By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

It’s not quite known exactly when Porter High School last sent a male and a female athlete to the state track & field meet in the same season, but it’s been a while.

The last time a Porter boy qualified for state was 2016, when Anthony Gonzalez qualified in the 400-meter run, but the last time a girls athlete qualified was 1988, when Leticia Trevino qualified in the mile run, 13 years before any student at the school was even born.

So when quarter-miler Jorge Salazar and triple jumper Estrella Medellin punched their tickets to the Class 5A state meet, it was special and they felt it.

During last week’s Region IV-5A meet in San Antonio, Medellin finished second with a personal-best jump of 36 feet, 10 inches, propelling her to state meet and reducing her to tears.

“I was waiting for the official to say that I got it and that I am going,” Medellin said. “It’s amazing, and it’s been a while since Porter has gone to state. It’s pretty cool to be able to represent Porter; it’s been forever. It felt really cool and I cried; it was really emotional. I want to thank my parents for always supporting me, as well as all the coaches and the school.”

Salazar ran a very close 400 race, finishing in 49.50 seconds, behind Boerne Champion’s John Moreno (49.43) and ahead of San Antonio Southwest’s Johnny Samudio (49.54).

The junior runner felt nerves waiting for the official results, but was hit with emotion as soon as it came down.

“I was nervous to see if I was going to state,” Salazar said. “The referee went up to me and said, ‘Congratulations, you qualified to state,’ and then he gave me my card that said I placed second. It was a really big joy after all the work I put in, it was a feeling I can’t explain. It was a joy more than anything. I really want to thank the coaches and trainers for helping me get here. I have never seen anyone so excited to train for the sport.”

For the junior pair, there were little to no hints that it would ultimately reach this point at the start of the season.

In fact, late March is when both athletes felt they began peaking in their respective events.

It was the Raymondville Albert Tijerina relays where Medellin said she began to progress in her jumps after staying stagnant.

“The season started good since I was almost hitting my PR from last season,” Medellin said. “But after a while, (my jumps) didn’t go as far until I started going back to basics. At the meet before district, after that it was progress. My jumps were just there and then it was basic, basics, basics.”

It paid off in a big way, winning just her second gold medal in the triple jump with a distance of 35-2.5, followed by a second-place finish at the District 32-6A meet (35-4). She followed that effort with a third-place finish at the 31/32-5A area meet (35-1.5), at which she felt she didn’t do her best work.

“I had jumped a 35-4 at the previous meet, but I didn’t meet it at area,” Medellin said. “I qualified, but I still felt I could have gotten better. Before the jumps my legs were shaking and I was nervous, but at regionals, I was calm. Coach had told me to remember it’s just like any other meet, and that stuck with me.”

Medellin approached every jump at the regional “by praying,” but still managed to calm herself enough to turn her third-place finish at area into a state ticket, managing three separate PRs in the process, going from a 35-4 to a 36-10 in one day.

“At the beginning it was slow, but from Raymondville to district to area and regionals, she progressed,” Porter girls track coach Connie Uribe-Solis said. “She’s a hard-working kid, humble and always here. She’s very good at doing the little things that makes a good jumper a great jumper.”

As for Salazar, he didn’t run the 400 until the Knights of Columbus meet in Mercedes, where he placed first with a 51.18. He didn’t dip into the 40s until the Meet of Champions — one meet before district.

“Based on his times, we knew had the potential to be a state qualifier,” Porter boys track coach Jaime Pena said. “Once he hit that 49 at the Meet of Champions, he was ecstatic. As we got closer to regionals, we knew he might have a shot to (qualify) to state. I told him, ‘Nobody knows your name, but they’re going to find out who you are pretty quick.’”

Salazar followed with district and area titles, and then set a personal record of 49.50 at the regional meet, qualifying him to state.

Now, the junior quarter-miler has another goal in mind, breaking the Brownsville and Porter record of 49.17, set by Gonzalez in 2016.

There have been many motivating factors throughout the season, but signing his name in the record book has been one of the top ones for Salazar.

“It took a lot of dedication to put in the work in every practice,” Salazar said. “You set goals for yourself at the beginning of the season and put in the hard work to reach them. Anthony Gonzalez holds the (school and city) record, and to think that I’m less than a second from equaling it or even breaking it motivates me more. It’s like I already broke his, now who’s going to break mine.”

Both athletes have nothing to lose as juniors and everything to gain after an already huge season, but neither will approach the state meet that way.

“In a way there is pressure, but I want to go and experience it,” Medellin said. “I also want to see how far I can jump. I don’t want to be content. I want to see how far I can go.”

Salazar said the only pressure is the kind he puts on himself, because a return to this level isn’t guaranteed.

“Since I got to Porter, I worked hard to get a place at state,” he said. “And working hard got me a place at state. Once you veer off your goals, it’s hard to get back to the same place again.”

RGVSPORTS.COM

Senior distance runners Nadia Sifuentes and Chelsea Barrera found plenty of success in their running careers with Hanna.

Now, the duo will try its hands at the next level after signing to run at the college level during a ceremony Wednesday at Hanna.

Sifuentes signed with Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, and Barrera will join Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.

Sifuentes has had quite the senior campaign, qualifying for the Region IV-6A cross country meet after placing second at the District 32-6A meet.

During the track & field season, Sifuentes qualified for the 31/32-4A meet in the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200. She also qualified to the Region IV-6A meet in the 3,200.

Barrera qualified to the Region IV-6A cross country meet in all four seasons at the varsity level.

By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

For Los Fresnos seniors Brianna Alex and Luisa Cruz, the moment at the Region IV-6A track & field meet won’t be too big for them.

In fact, the duo will feel right at home as it will step out onto the San Antonio Heroes Stadium track together for the fourth consecutive year this weekend.

Alex, who will compete in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles as well as the mile relay, and Cruz, who will try her hand in the 100 and also the mile relay, are four-year varsity letter winners on the team and have spent their time being each other’s biggest support system.

“ It’s been pretty cool to have someone next to me all four years,” Cruz said. “Although we do butt heads a lot, we still have the same type of goals. It’s been really great to be next to her. We have girls always coming in and leaving, but it’s always been me and her. It’s been pretty cool.”

Though the ride this season will be their last, Alex said she has enjoyed it thus far.

“ We’re two out of the only three seniors that have been on varsity since freshmen year,” Alex said. “We have been to regionals all four years together, so we’ve kind of been like ride or die, OG since the beginning. So it’s bittersweet ending it all together, and seeing our journey from the very beginning and seeing how much we’ve grown together.”

