By MARK MOLINA, Staff Writer

CORPUS CHRISTI — The Harlingen South Lady Hawks may have made a name for themselves this season as a team that can rack up hits and runs, but they were unable to solve New Braunfels Canyon Cougarettes pitcher and Baylor commit Aliyah Pritchett.

Pritchett pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing one hit to go with eight strikeouts to lift the Cougarettes over the Lady Hawks 8-0 in Game 1 of a best-of-three Class 6A regional semifinal series Friday night at Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway.

Despite not coming through with the timely hits, the Lady Hawks had opportunities through walks and hit batsmen but left a total of seven runners stranded on the night.

“We’re not out there just playing against ourselves,” Harlingen South coach Elias Martinez said. “We’re playing against a really good team out there and their pitcher is a Baylor signee. She’s going there for a reason. We just have to answer the call (today). We had our opportunities, we didn’t execute, but (today’s) a brand new game. We have to come back strong (today) and give it all we’ve got.”

Game 2 is slated for 5 p.m. today at T-M, with Game 3 to played 30 minutes after if needed.

The Cougarettes were a model of consistency, scoring six runs across the first four innings on offense and playing sharp on defense, committing just one error on the night.

“I think our kids did a pretty good job being focused tonight and really took care of the things that they do,” New Braunfels Canyon coach Kevin Randle said. “Looking up scores, we knew (South) scored a lot of runs, so we knew we were going to have to be sharp offensively and defensively to try and match them. Aliyah did a great job in the circle tonight, and the defense did a great job behind her. We know that they are an explosive team, so we have to be on top of our game (today).”

South starting pitcher Kiley Ruiz was roughed up in her short time in the circle, giving up three runs on five hits before Iliana Saucedo came in to relieve her during the top of the third inning with two runners on and no outs.

Saucedo retired two straight batters before allowing a Kinley Nazier double, which scored the second and third runs of the inning and made it 5-0.

After a sacrifice fly from Pritchett gave Canyon a 6-0 lead during the top of the fourth, South picked up a little bit of momentum after Kytana Muniz reached on a fielder’s choice and Sauceda smacked the Lady Hawks’ first hit of the game.

Alexa Saucedo followed that by loading the bases after getting hit by a pitch, but Pritchett retired the next two batters to close out the inning.

Pritchett helped put the finishing touches on the shutout during the top of the seventh, smacking a 213-foot leadoff home run over the center field wall to make it 7-0. Andrea Gutierrez hit an RBI single to bring in another runner and make it 8-0.

At the plate, Pritchett was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

The runs didn’t come in bunches, which leaves Martinez hopeful for Game 2.

“Canyon got a run here and a run there. They didn’t get the big inning to blow everything open,” Martinez said. “We have to take care of business and do what we do.”

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

AUSTIN — Harlingen High sprinter Jose Garcia spent the season running his way into the Rio Grande Valley and Region IV-6A record books.

As a reward, Garcia lined up next to Houston Strake Jesuit’s Matthew Boling, the national record holder in the 100-meter dash at the Class 6A state meet.

“Before the race, I was feeling great. I really wanted to run,” Garcia said. “Now that I was here racing, I knew I was going to race against (Boling). It was an honor knowing I was running against him because that was my wish after regionals.”

Garcia got out of the blocks fast, but his body did not cooperate as tightness in his left hamstring 50 meters into the race hindered his momentum and ultimately led to a ninth-place finish in 10.75 seconds Saturday night at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

“I feel the race was all right,” he said. “Getting into the blocks, I felt a little bloom behind my hamstring, but I felt I was going to ignore it because I really wanted to run this race next to (Boling). My leg just didn’t want to towards the middle 50 yards.”

The time was a far cry from his RGV record 10.30 and his state qualifying time and Region-IV meet record 10.43.

Though disappointing, the 100-meter dash was touted as one of the must-see races of the night after Boling made national headlines two weeks ago when he ran a 9.98 at the Region III-6A meet to set the national high school record.

