s Rodriguez with a pair of gold medals.
Romo smiled as he blazed his way to first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.2 seconds, following it up with a gold medal in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.2.
| Weslaco East’s Gael Romo throws his arms back as he runs across the finish line for the boy’s 100-meter sprint Friday, Feb. 3, 2023 during the 15th annual Bobby Morrow Relays at Bobby Morrow Stadium.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) |
“I just felt confident. I’ve been working very hard these past couple of months,” Romo said. “It was a little cold today, so that was a little bit of a factor in play. But I am very confident in myself. I believe in God and he believes in me.”
In the girls division, Sharyland Pioneer took home the team crown with 106 points. Edinburg North followed with 62 points, with Edinburg Economedes finishing third with 50 points.
The Diamondbacks captured the gold during each of the relays, with Alexandra Moya adding an individual gold medal in the 400-meter run.
Brownsville Rivera’s Samara Rodriguez, Edinburg North’s Kaylee Andrade and San Juanita Leal each took home a pair of gold medals in their respective events, tied for the most among individuals in the girls division.
| Edinburg north’s San Juanita Leal crosses the finish line to win the girl’s 800 meter run Friday, Feb. 3, 2023 during the 15th annual Bobby Morrow Relays at Bobby Morrow Stadium.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) |
Rodriguez won the 100- and 200-meter dash with times of 12.5 and 25.8 seconds, respectively. Andrade swept the girls hurdles events, finishing first in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, and Leal nabbed gold in the 800 and 1,600-meter runs.
Brownsville Veterans’ Naia Gracia opened the meet with a dominant performance in the girls 3,200-meter run, finishing 11:54.0, more than 13 seconds faster than the next competitor.
For full results from the 15th annual Bobby Morrow Relays, visit RGVSports.com.