This season’s road has been one with individual bumps for both athletes.

After qualifying for the state meet in the 100 hurdles as a junior, Alex went into the offseason ready to train so that she could duplicate and even surpass what she did last season.

With that came a lot of pressure for the senior hurdler.

“ I pretty much worked hard every day in practice, worked on my technique, making sure I eat right and doing all the extra stuff to make it to this point,” Alex said. “It was really rocky with a couple of little injuries along the way and a lot of pressure. There was a lot of talk about, ‘What college are you going to?’ ‘Are you going to sign anywhere?’ So there’s a lot of pressure with that.”

Alex eventually decided on the University of the Incarnate Word and tossed all the added pressure aside.

The senior earned gold medals at the District 32-6A meet in both the 100 and 300 hurdles, and placed first at the District 31/32-6A area meet in the 100 hurdles with a meet-record time of14.25 seconds and second in the 300 hurdles (45.75), her only Rio Grande Valley loss in either hurdling event.

Alex also bested her top times from one year ago in every race this season, something Los Fresnos girls track coach Brent Blackman said shows the type of worker she is.

“ (Alex’s success) says a lot about her,” Blackman said. “She has a lot of outside pressure on her. She put that pressure on herself and was able to perform through that pressure. At the start of the year, she was already running faster than she ran at the end of the year last year, and that’s because she put in the work.”

After a long season Alex is feeling the fatigue, but she is hoping to push through to the state meet and improve on an eighth-place finish last year.

“ Honestly, my body is tired,” Alex said. “I’m just pushing through it and trying to keep my body healthy. I’ve made a lot of progression from last year. I ended with a 14.9 and this year, I’m sitting at a 14.2. Hopefully, I can run a 14 flat this week and even into the 13s. Last year, state opened my eyes. It’s completely different than running in the Valley. It opened my eyes and got me a lot more excited this year and prepared me for what’s to come.”

Cruz’s performances from the start weren’t as smooth, after coming off a state championship powerlifting season in the 132-pound weight class.

So with the seasons overlapping, Cruz was splitting her time in both sports and having to make decisions on either sport at times.

“ At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t really focusing on track,” Cruz said. “I was more towards powerlifting because that season was going to be over before track. So my head wasn’t all on track, so that’s why I feel like I had kind of a rough start. But now that I’m 100 percent track, it’s been getting a lot better and I’m just taking it a week at a time.”

The 200 was usually Cruz’s race, but with Alex being out at the PSJA Flying Ws meet and the 1,600 relay being a no-go, Cruz decided to try the 100 — a race she only ran one other time that season.

Cruz placed first in the 100 with a time of 12.40, topping her only other time of the season of 13.08.

The senior sprinter duplicated that time to win the District 32-6A championship and then went on to the District 31/32-6A area meet and posted an area-meet record 12.22.

Blackman said Cruz overcame the slow start and the extra muscle mass from powerlifting to carry a heavy workload of the 800 and 1,600 relays as well as the 200 before switching her to the 100 and 1,600 exclusively.

“ Luisa chose to go be a powerlifter and was a state champion,” the Los Fresnos coach said. “She put on a little pressure on her running after putting on some muscle mass. She did it to go be a state champion and now, to be running at the level she’s running at, better than she ran last year, just says a lot for her work ethic. She loosened up and now she’s running like the beast we knew she was.”

All that’s left for Cruz is to finally break through to state after falling short with a fourth-place finish in the 200 last season. She’s put the shortcoming in the back of her mind mostly and is ready to give it one last go.

“ If I have a bad meet I go into the next like it didn’t happen. I’m good at forgetting bad races and I’m good at not letting it affect my next race,” Cruz said. “I am trying to stay positive and have to remember I’ve made finals there before. I’ve been close, now this time I just have to try and make it.”

By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

Hanna free safety Andres Sustaeta spent his senior patrolling the Hanna secondary and was part of a defense that helped lead the Golden Eagles to a District 32-6A championship and a historic march to the regional semifinals.

Now, the senior safety will turn the page and try his hand at the collegiate level after signing his letter of intent to play football at Bethel College, an NAIA school located in North Newton, Kansas.

For the senior safety, Bethel was a good fit, highlighting the familiarity in defensive schemes as a selling point of going to an out-of-state school.

“ Honestly, I wish I could play in Texas, but Kansas is the closest one,” Sustaeta said. “I saw their defense, I liked it and figured I’d fit right in. I’ll fit in as a corner back or a safety. Wherever they want me, I’m ready. Putting ink to paper is a dream come true, I’ll tell you that much. Kids have dreams of the NFL, mine were to go to college.”

Hanna head football coach Mark Guess said Sustaeta had a strong stint on the varsity, speaking highly of his work ethic and ability to be coached.

“ With Andres, this guy has worked really, really hard,” Guess said. “He doesn’t say a whole lot at all. He just takes coaching and works to get better from it. The last two seasons he’s had surprised him a little bit and other people, but it didn’t surprise me or (defensive coordinator J.C. Ramirez) on the defensive side of the ball. We always knew what this kid had in him.”

As a senior, Sustaeta recorded 102 total tackles (67 solo, 35 assisted), four tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, nine pass deflections, a forced fumble and a recovery.

Sustaeta also racked up the postseason in his senior campaign, earning All-District 32-6A first-team honors, All-Metro first-team honors and was an honorable mention on the Associated Press’ Class 6A All-State football team.

After the season, Sustaeta also participated in the Blue-Grey Combine and played in the All American Bowl at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 17, 2018.

Sustaeta will join a Bethel team competing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and that is coming off a 3-7 season record in 2018.

With good speed, the ability to make open-field tackles and being able to stick with receivers, Sustaeta made a big impact on Bethel first-year coach Terry Harrison.

“ The coach up at Bethel is fired up about getting (Sustaeta),” Guess said. “He never saw him in person, he said ‘I have seen film on this kid and I really like what I see.’ I think it’s the effort and talent that he does have. He is fast and does great job of making open-field tackles…and not many people caught balls on him. I think carrying that to the next level and those guys looking at him the way they are, we’re hoping he’s going to get some playing time early in his college career.”

As Sustaeta prepares to create the next chapter in his playing career, he said his accomplishments at Hanna are things to be proud of.

“ They’re quite the achievements,” he said. “I’ll be able to tell my kids I was an all-American, first team all-district and all that stuff. I’m blessed and thankful for my parents for blessing me.”