It was enough for Garcia to relish and use as motivation.

“It was an honor, and I really wanted to be in the state meet,” the sophomore said. “Hopefully in my two remaining years, it feels, for me, that I’m the next top dog. Hopefully, those years go well.”

In the Class 6A boys shot put, Harlingen South’s Andrew Ott placed seventh with a throw of 56 feet, 1/2 inches, short of his qualifying distance of 60 feet even.

Rain forced the meet to come to a halt minutes before the originally scheduled noon start, delaying the shot put for more than an hour.

“I was just very off,” Ott said. “Combined with the delays, it just didn’t happen today.”

In Class 4A, Rio Hondo’s Jazaline Ayala finished her state debut with an eighth-place finish in the girls 800 with a time of 2:27.21.

The Rio Hondo junior qualified with a time of 2:22.76.

In the Class 2A girls 800, La Villa’s Robbi Espericueta looked primed for the medal stand heading into the final 200 meters, but the pack behind her gained ground down on the final straightaway.

Espericueta finished fifth with a time of 2:21.52.

In the Class 2A girls 400, Santa Maria’s Julissa Garcia got off to a strong start in the first 200 meters but could not keep up the momentum down the stretch and finished with a 1:01.31.

The time was an improvement on her qualifying time, which was a 1:01.83.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

AUSTIN — After one lap of the Class 6A 800-meter run, Rivera junior Julian Tavares went into the first curve of Lap 2 with momentum and looked primed to join the front of the pack and make the medal stand.

It just wasn’t meant to be.

Midway through the first curve, Plano West’s Peter Johnson tripped, taking down Tavares in the process.

Tavares recovered, but the damage was done as he finished ninth in 2 minutes, 1.09 seconds Saturday night at the University of Texas’ Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

“I wasn’t going to give up,” Tavares said. “When I got back up, I saw everybody sprinting and leaving us behind. I didn’t know if I could do it, but I wasn’t going to give up. I was going to try my best to continue.”

Tavares came into the meet with a qualifying time of 1:54.42, the second-best qualifying time.

Clute Brazoswood’s Robert Whitmarsh won the race with a 1:51.73, followed by Coppell’s Jackson Walker (1:53.19) and the runner Tavares bested at the Region IV-6A meet, San Antonio Johnson’s Victor Zuniga (1:53.37).

Despite the disappointment, Tavares felt at ease with finishing his season in Austin.

“I didn’t like the feeling, it messed up my momentum,” Tavares said. “I’m still thankful to at least make it to state. It’s my first year doing that in the 800, and I’m thankful I made it. Next year I’m going to give it my all and shoot for at least top three, but mostly to get first place.”

Also in Class 6A, senior teammate and Rivera distance runner Andrea de la Rosa ran her final race at the high school level during the Class 6A girls 3,200.

De la Rosa finished in eighth place with a time of 10:59.98, topping her qualifying time of 11:20.51 and her previous personal record of 11:14.18, set at last year’s Region IV-6A meet.

“I feel great, and this has been the best experience so far,” the senior runner said. “I regret knowing I had more, but I finished really strong. This (performance) means a lot because it’s my last race, and for me to break an 11 (minute time), my goal the whole year, brings a lot of emotion.”

Denton Guyer’s Brynn Brown won the race with a 10:09.91, setting a new state record in all classes by breaking the 10:13.68 mark set by McKinney North’s London Culbreath in 2017.

In the girls 6A hurdles, Brianna Alex also ran the last race of a strong career, finishing sixth with a time of 14.44.

Alex came into the race seeded eighth with a qualifying time of 14.37.

Prior to the race, the Los Fresnos senior took in the atmosphere and the final seconds of her track career.

“Warming up, it was bittersweet knowing that it was my last race and knowing that these were the last 100 meters of my high school career. Running the race, I ran pretty well. It wasn’t what I had hoped, but it was a blessing to run here for the last time. Ending it this way, I’m just thankful for it all.”

