The race to state begins today for boys track and field athletes across Texas with district meets set to run through Wednesday.
For sprinters across the Rio Grande Valley, they’re just several seconds away from extending their season and advancing to the area meet.
A pair of McAllen Rowe Warriors are in prime position to claim the top two spots at this week’s District 31-5A track meet at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, which begins today.
Rowe junior sprinters Mark Villarreal and Diego Pacheco have been the cream of the 31-5A crop thus far with the No. 1 and No. 2 times in the 100-meter dash. Both Villarreal and Pacheco set personal records at the Edcouch-Elsa 22nd annual Yellow Jacket Relays on March 17 with times of 11.01 and 11.20, respectively.
In District 32-6A, Harlingen High’s Jose Garcia has been the RGV’s fastest in the 100-meter dash this season at any level with a blazing time of 10.49 seconds, which was set at the Weslaco ISD Jimmy Platt Mid-Valley Classic on March 12.
In District 32-5A, Mercedes’ Tyrell Treviño, Josiah Cantu and Jordan Gonzalez own three of the five fastest 100-meter dash times. The sophomore Treviño has been the district’s best clocking in at 11.31 seconds, with Cantu (11.47) and Gonzalez (11.48) coming in at fourth and fifth separated by a hundredth of second.
MACIAS LEADS PACK OF DISTANCE RUNNERS
PSJA Memorial senior long distance runner William Macias enters the District 31-5A meet with the state’s sixth-best time in the 3,200-meter run (9:34.65) in Class 5A and 10th-best mark in the 800-meter run (1:57.80). Macias set personal records in both races at the PSJA Bear Relays last week in Pharr to bring home a pair of gold medals.
Fellow District 31-5A distance runner Ayden Granados, a sophomore from McAllen Memorial, has edged Macias time-wise in the 1,600-meter run this year, however. Granados ranks ninth in Class 5A with a time of 4:23.79, with Macias a couple seconds behind at 4:26.74. The two state-ranked runners are set to showdown at the District 31-5A meet.
CONTRERAS, MELENDEZ SHINE IN FIELD EVENTS
Edcouch-Elsa senior Jesse Contreras has excelled throwing shot put and discus with top 10 marks in Class 5A in both events.
Contreras, a three-year letterman at tight-end for the Yellow Jackets football team, owns the third farthest shot put throw at 54 feet, 11 inches, and the ninth-farthest discus throw in 5A at 152 feet, 2 inches. The District 32-5A track meet runs from Tuesday through Thursday at Tiger Stadium in Mercedes.
Meanwhile, Sharyland Pioneer junior pole vaulter Rosendo Melendez clearance of 15 feet on Feb. 10 at the PSJA North Winter Relays. He is tied for the third pole vault in Class 5A. The next-closest District 31-5A pole vaulter is 2 1/2 feet behind Melendez’s mark.