By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

Andrea de la Rosa’s senior track & field season at Rivera has been, like most of her four-year running career, dominant.

She showed that again at last week’s District 31/32-6A area meet with wins in the 3,200-meter run (11 minutes, 27.94 seconds) and in the 1,600 (5:38.72), qualifying her for the Region IV-6A meet this weekend at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio for the fourth consecutive season.

De la Rosa has yet to break through to the state meet but is hopeful that this will finally be the year, despite having some bittersweet feelings heading into the weekend.

“ I feel confident because I’m going to try my best, but I also feel sad because it’s my last year,” the senior runner said. “It really went by fast.”

De la Rosa has been as good as there is in her signature events, failing to take gold in both events just once this season.

Her only hiccup came in the form of a second-place finish at the Meet of Champions.

Despite being a force, de la Rosa said her senior season has been highlighted by her team.

The Rivera senior has stood tall as a supportive teammate and a veteran leader to the underclassmen.

“ It’s been my best year so far because of my races, but because (my team) has bonded together,” the senior said. “It’s been a strong team and it’s been an experience. There are newcomers every year, and we always try to make them feel at home and that they can count on us.”

Sophomore Bethany Guzman, who qualified to the regional meet in the 800-meter run, said having de la Rosa around really has been beneficial to her growth this season.

“ She’s always motivating me and always pushing me and telling me to do my best,” Guzman said. “She’s always right there screaming at my face while I’m running. She’s also helped me a lot with my arms. I’m always getting tense, and she’s always there telling me to relax. I guess sometimes it’s kind of hard for me to just relax and do my race, but she’s always there reminding me to. That helps a lot.”

De la Rosa’s need to be a good teammate even let her open up her horizons a little bit, trying her hand in the 1,600 relay on a couple of occasions, most notably at the area meet while battling an illness.

It has been out of necessity for the most part, but the Lady Raiders’ senior has enjoyed every bit of it.

“ I was sick, I had the flu, but I ran the mile, two-mile and went to help my team in the 4×400 to try and help my team,” de la Rosa said. “We didn’t qualify for the 4×400, but we tried. It’s the only relay I’ve done is the 4×400, but I love that relay. I love the feeling afterward, it’s amazing.”

Normally, the sprinting style of relay races is not de la Rosa’s style, but being able to work on it this season has paid off, improving her kicks at the most vital points of her distance races.

“ It’s helped me a lot,” she said. “My endings are always really strong and I feel stronger at the finish. In the two-mile, it helps the entire time and during the final two laps, I am able to kick it in and I don’t get as tired as I used to get. In the mile, it really helps the entire way. I feel like the mile is the fastest race I have run, but you have to have a lot of conditioning, so (working on sprints has) helped me.”

Heading into the weekend, de la Rosa will have a final chance to break through to the state meet in Austin.

She’s not going to guarantee a spot, but she’s definitely confident in her ability to do so and said concentration is key.

“ Definitely this year, I want to make it to state,” she said. “I know I have the potential to make it to state. I really need to stay focused on my goal, but that’s about it.”

NOT ALONE

De la Rosa will not go it alone this weekend, as several Lady Raiders will join her at the area meet.

In the 100, sophomore Faith Lara qualified after placing third with a 12.56 at the area meet, and Guzman also took home a bronze in the 800 (2:27.28).

Senior Ashley Hinojosa also will be on hand after finishing in fourth at area in the long jump (15 feet, 8.25 inches).

The Lady Raiders also qualified their 800 relay team after the group of Leilani Cruz, Hinojosa, Alexis Sayas and Lara finished third (1:49.53).

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

Rivera junior distance runner Julian Tavares has had a couple of solid performances in two of the biggest track & field meets of the season.

After winning the 800-meter run and helping the Rivera 1,600 relay team to a third-place finish at the District 32-6A meet, he duplicated those performances at the 31/32-6A area meet.

He won the 800 with a time of 1 minute, 58.03 seconds and was the final leg of the 1,600 relay that finished third with a time of 3:30.90.

The Rivera athlete now looks toward the Region IV-6A meet next weekend in San Antonio, where he hopes to punch his ticket to the state meet.

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

Tavares: Ever since the age of 4, I have always been drawn to running.

Q: I see you compete in sprints. What would you say is your favorite event and why?

Tavares: I would have to say the 800, because it’s a race that takes a lot of will and heart. It’s a quick but long race, which is the reason why it’s one of my favorites.

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

Tavares: Conditioning and maintaining a diet.

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

Tavares: My favorite memory is coming to varsity my freshman year. I felt really proud of myself that I made it. Well, stayed because I was an alternate, but I guess coach really liked my performance in the open 400-meter at the San Benito meet as a freshman hitting 52 seconds. So he put me in it and ever since, little by little, I did the other events.

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?

Tavares: I do cross country, and it helps my condition for the 400 and 800 meters.

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

Tavares: Well, I pray every night and before a meet. I still pray, but about the meet. Before a meet, I love eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

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

Tavares: When I used to run the 400-meter relay and I had to run against Harlingen’s Jose Garcia last year.

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

Tavares: Regionals, because I will prove to myself that I have worked hard to be there.

Q: Tell the readers something they may not know about you.

Tavares: I have been running the Brownsville Running Marathon since I was 4, inspired by my Coach Solis at Del Castillo Elementary. From there, my amazing mother continued my inspiration for running.

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

Tavares: I will say The Fate of the Furious because, well, the movie series is really good and because I asked out an amazing girl that I am with today.

Q: What’s your favorite food and why?

Tavares: My favorite food would be hot wings, man. They’re just delicious when I take each bite.

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

Tavares: Kevin Hart, because he’s hilarious.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

When Harlingen High sophomore sprinter Jose Garcia walked off the track following the 100-meter dash at the 31/32-6A area track & field meet, he soon learned his time of 10.30 seconds set a new meet record.

What he didn’t know is that his time also set a Rio Grande Valley record, breaking the 10.23 hand time set by Mercedes’ Alex Trevino in 2008.

Garcia’s 10.30 fully automatic time tops Trevino’s 10.23 hand time, which would be comparable to a 10.54 FAT after rounding up to the nearest tenth and adding the .24 factor, a common track & field protocol.

The time was confirmed by longtime RGV track historian Carlos Vela late Friday night.

“It meant a lot to me,” Garcia said of learning about the record. “When I was running and I finished crossing the line, I felt that it was going to be a good time. It just meant a lot to me when they announced the area record and that I now hold the Valley record.”