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

AUSTIN — Porter triple jumper Estrella Medellin’s state meet debut didn’t result in a trip to the medal stand, but it was still one the junior Cowgirls athlete will remember.

After sitting in ninth place after four attempts, Medellin made the most of her fifth attempt, setting a new personal record of 37 feet, 1/4 inches, resulting in an eighth-place finish in the Class 5A triple jump Friday at The University of Texas’ Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

Medellin’s qualifying distance and previous PR of a 36-10 had her seeded No. 9, which is where she sat before her fifth attempt.

“I had to relax. I was a bit tense,” the junior said. “I had to make sure my left leg was up and, when I did it, it helped because I set a PR on that jump. It was really nice because that was my goal here, to PR.”

Friday’s personal record was the fourth for Medellin in two meets after setting three during the Region IV-5A meet, where she finished second behind Gregory-Portland’s Riley Floerke.

Medellin beat Floerke, who finished ninth at 36-5.

“That’s always the idea, for the kids to peak at the right time,” Porter coach Connie Uribe-Solis said. “You want them to do well at district and hopefully do well enough to win district, advance to area, peak at area, peak at regionals and then definitely peak at state. I think that PR jump was the best she hit the board all year. She was just peaking at the right time, and you can’t ask for any better than that.”

It was a new atmosphere for Medellin, but said she came into the meet without any pressure and took in the experience.

“I thought that I had nothing to lose,” Medellin said. “After doing that I realized I did well, but I could have done better. The atmosphere was just really nice. You have all these people that like track and that are here to watch you, even the jumps. They’re here because they know what it’s about. It’s really nice.”

WHAT’S ON TAP

There will be seven Cameron and Willacy County athletes competing on Day 2 of the state meet.

Rivera’s Andrea de la Rosa gets things going with the Class 6A girls 3,200-meter run at 9:20 a.m., followed by Harlingen South’s Andrew Ott in the 6A boys shot put at noon.

Rio Hondo’s Jazaline Ayala will try her hand in the 4A girls 800, as will Rivera’s Julian Tavarez in the boys 6A division. The 800 races begin at 6 p.m.

At 6:35 p.m., Los Fresnos‘ Brianna Alex will hit the track for the 100-meter hurdles, followed by Harlingen High’s Jose Garcia in the 100 at 7:05 p.m.

Santa Maria’s Julissa Garcia will run the 400 at 8:05 p.m.

By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

Out of countless victories, accolades and big performances, the one thing that had eluded Rivera distance runner Andrea de la Rosa was a trip to the UIL state track and field meet.

Come Saturday morning, that will no longer be the case as de la Rosa will step on to the Mike A Meyers track on the University of Texas for the Class 6A 3,200-meter run.

“ It feels amazing because I have never (qualified to the state track meet) before,” the senior said. “It feels like a great accomplishment. To finish the season like that, it feels just great.”

The state meet is scheduled for 8 a.m. starts today and Saturday. Classes 1, 3 and 5A will run Friday and 2, 4 and 6A will run Saturday.

De la Rosa finished second in the 3,200 at the Region IV-6A meet in 11 minutes, 20.51 seconds and is seeded ninth in the field.

The senior said she has come as far as she could when it comes to conditioning and will not put as much focus on that going into her big race.

“ Coach said we are going to work hard, but not as hard as we’re used to working because I already have the conditioning,” she said. “We’re going to be putting in some speed workouts with the distance as well.”

No matter the outcome, de la Rosa said she has been happy to put her natural abilities on display one final time.

“ I really am glad because I’m using God’s talent,” de la Rosa. “He gave it to me and I love giving him back the glory. I am doing well because of it and without him giving it to me, I wouldn’t be able to do all this stuff. I’m happy and glad that I get to express myself in this type of way.”

Also headed to the state meet representing Rivera is Julian Tavares, who will compete in the Class 6A boys 800-meter run.

Tavares won the race at the region meet and his 1:54.42 time is seeded second out of nine runners.

De la Rosa will run the 3,200 at 9:20 a.m. Saturday morning and Tavares’s 800 race is set for 7:35 p.m.

ALEX’S LAST LEAP

Los Fresnos senior hurdler Brianna Alex has been put through the wringer her senior season, through workouts, meets and deciding her future.

Now, she’ll put a bow on her four-year high school track career when she returns to the state meet for the second year in a row to compete in the Class 6A 100-meter hurdles Saturday.

“ It’s been a really long season and a very busy season going to different meets, going to college visits,” Alex said. “It’s really bittersweet because it’s a big accomplishment and I was really, really happy to get here again. Hopefully, I get further than last year. It’s also a little salty because it’s ending and it’s my last high school meet. But I’m really excited for the future and running in college.”

Alex signed on last week to run for The University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

At region, Alex won the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.37, seeding her No. 8 out of the nine-runner field.

Last season, Alex finished eighth with a 14.98, but her top time this season is a 14.25, which she set at the District 31/32-6A area meet.

Alex said she felt the nerves at region, but settled in and felt instant relief after learning of her qualification. The Los Fresnos senior is going into the now-familiar atmosphere of Mike A Meyers Stadium and intends to keep just as cool Saturday.

“ I know last year, I had no idea what was going to happen,” Alex said. “But now that I’ve run there last year and at Texas Relays, I kind of know the way it’s going to run. It’s making me feel at ease, but definitely, the competition is a lot different than what I’m used to in the Valley and at Regionals. Those girls are the best of the best and it’s a blessing to run with all of those girls. I’m going to go leave it all out there and run with the best of my abilities.”

DOWN TO ONE

Initially, the Porter High School junior duo of Estrella Medellin and Jorge Salazar were set to compete in the Class 5A girls triple jump and boys 400-meter run, respectively.

However, the vision of seeing a male and female athlete from Porter at state was not meant to be after Salazar was scratched from his event.

Porter boys head track coach Jaime Pena said it was due to a last-minute family matter.

Medellin will now go it alone at the state meet and set to compete in the triple jump at 4:45 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.

At region, Medellin placed second with a personal-best distance of 36 feet, 10 inches. She is seeded ninth.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

SANTA MARIA — When Santa Maria junior Julissa Garcia takes the track at the UIL state meet this Saturday for the 400-meter run, she will be doing so for the second year in a row.

Garcia goes in to this weekend’s meet with some confidence as she hopes to exorcise the demons she has had at big meets during the past three seasons, when she said nerves hindered her performance a bit.

She insists that won’t be the case this time around.

“What motivates me is not wanting to get a slower time than last year, because I know my freshmen year I did very well at area but choked at regionals,” she said. “My sophomore year, I did well at regionals, but at state I choked again. I got too nervous to the point I got a slower time. Now that I’m going again this year, I feel like I won’t be too nervous. I guess being there I’d get too nervous, but now that I have more experience I’ll do better.”

Like most athletes in multiple sports, track got off to a late start.

Garcia came out of basketball season and feared she may not be able to get back to peak performance in time.

“I was nervous and I knew I started later than the other runners,” she said. “I was just scared to be too behind. I started with doing mileage and I was pretty tired. I still had speed, but I still had to work on my mileage.”

Despite not having the strongest competition in the field, Garcia said she turned a corner on the season at the District 32-2A in early April.

She saw a gold medal there as everything but a guarantee, but said it’s the first step toward state.

“My times improved a lot (at district),” Garcia said. “My district meets are always important to me. I know I don’t have a lot of competition, but I need to put in good times for area.”

Garcia clocked in a 1:02.52 to win the 400, and from there her times improved every week.

The junior won the 400 at the 31/32-2A area meet with a time of 1:02.48 and then at the Region IV-2A meet with a season-best 1:01.83 time in the process.

“You can tell the difference from district to regionals,” girls track coach Sonia White said. “Two seconds doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re running a sprint, it makes a difference. She didn’t let anything intimidate her, so she felt that once she could go she could win the race. Now (at state) she knows what the expectation is. I feel now, when she steps on that line, she knows what to do. I think she’s aware that she’s capable of running with the rest of those girls.”