Harlingen High coach Efrain Ambriz said after the area meet that Garcia had been on fire as of late and was consistently getting better, which is a testament to the type of athlete he is.

“I think (the record) shows not only (Garcia’s) power, but I think it shows the hard work that he’s bringing along with it,” Ambriz said. “You see a lot of talented runners, but sometimes, they don’t put in all the work that’s necessary to take them to the next level. He definitely is, and it makes us really proud of what he’s doing. The sky is the limit for him. We don’t put any limitations on our athletes. We just want to see him maximize his abilities along with the hard work he’s putting into it, and I’m sure that he will.”

Garcia also set an area meet and school record in the 200 with a 21.30, qualifying for the Region IV-6A meet next weekend.

The sophomore sprinter also qualified in the long jump after a second-place finish (21 feet, 4.5 inches) and as a part of the area-winning 400 relay team (42.71).

With the RGV record under his belt, Garcia hopes to grab a berth in the state meet.

“I want to improve more,” Garcia said. “I want to continue working and working until I get to the point that I want to. I feel like I’m ready for regionals after getting to experience it as a freshman. I’m not nervous anymore. It’s also good that coach took me to the Texas Relays, so I can experience those higher levels. I’m ready to see what’s going on up there.”

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

Harlingen High freshman high jumper Sabrina Todd has made her first year on the varsity track & field team a memorable one.

At the District 32-6A meet, Todd placed second with a jump of 4 feet, 10 inches.

She set a new personal record with a jump of 5-2 at the area meet, giving her the win and a ticket to the Region IV-6A track & field meet next weekend in San Antonio.

The Valley Morning Star caught up with the freshman jumper after her area-winning jump.

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

Todd: I started in seventh grade, and in my first high jump meet I cleared 5 feet without any practice. That’s when I decided on it because I really liked it and it was fun.

Q: Why would you say the high jump is your favorite event and why?

Todd: It’s fun and I get, like, pumps of adrenaline. You have to clear all the (heights). There’s so much suspense.

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

Todd: I go to a different high school (freshmen campus) right now, so it’s probably having to get picked up and having to go to the high school and go to practice. But I really like (track), and that helps me overcome having to do that.

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

Todd: Probably right now, winning the area championship in the high jump. I cleared 5 feet, 2 inches.

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?

Todd: In the high jump, you have to be able to be kind of flexible. That kind of helps me because I’m also on the drill team, so it balances out because you have to be flexible for both.

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

Todd: I like to eat fruit before I go. I like to eat, like, a banana, and that’s pretty much all in the morning.

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

Todd: It’s probably Amber (Leyva) from my school. We’ve been right on edge with each other and had the same jumps.

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

Todd: It’s probably the biggest meet at the end, which is district, and since this is my freshman year, I’ve never had an area meet or anything after that. So you know, it’s kind of like just the biggest meets.

Q: Tell the readers something they may not know about you.

Todd: Back in July, my dad, Doyle Todd, who was one of the assistant principals at HHS, passed away. That really has pushed me to do better in track and do it for him.

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

Todd: I really like F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I like all the characters. Their friend group and their arguments kind of reflect some of my friends.

Q: What’s your favorite food and why?

Todd: My favorite food is bread. I don’t know why I just like it. I can eat, like, four pieces of bread in one meal. I love it.

Q: If you could have dinner with one person from the past or today, who would it be and why?

Todd: It would probably be Emma Stone, because I love her movies and I just love watching her.

By MARK MOLINA | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — For the second meet in a row, the Harlingen High boys track and field team went into the 1600-meter relay needing a win — and a little help this time — to capture a championship.

And once again, the mile relay team came through, winning the event and sending the Cardinals past Edinburg Vela to the top of the District 31/32-6A area meet standings with 134 points Thursday night at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

“It speaks to the resiliency of the kids,” Harlingen High coach Efrain Ambriz said. “We had to battle back a little bit. I know Vela came out with a lot of points out of the field events. We bounced back and forth, took the lead and they took it back after the mile. We knew there was an eight-point cushion there where we were tying to end up. I’m just really happy with how we performed again.”

Harlingen High finished the 1600 relay in 3 minutes, 29.70 seconds, followed by Harlingen South (3:30.34), Vela (3:30.90) and Los Fresnos (3:33.12).

Once again coming down the final stretch to give Harlingen High the win was quarter-miler Cole Swinnea.

“That feeling of coming down the last straightaway of race is unreal,” Swinnea said. “You know you’re about to win the meet and you know anyone behind you isn’t; it’s a special push. We did the math correctly and knew we had to win and Vela had to come in at least third for us to win and we did the job.”

Vela finished in second with 126 points, followed by Harlingen South (106), Weslaco High (104), Weslaco East 29 and Edinburg High (24).

On the girls side, Weslaco High dominated the standings and cruised to its seventh straight area meet championship, scoring 140 points.

“I think (winning seven area meets) is sort of surreal,” Weslaco High coach Pablo Almaguer said. “It goes by so quick and to think about it, every year is different. I like to press the reset button every year; there’s a new set of girls. Of course, there are veterans on the team, but there’s always a new freshman and sophomore coming in. We really just want everyone to continue that tradition and be a part of that success.”

The Los Fresnos girls finished in second with 70 points, followed by San Benito (58), Rivera (52), Edinburg Vela(48) and Hanna (47).

Adding to the meet excitement were record-breaking performances.

A pair of Los Fresnos girls set area meet records, starting with Luisa Cruz, who set the 100-meter dash mark with a 12.22, breaking the 12.23 mark set by Harlingen South’s Cierra Pena back in 2015. It was the second meet in a row that Cruz set a meet record, accomplishing the feat in the 200-meter dash last year with a 25.29.

In the 100-meter hurdles, the Lady Falcons’ Brianna Alex clocked in at 14.25, topping the 15.20 mark set by former Los Fresnos hurdler Jaleah Calvillo in 2014.

31&32 6A Area Meet – 4/18/2019
Bobby Lackey Stadium

Girls 100 Meter Dash 6A Finals
1, Cruz, Luisa, Los Fresnos, 12.22A. 2, Barbour, Jaiden, Harlingen, 12.56. 3,
Lara, Faith, Rivera, 12.56. 4, Mitchell, Briana, Edinburg Eco, 12.60. 5,
Selber, Danya, Edinburg Vela, 12.70. 6, Mora, Jacqueline, Hanna, 12.74. 7, De
Leon, Valorie, Edinburg, 12.78. 8, Casas, Zoe, Edinburg Vela, 13.44.