Garcia said she will be admittedly a little nervous, but not in the same way as last year.

Since her performance at the regional meet, Garcia said she has taken steps to ensure that nothing feels out of the ordinary and is like a regular meet week.

“Coming off regionals, it’s been the same as always,” Garcia said. “I still do the same things. It’s just another meet.”

IT’S A FAMILY THING

Garcia’s back-to-back trips to Austin is a feat her mother, Jessica Moreno, accomplished during the late 1990s, when she qualified for the state meet three years in a row from 1995-97, picking up a silver medal and two bronzes in the 800-meter run.

Garcia said her background motivated her to take up the sport and is a reason she is thriving today.

“I’ve been running track since I was in seventh grade,” Garcia said. “My mom was always a runner, so I knew I was going to be a runner, too. She’s pretty proud of me, but I think she’d be even prouder if I do better than what she did.”

For Moreno, having a daughter have success on the track isn’t new, as older daughter Jesslynn Garcia qualified for the regional meet as a senior in 2016 before a knee injury derailed her chances at state.

So watching Julissa continue that line of success hasn’t been that surprising for Moreno.

“I’ve always told them that they would be good runners no matter what,” Moreno said. “It’s pretty much in their blood. They have been running since they were younger, and they like it.”

Moreno said she and Julissa bond over the sport but that she doesn’t try to be too involved in her training, trusting her experience and coaches to see her through.

“I just giver her tips and tell her things I remember when I was running,” Moreno said. “I don’t want to give her too much because she has her coaches, and I don’t want her overthinking herself. We talk about it casually … she knows what she needs to do by now, and she should be able to do it.”

Garcia said she will aim for a time in the high 59s this weekend. That was Moreno’s time in the quarter mile, a race she also ran along with her signature 800.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

Winning one state championship in anything is hard enough for a high school athlete, and doing it two years in a row is an even taller task.

Winning three straight? Now, that’s another level of difficulty, unless you’re St. Joseph senior discus thrower Pablo Zolezzi.

Zolezzi won his third straight TAPPS discus state title, winning the Class 5A event with a throw of 159 feet, 5 inches on Saturday at Waco Midway’s Panther Stadium.

The SJA senior breathed easy after getting the job done once again, despite being disappointed with his overall performance.

“It’s definitely relieving, earning the three-peat,” the senior thrower said. “I’ve been wanting it for a while now. I didn’t do as good as I wanted, but I got the win so I’m happy. I wanted to throw a 175 at least, but unfortunately I didn’t perform as well as I wanted to. I still came out on top and that’s what counts.”

Getting through the rest of the competition proved to be a hard enough task for Zolezzi, but he also had to deal with a hurt finger from the long season and having just four throws instead of six after weather forced the two-day meet to be stuffed into one.

SJA track coach Teddy Lopez said Zolezzi didn’t seem bothered by it all and delivered in the clutch.

“It’s definitely an achievement,” the SJA coach said. “I’ve seen athletes who have been doing it since they were freshmen, for some reason or another, just get nervous. I knew Pablo was going to be fine. He’s a cool customer. With the shortened time frame due to weather, he only got four throws and scratched on two of them. He was being aggressive, and that’s how we all want him to be and why he does what he does.”

In the girls discus, sophomore Ale Ortiz finished seventh with a personal record throw of 89-5.

Back on the track, the St. Joseph girls underclassmen had strong showings despite not making the medal stand.

In the 100-meter dash, freshman Lucia Gonzalez finished fourth in 12.87 seconds, and she helped anchor the 800-meter relay team to a fourth-place finish with a time of 1:49.67.

The relay team is comprised of freshmen Elise Esparza, Alejandra Gonzalez and sophomore Marcela Valenzuela.

“I was excited about Lucia’s performance in the 100,” Lopez said. “She was a second away from third place. It was a very good performance on her part, she was closing very quickly in the last 20 meters. The relay came in as the No. 4 seed and performed as expected. The handoffs were solid and they did what they needed to do, and they finished where we kind of expected. They did well.”

In the 1,600-meter run, Valeria Bazan finished eighth with a time of 6:03.35.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

CORPUS CHRISTI — After Brownsville Veterans Memorial senior Mia Anzaldua struck out 21 batters during an 11-inning loss to Corpus Christi Calallen in Game 1, Lady Chargers coach Rayner Cardenas hoped reliever Mariangel Barbosa could give him three solid innings in Game 2 before going back to his top arm.

While Barbosa looked solid early, allowing two hits and no runs through two scoreless innings, but things unraveled during the bottom of the third.

The Wildcats put up six runs in the inning, putting the Lady Chargers in a hole too big to climb out of as they lost 8-4 in Game 2 of their best-of-three Class 5A area series Friday at Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi.

Calallen won the series 2-0 and moves on the regional quarterfinals. It racked up seven hits during the third inning and scored three of their six runs on a trio of BVM errors.

Cardenas said the inning was among the worst of the season for his defense.

“Our plan was to try to keep the game close for three innings,” he said. “If we were in the game at that point, we were going to come in with Mia and see what we had. Unfortunately, we played the worst inning of the season. We gave up six runs on a lot of errors. Unfortunately, that was the difference in the game.”

Barbosa gave up 13 hits, four earned runs and struck out five in five innings of work in the loss. Calallen’s Lizette Del Angel allowed seven hits, two earned runs and struck out four in a complete-game win.

Anzaldua did take the circle during the bottom of the sixth after the Lady Chargers put up three runs in the top half of the inning to make it 8-3, and retired the side.

“As a senior, there was a lot of emotion going through all of our heads,” Anzaldua said. “Just to finish it off, knowing that we didn’t leave it 8-0 showed that we competed. Unfortunately, everything played out the way it played out.”

The Lady Chargers added their fourth run during the seventh inning on a sac fly. All four of the Lady Chargers’ runs came in the last two innings, which ultimately became the silver lining of the game.

“I’m most proud of the effort the girls gave, being down six in Game 2, knowing the situation,” Cardenas said. “I’m really proud that our kids showed a lot of grit and fight and resiliency. They were determined to represent the school and the district. They were determined to scratch off runs. And what a fitting way for Mia, being her senior year and graduating. We gave ourselves an opportunity and being able to have her go out in the circle. She carried us all season, and for her to go out in the circle was poetic.”

After Calallen scored its first run on an error, freshman Katherine Flores brought in two more runners on a single to make it 3-0. An error at third base allowed two more Wildcats runs to cross, and a Maddie Flores single made it 6-0 before Barbosa got out of the inning two batters later.

Calallen added two more insurance runs during the fifth inning to make it 8-0.

Anzaldua brought in the first two BVM runs on a triple, and Cristina Gonzalez brought her in on a groundout to make it 8-3. Anzaldua’s sac fly brought the final run of the game.

Anzaldua finished with three RBIs to lead the Lady Chargers. Flores and Myranda Menn led Calallen with a combined five hits and three RBIs.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

While the UIL state track & field meet is still one week away, seven athletes from St. Joseph Academy will be in action Saturday at the TAPPS state meet at Waco Midway’s Panther Stadium.

The meet was originally scheduled for today and tomorrow, but weather forced all the events to Saturday.

The SJA athletes are dealing with a short turnaround, being that they are one week removed from the TAPPS 5A South regional meet, but coach Teddy Lopez said his team has been ready to go all week.

“ The kids have been doing their thing, getting to practice, focusing on their technique and mechanics,” Lopez said. “At this point, it’s automatic pilot. We’re just hoping that they can stay focused, avoid distractions and have some good performances. The desire of every athlete is to PR at the end of the season.”

Among the seven competing is senior discus thrower Pablo Zolezzi, who is going for his third straight TAPPS state championship in the event.