Girls 200 Meter Dash 6A
1, Guzman, Bryssa, Weslaco East, 25.78. 2, Hartman, Natasha, Harlingen South,
26.42. 3, Garza, Monica, Edinburg Vela, 26.63. 4, Nunez, Alysha, San Benito,
26.81. 5, Gonzalez, Bianca, Harlingen South, 27.70.

Girls 400 Meter Dash 6A
1, Ebarb, Amity, Weslaco, 59.03. 2, Aguero, Aniel, Hanna, 59.94. 3, Garza,
Marissa, San Benito, 1:02.34. 4, Garcia, Brandy, Weslaco East, 1:03.10. 5,
Ramos, Evana, Edinburg North, 1:04.56. 6, Vela, Anna, Weslaco, 1:05.25. 7,
Traskauskas, Chloe, Los Fresnos, 1:06.65.
Girls 800 Meter Run 6A

1, Ebarb, Amity, Weslaco, 2:19.04. 2, Perez, Liliana, Edinburg Vela, 2:27.08.
3, Guzman, Bethany, Rivera, 2:27.28. 4, Puente, Stephanie, Edinburg North,
2:27.87. 5, Garcia, Gisemani, Los Fresnos, 2:30.51. 6, Garcia, Dianett,
Edinburg Eco, 2:32.97. 7, Rivas, Brianna, Harlingen, 2:38.14. 8, Pyle, Russia,
Hanna, 2:42.28.

Girls 1600 Meter Run 6A
1, De la Rosa, Andrea, Rivera, 5:38.72. 2, Noyola, Angelica, Edinburg,
5:39.70. 3, Perez, Liliana, Edinburg Vela, 5:45.19. 4, Longoria, Destinee,
Weslaco, 5:48.38. 5, Rawlings, Kaylie, Edinburg, 5:50.11. 6, Sifuentes, Nadia,
Hanna, 5:50.34. 7, Medina, Michelle, Harlingen, 5:53.70. 8, Perez, Alexia,
Hanna, 6:20.95.

Girls 3200 Meter Run 6A
1, De la Rosa, Andrea, Rivera, 11:27.94A. 2, Longoria, Destinee, Weslaco,
12:10.14. 3, Noyola, Angelica, Edinburg, 12:11.73. 4, Sifuentes, Nadia, Hanna,
12:19.90. 5, Rawlings, Kaylie, Edinburg, 12:31.44. 6, Medina, Michelle,
Harlingen, 12:32.02. 7, Garcia, Isabela, Edinburg North, 12:46.81. 8, Guzman,
Bethany, Rivera, 13:16.99.

Girls 100 Meter Hurdles 6A
1, Alex, Brianna, Los Fresnos, 14.25A. 2, Solis, Gabriella, Edinburg Vela,
16.09. 3, Castillo, Devany, San Benito, 16.34. 4, Mata, Carmen, Edinburg Eco,
16.69. 5, Sanchez, Priscilla, Edinburg North, 16.91. 6, portillo, sydney,
Harlingen, 17.25. 7, Moreno, Mia, San Benito, 17.61. 8, Pena, Nayeli, Edinburg
North, 17.81.

Girls 300 Meter Hurdles 6A
1, Sanchez, Lisamarie, Weslaco, 45.55A. 2, Alex, Brianna, Los Fresnos, 45.75.
3, Ramirez, Arelly, Edinburg Eco, 48.46. 4, Sanchez, Desiree, Harlingen,
48.80. 5, Mata, Carmen, Edinburg Eco, 50.93. 6, Castillo, Devany, San Benito,
51.13. 7, Sanchez, Priscilla, Edinburg North, 51.86. 8, Trevino, Aimee, Harl
South, 52.49.

Girls 4×100 Meter Relay 6A
1, Hanna ‘A’ (Hernandez, Valerie 09, Aguero, Aniel 09, Castillo, Aliyah 09,
Mora, Jacqueline 09), 50.24. 2, Weslaco ‘A’ (Martinez, Jenna 11, Sanchez,
Lisamarie 12, Cavazos, Kalissa 9, Arndt, Emma 10), 50.36. 3, Edinburg Vela ‘A’
(Solis, Gabriella 12, Selber, Danya 11, Debhani Ednie 11, Garza, Monica 10), 51.20. 4, Weslaco East ‘A’ (Rodriguez, Itzel 12, Guzman, Bryssa
11, Elizondo, Giovana 11, Caceres, Jiovana 10), 51.32. 5, Los Fresnos ‘A’
(Gamez, Niomi 12, Garcia, Kylie 11, Salazar, Kathleene 9, Garcia, Kameron 11),
51.49. 6, Harlingen South ‘A’ (Hartman, Natasha 11, Grant, Madison 12, Rekward,
Lauren 09, Grannum, Mellory 12), 51.98. 7, Edinburg ‘A’ (De Leon, Valorie 12,
Zavala, Maya 12, Guerra, Arianna 9, Buckner, Bailey 12), 52.23. 8, Harlingen
‘A’ (Cruz, Valeria 10, Wylie, Taynisha 12, Barnes, Alyssa 11, Barbour, Jaiden
12), 57.37.

Girls 4×200 Meter Relay 6A
1, Weslaco ‘A’ (Martinez, Jenna 11, Sanchez, Lisamarie 12, Arndt, Emma 10,
Davila, Alexa 9), 1:47.59. 2, San Benito ‘A’ (Saucedo, Desirae 11, Vega, Olga
10, Nunez, Alysha 11, Rivera, Kalista 10), 1:48.52. 3, Rivera ‘A’ (Cruz,
Leilani 09, Hinojosa, Ashley 09, Sayas, Alexis 09, Lara, Faith 10), 1:49.53.
4, Edinburg Economedes ‘A’ (Ramirez, Arelly 9, Gonzalez, Karla 11, Loredo,
Jasmine 9, Mitchell, Briana 10), 1:49.73. 5, Los Fresnos ‘A’ (Salazar,
Kathleene 9, Garcia, Kylie 11, Garcia, Kameron 11, Cruz, Luisa 12), 1:49.90.
6, Harlingen ‘A’ (Barnes, Alyssa 11, Wylie, Taynisha 12, Rodriquez, Cassandra
10, Swinnea, Madeline 10), 1:50.85. 7, Weslaco East ‘A’ (Caceres, Jiovana 10,
Guzman, Bryssa 11, Rodriguez, Itzel 12, Elizondo, Giovana 11), 1:50.92. 8,
Edinburg ‘A’ (De Leon, Valorie 12, Zavala, Maya 12, Guerra, Arianna 9,
Buckner, Bailey 12), 1:52.56.

Girls 4×400 Meter Relay 6A
1, Weslaco ‘A’ (Arndt, Emma 10, Cavazos, Kalissa 9, Davila, Alexa 9, Ebarb,
Amity 10), 4:06.77. 2, Los Fresnos ‘A’ (Alex, Brianna 12, Ybarra, Brynn 9,
Cruz, Luisa 12, Garcia, Gisemani 10), 4:09.89. 3, Hanna ‘A’ (Hernandez,
Valerie 09, Pyle, Russia 09, Castillo, Aliyah 09, Aguero, Aniel 09), 4:11.11.
4, San Benito ‘A’ (Saucedo, Desirae 11, Rivera, Kalista 10, Vega, Olga 10,
Garza, Marissa 10), 4:11.63. 5, Rivera ‘A’ (Cruz, Leilani 09, Sayas, Alexis
09, Samano, Kaylyn 09, Garza, Christina 10), 4:14.55. 6, Edinburg North ‘A’
(Puente, Stephanie 12, Ramos, Evana 10, Ramirez-Barraza, Frida 9, Ochoa,
Trinity 9), 4:17.17. 7, Edinburg Economedes ‘A’ (Ramirez, Arelly 9, Loredo,
Jasmine 9, Garcia, Dianett 9, Mitchell, Briana 10), 4:17.22. 8, Weslaco East
‘A’ (Elizondo, Giovana 11, Paz, Jennica 9, Salazar, Felisha 12, Garcia, Brandy
11), 4:24.26.

Girls High Jump 6A
1, Todd, Sabrina, Harlingen, 5-02. 2, Leyva, Amber, Harlingen, J5-02. 3,
Villarreal, Isabella, Edinburg Vela, J5-02. 4, Santamaria, Jenessah, Edinburg,
J5-02. 5, Garza, Ariadna, Donna North, J5-02. 6, Arnold, Natalie, Hanna, 5-00.
7, Regalado, Damaris, Donna North, J5-00. 8, Garcia, Gisemani, Los Fresnos,
4-08.

Girls Pole Vault 6A
1, Maximo, Daniela, Harlingen South, 9-00. 2, Nunez, Alysha, San Benito, J9-00. 3,
Almazan, Stephanie, Weslaco, 8-06. 4, Chavez, Karla, Harlingen, 8-00. 5,
Abrigo, Mackenzie, Harlingen South, 7-09. 6, Rogers, Allison, Weslaco East, J7-09.
7, Salinas, Alyssa, Edinburg, 7-06. –, Alvarado, Leilah, Weslaco, NH.

Girls Long Jump 6A
1, Guzman, Bryssa, Weslaco East, 17-00. 2, Arndt, Emma, Weslaco, 16-05.25. 3,
Sanchez, Lisamarie, Weslaco, 15-11.25. 4, Hinojosa, Ashley, Rivera, 15-08.25.
5, Grant, Madison, Harlingen South, 15-08. 6, Ebarb, Amity, Weslaco, 15-01. 7,
Barbour, Jaiden, Harlingen, 14-11. 8, Pina, Hilary, Hanna, 14-08.25.

Girls Triple Jump 6A
1, Sanchez, Lisamarie, Weslaco, 35-03. 2, Grannum, Caroline, Harlingen South,
35-02.50. 3, Guzman, Bryssa, Weslaco East, 34-08. 4, Arndt, Emma, Weslaco,
33-05.75. 5, Ebarb, Amity, Weslaco, 32-06.75. 6, Trevino, Aimee, Harlingen South,
31-00.75. 7, Rodriquez, cassandra, Harlingen, J31-00.75. 8, Garza, Marissa,
San Benito, 30-09.

Girls Shot Put 6A
1, Sanchez, Brianna, Edinburg, 38-06.50. 2, Garcia, Alejandra, Los Fresnos,
35-06.50. 3, Pena, Daniela, San Benito, 33-10.50. 4, Ramirez, Lizette,
Edinburg Eco, 33-09.50. 5, Sanchez, Lauren, San Benito, 33-04. 6, Cruz,
Alexis, Edinburg, 32-03. 7, Sierra, Arlysa, Edinburg Eco, 30-07. 8, Galvan,
Olenka, Hanna, 30-02.

Girls Discus Throw 6A 1, Sanchez, Brianna, Edinburg, 120-01. 2, Muniz, Ashley, Los Fresnos, J120-01.
3, Vidano, Odemary, Harlingen South, 108-01. 4, Cavazos, Gia, Weslaco, 100-07. 5,
Quintanilla, Dayannah, Edinburg North, 99-05. 6, Sanchez, Lauren, San Benito,
98-10. 7, Garcia, Alejandra, Los Fresnos, 97-11. 8, Rodriguez, Tiarra,
Edinburg North, 94-06.

Boys 100 Meter Dash 6A 1, Garcia, Jose, Harlingen, 10.30A. 2, Maldonado, Joe, Weslaco, 10.71. 3,
Luna, Pedro, Harlingen, 10.82. 4, Gonzalez, Gabriel, Weslaco, 10.86. 5,
Hernandez, Jesus, Weslaco, 10.94. 6, Muniz, Isaiah, Los Fresnos, 11.08. –,
Solis, Kaleb, Harlingen South, DQ.

Boys 200 Meter Dash 6A
1, Garcia, Jose, Harlingen, 21.30A. 2, Jones, K-Jay, Weslaco, 22.29. 3,
Maldonado, Joe, Weslaco, 22.31. 4, Muniz, Hector, Weslaco East, 22.49. 5,
Arevalo, Jalen, Edinburg, 23.30. 6, Montalvo, Austin, Harlingen South, 23.55.

Boys 400 Meter Dash 6A
1, Gonzalez, Gabriel, Weslaco, 51.23. 2, Guzman, Eddie, Edinburg Vela, 51.32.
3, Swinnea, Cole, Harlingen, 51.60. 4, Quilantan, Eric, Harlingen, 51.97. 5,
Salazar, Aidan, Edinburg Vela, 52.99. 6, Perez, William, Donna North, 54.40. 7,
Ruiz, Sammy, Harlingen South, 54.47. 8, Salinas, Marcos, San Benito, 56.92.