Zolezzi enters the meet with a personal best of 175 feet, 4 inches, which is the No. 18 throw in the state in any classification.

“ As a sophomore, (Pablo) went into state ranked second or third and ended up having a good meet and winning it,” Lopez said. “Last year he came in as the favorite and won again. Winning a state championship multiple times means you’re a special athlete. Winning it the second time was tough, but winning it a third time will be really difficult. I’ve seen other athletes come in their senior year and for whatever reason lose their focus, but I don’t expect that from him.”

Zolezzi is the only male athlete representing SJA, but he isn’t the only one competing in the discus throw as sophomore Ale Ortiz will try her hand in the event and is seeded eighth in the field.

On the track side, SJA is sending five underclassmen.

In the 100-meter dash, freshmen Lucia Gonzalez placed fourth at the regional meet, finishing the race in 12.84 seconds.

Gonzalez is also anchoring the Lady Bloodhounds’ 800-meter relay team, which placed second at the regional meet. The team also is comprised of freshmen Elise Esparza, Alejandra Gonzalez and sophomore Marcela Valenzuela.

In the 1,600, freshmen Valeria Bazan will hope to improve on her showing at the regional meet, where she placed fourth with a time of 5:55.10.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

Rio Hondo girls track & field coach Danette Atkinson has been at Rio Hondo for 13 years, and she has never had any athlete qualify for the state track & field meet.

When junior Jazaline Ayala punched her ticket to state in the 800-meter run at the Region IV-4A meet, she ended a drought that Atkinson said dates back to the early 2000s.

Ayala finished her race in 2 minutes, 27.76 seconds and will attempt to top that when she heads to Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus for the Class 4A state meet.

The Valley Morning Star caught up with Ayala as she prepares for her state debut.

Q: What was the feeling like to make it to state for the first time?

Ayala: I was in shock, and I couldn’t believe that I made it. Like, it wasn’t real until I saw my parents and my brother cheering up and down. I was very happy.

Q: When and why did you decide you wanted to take up track & field?

Ayala: I started to do track after my dad (Placido Ayala) would talk about him and my brother, and how it was always fun for them. They made new friends and stuff, so I wanted to try it out. I did and I liked it. It’s my favorite sport.

Q: You also compete the 400-meter dash and the 1,600-meter run in addition to the 800. What would you say is your favorite event and why?

Ayala: My favorite is the 800 because it’s not too fast or too slow. It’s just my favorite one, and I like to run it.

Q: What’s the hardest part about being a track & field athlete, and how do you feel you approach whatever it is?

Ayala: The hardest thing is to be consistent on your times and performances. Also, just going out there to go run is the hardest thing because not anyone can play that sport.

Q What’s your favorite memory of your track career?

Ayala: My favorite memory was one of the practices when I had. It started pouring really hard and I continued to run. I felt like in Rocky when he runs with his arms in the air.

Q: Do you play any other sports? If so, what are they and does being in track help you when it comes to competing in them?

Ayala: I play basketball and cross country. I think track helps me stay in shape for all my other sports.

Q: On meet days, what does your typical routine look like? Meals, pregame music, superstitions?

Ayala: In the morning my dad always makes me breakfast, like a biscuit. I also always wear my running necklace for every meet. Before the race, I listen to music to pump me up and my warmup is always the same.

Q: Who would you say is one of the toughest athletes you’ve had to compete against and in what event?

Ayala: It would have to be Robbie Espericueta, she made it to state in 2A for the 800.

Q: What meet do you look forward to the most and why?

Ayala: I think it would be the district meet, because every year it’s always the best race I ever have. I always go hard in it.

Q: What’s your favorite movie or show and why?

Ayala: It will have to be Pretty Little Liars. I like the drama, mystery and everything that goes on in there.

Q: What’s your favorite food and why?

Ayala: My favorite food is pasta. I love any pasta I eat that someone makes.

Q: If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

Ayala: It will have to be my dad because he’s my favorite person, and he’s always there and always motivates me.