Boys 800 Meter Run 6A
1, Tavares, Julian, Rivera, 1:58.03. 2, Nino, Jeremy, Edinburg Vela, 2:01.00.
3, Sanchez, Antonio, Weslaco, 2:01.14. 4, Reyes, Azael, Donna North, 2:01.72.
5, Maldonado, Abram, Weslaco East, 2:03.28. 6, Lopez, Eric, Harlingen South,
2:09.89. 7, Montante, Ivan, Harlingen, 2:10.35. 8, Zamora, Sam, Hanna,
2:18.41.

Boys 1600 Meter Run 6A
1, Sanchez, Antonio, Weslaco, 4:32.23. 2, Medina, Joaquin, San Benito,
4:32.75. 3, Salas, Mario, Edinburg Vela 4:33.93. 4, Nino, Jeremy, Edinburg
Vel, 4:39.70. 5, Garcia, Juan, Edinburg, 4:44.19. 6, Abrego, John, Hanna,
4:48.72. 7, Torres, Michael, San Benito, 4:50.53. 8, Lopez, Eric, Harlingen South,
5:06.08.

Boys 3200 Meter Run 6A
1, Sanchez, Antonio, Weslaco, 9:47.86. 2, Salas, Mario, Edinburg Vela, 9:50.38.
3, Nino, Jeremy, Edinburg Vela, 9:51.70. 4, Garcia, Juan, Edinburg, 9:55.25. 5,
Abrego, John, Hanna, 10:05.51. 6, Medina, Joaquin, San Benito, 10:09.28. 7,
Torres, Michael, San Benito, 10:37.74. –, Cisneros, Geovany, Harlingen, DNF.

Boys 110 Meter Hurdles 6A
1, Duran, Nitia, Harlingen South, 14.43A. 2, De leon, Roel, Edinburg North, 14.87. 3,
Segovia, Victor, Edinburg Vela, 15.77. 4, Muro-Lopez, Rhandall, Harlingen South,
15.78. 5, Quilantan, Eric, Harlingen, 15.88. 6, Reyes, Jonathan, Edinburg North,
16.17. 7, Castro, John, San Benito, 16.29. 8, Villanueva, Joey, Edinburg Eco,
16.32.

Boys 300 Meter Hurdles 6A
1, Villarreal, Israel, Harlingen South, 39.71. 2, Duran, Nitia, Harlingen South, 40.17.
3, Conde, Manuel, Harlingen, 40.77. 4, Segovia, Victor, Edinburg Vela, 40.90.
5, De leon, Roel, Edinburg North, 41.31. 6, Muro-Lopez, Rhandall, Harlingen South,
41.71. 7, Reyes, Jonathan, Edinburg North, 43.09. 8, Mendez, Fernando, Weslaco,
43.10.

Boys 4×100 Meter Relay 6A
1, Harlingen ‘A’ (Luna, Pedro 09, Reyna, Joe 09, Conde, Manuel 09, Garcia,
Jose 09), 42.71. 2, Weslaco ‘A’ (Maldonado, Joe 10, Dena, Devin 12, Hernandez,
Jesus 10, Jones, K-Jay 11), 42.88. 3, Edinburg Vela ‘A’ (Scott, Tate 12,
Flores, Christian 12, Luna, Rene 11, Cantu, Justin 11), 43.77. 4, Harlingen South
‘A’ (Montalvo, Austin 12, Gonzalez, Marcos 09, Esparza, Alex 11, Montano,
Cristian 11), 44.02. 5, San Benito ‘A’ (Garcia, Francisco 12, Costante, Juan
11, Rodriguez, Olegario 12, Benavidez, Imanol 12), 44.04. 6, Weslaco East ‘A’
(Serna, Jose 12, Muniz, Hector 11, Figueroa, Raven 11, Animas, Jon 11), 44.07.
7, Los Fresnos ‘A’ (Muniz, Isaiah 12, Quiroga, Art 12, Szpak, Sebastian 12,
Dennie, Daniel 12), 44.19. 8, Edinburg Economedes ‘A’ (Gonzalez, Ian 11,
Martinez, Johnathan 12, Saavedra, Brian 12, Garcia, Enrique 12), 44.86.
Boys 4×200 Meter Relay 6A
1, Weslaco East ‘A’ (Serna, Jose 12, Muniz, Hector 11, Alvarado, Leo 12,
Animas, Jon 11), 1:31.67. 2, Harlingen ‘A’ (Martinez, Eric 09, Luna, Pedro 09,
Uribe, Jesiah 09, Reyna, Joe 09), 1:31.76. 3, Harlingen South ‘A’ (Villarreal,
Israel 12, Esparza, Alex 11, Montalvo, Austin 12, Montano, Cristian 11),
1:32.87. 4, Los Fresnos ‘A’ (Gracia, Mark 11, Quiroga, Art 12, Troncoso,
Jonathan 11, Coronado, Adolfo 11), 1:33.20. 5, Edinburg North ‘A’ (Hernandez,
Donavan 12, Huerta, Adolfo 10, De Leon, Abraham 11, Mejia, Xavier 11),
1:35.09. 6, San Benito ‘A’ (Garcia, Francisco 12, Costante, Juan 11,
Rodriguez, Olegario 12, Benavidez, Imanol 12), 1:35.15. 7, Donna North ‘A’
(Juarez, Mario 11, Gomez, Aiden 10, Rodriguez, Rodrigo 10, Perez, William 10),
1:35.41.

Boys 4×400 Meter Relay 6A
1, Harlingen ‘A’ (Uribe, Jesiah 09, Conde, Manuel 09, Quilantan, Eric 09,
Swinnea, Cole 09), 3:29.70. 2, Harlingen South ‘A’ (Muro-Lopez, Rhandall 10, Ruiz,
Sammy 11, Villarreal, Israel 12, Duran, Nitia 12), 3:30.34. 3, Rivera ‘A’
(Lucio, Jesus 12, Guerrero, Mathew 12, Sanchez, Gabriel 12, Tavares, Julian
11), 3:30.90. 4, Los Fresnos ‘A’ (Muniz, Isaiah 12, Gonzalez, Angel 12,
Gracia, Mark 11, Troncoso, Jonathan 11), 3:33.12. 5, Edinburg Vela ‘A’
(Guzman, Eduardo 11, Cantu, Justin 11, Salazar, Aidan 10, Luna, Rene 11),
3:33.14. 6, Weslaco ‘A’ (Moran, MayNorth 10, Gonzalez, Gabriel 11, Banda, Daniel
11, Flores, Sebastian 10), 3:33.17. 7, Donna North ‘A’ (Perez, William 10,
Salas, Oscar 10, Rodriguez, Rodrigo 10, Reyes, Azael 12), 3:37.57. 8, Edinburg
North ‘A’ (Huerta, Adolfo 10, De leon, Roel 12, Gonzalez, Gabriel 10, Cavazos,
Jacob 12), 3:38.23.

Boys High Jump 6A
1, Trevino, Noah, Edinburg Vela, 6-04. 2, Feekes, Caden, Harlingen, J6-04. 3,
Alvarez, Juan, Donna North, 6-00. 4, Gutierrez, Nathan, Harlingen, J6-00. 5,
Martinez, Jonah, Edinburg Vela, J6-00. 6, Arceneaux, Sabian, Hanna, J6-00. 7,
Escobedo, Joshua, Harlingen South, 5-10. 8, Juarez, Rene, Weslaco, J5-10.

Boys Pole Vault 6A
1, Larsen, Nicholas, Edinburg Vela, 13-00. 2, Reyes, Ethan, Harlingen, 12-06.
3, Zamora, Jose, Edinburg North, J12-06. 4, Ruiz, Sammy, Harlingen South, 12-00. 5,
Muro-Lopez, Rhandall, Harlingen South, J12-00. 6, Coronado, Isaac, Weslaco East,
11-06. –, Rodriguez, Leviticus, Edinburg, NH. –, Guajardo, Mitch, San
Benito, NH.

Boys Long Jump 6A
1, Dena, Devin, Weslaco, 22-00.50. 2, Garcia, Jose, Harlingen, 21-04.50. 3,
Segovia, Victor, Edinburg Vela, 21-00.50. 4, Quilantan, Eric, Harlingen, 20-11.
5, Maldonado, Joe, Weslaco, 20-02.50. 6, Cupa, Delvid, Edinburg Vela, 19-08.
Boys Triple Jump 6A
1, Gonzalez, Gabriel, Weslaco, 44-08. 2, Segovia, Victor, Edinburg Vela, 44-04.
3, Dennie, Daniel, Los Fresnos, 42-08.50. 4, Zamora, Jaime, Edinburg, 41-11.
5, Quilantan, Eric, Harlingen, 41-01. 6, Luna, Rene, Edinburg Vela, 41-00.50.
7, Mares, Gabriel, Harlingen South, 40-03.
Boys Shot Put 6A
1, Ayala, Jorge, Edinburg, 59-06A. 2, Ott, Andrew, Harlingen South, 58-02.50. 3,
Harrell, Chase, Harlingen South, 58-00.50. 4, Gipson, Coby, Edinburg Vela, 56-05. 5,
Hinojosa, George, Edinburg Vela, 54-01. 6, Rivera, Giovanni, Hanna, 53-04. 7,
Ruiz, Benjamin,Harlingen South, 51-01. 8, Hernandez, Felix, Edinburg Vela,
49-04.50.

Boys Discus Throw 6A
1, Hinojosa, George, Edinburg Vela, 166-01. 2, Cortez, Cristian, Harlingen South,
160-10. 3, Harrell, Chase, Harlingen South, 155-10. 4, Hernandez, Felix, Edinburg
Vela, 147-08. 5, Ayala, Jorge, Edinburg, 147-04. 6, Ruiz, Benjamin, Harlingen South,
142-06. 7, Rivera, Giovanni, Hanna, 134-05. –, Gipson, Coby, Edinburg Vela,
ND.

By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer

With area meets getting going this week, local teams are hoping to punch their respective tickets to the Region IV track & field meets.

The action gets going today for Cameron and Willacy Country athletes as the 31/32-4A meet begins at 11 a.m. at La Feria’s Lion Stadium and the 31/32-5A meet starts at 10 a.m. at PSJA Stadium.

The 31/32-6A meet will begin Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey Stadium.

In Class 6A, the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons’ morale is high and they are hoping to keep the good times rolling at area after capturing the District 32-6A title.

With tough teams in the field, including the always strong Weslaco High squad, coach Brent Blackman is hoping that will motivate his runners to improve on their times.

“The girls have been great, and they’re working hard and ready to go,” Blackman said. “They’re trying to get faster on all the relays and they’re really just excited. They’re excited to see Weslaco, who is always on top of this area. We want to see if they can make us faster, and we’re excited about it.”

The Lady Falcons won the 800- (1:47.28) and 1,600-meter relays (4:03.96) and qualified in the 400 relay (50.99) with a fourth-place finish.

Blackman said their routine has got them to this point, but they have tinkered with it a bit in an effort to shave time.

“We’ve always been pretty dominant in the (800 relay) most of the season and kept most of our steps pretty much the same,” Blackman said. “We’re just trying to win with what we got and get the stick around. Now, we have to find a way to try and get faster. We shuffled some steps a little bit just to try to make the stick move around the track faster. That’s where we’re at, so we’ll see how it turns out.”

Also, Black is looking forward to seeing sophomore Gisemani Garcia and Brynn Ybarra in the 1,600 relay.

Garcia also will be competing in the 800 (2:27.83), a race she won at the 32-6A meet, and the 400, a race from she was scratched to free her up for relay duty.

In Class 4A, the La Feria Lions are feeling good, and not only because they ran away with the boys title at the 32-4A meet but because they will have the home field in today’s area meet.

“It’s a great feeling, especially for the kids knowing that they got a district title,” La Feria coach Everardo Sanchez said. “Now they have to move on to the area meet where they have the home-field advantage. We’re at home, we get to sleep in our own bed and we don’t have to travel anywhere. That’s the best part, and it gives us a great opportunity to earn an area title.”

The Lions will have 15 athletes in the field today, making that area meet crown very possible.

Sanchez is high on distance runners Santos Botello, Jose Dominguez and Anthony Cepeda, and believes they all have a solid chance in breaking through to the regional meet.

Botello placed second in the 800 at district with a time of 2:01.22. Dominguez placed fourth in the mile (4:43.19), and Cepeda got third in the 3200 (10:14.11).

The Lions also have athletes competing in all the field events except the triple jump.

La Feria’s strongest event, however, may be its 1,600 relay team of David Saenz, Darius Hernandez, Christopher Diaz and Ethan Padilla, which placed first at district with a time of 3:28.47.