STAFF REPORTS
The Brownsville First Baptist boys track & field team had a good showing at the Class 1A TAPPS state championships Saturday at Baylor University’s Hart-Patterson Track & Field Complex in Waco.
The Crusaders finished in first place in the 400-meter relay with a time of 46.26 seconds. The members of the team are senior Sebastian Cavazos, sophomore Alfonso Carretero, sophomore Rene Lucio and freshman Henry Moran.
“I’ve been with Sebastian since he was a freshman,” First Baptist coach Jaime Barrera said. “He’s always had a strong work ethic, and it rubbed off. (His teammates) got the benefit of running with a senior.”
Carretero also competed in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles. He took first place in the 300 and set a personal record with a time of 42.28. In the 110, he placed second with a time of 16.59.
“Last year, (Carretero) qualified as well as a freshman and got fourth place,” Barrera said. “This year he got in his mind he was going to push past the mental block.”
Carretero also qualified for the triple jump, which took place Friday. He finished sixth with a distance of 37 feet, 6 inches.
Cavazos ran in two additional events as well. He ran the 100- and 200-meter dash, placing third in each with times of 11.5 and 23.43, respectively.
As a team, Brownsville First Baptist finished in fifth place with 53 points.
The St. Joseph Academy track & field team also concluded their state events in Class 5A.
Gaby Garza ran in a pair of hurdle races and placed second in both. The freshman finished the 100 hurdles in 14.83 and the 300 in 45.07.
Each time would have been a state record had Garza won the race.
“It was a good way to start her high school career,” St. Joseph coach Meme Garza said. “(The 100 hurdles) was a photo finish and was probably the race of the day. They were neck and neck. (First-place finisher Mackenzie Frank) is a seasoned athlete from Dallas. She’s very well respected. It was probably Gaby’s best technical race.
“(Finishing first) didn’t happen today, but that’s OK, she’s patient. Failure is success training to her. She didn’t get what she wanted, but she got the training she needed.”
The Bloodhounds also competed in three relays. The team of Cole Conner, Mario Garcia, Gerardo Moses and Kai Money placed fourth in the 800 relay in a time of 1:31.38 and finished in eighth place in the 400 in a time of 44.46.
In the 1,600 relay, the team of Conner, Garcia, Miguel Guerra and Money finished fifth with a time of 3:33.65
“They competed really well today,” St. Joseph relay coach Jacob Guerrero said. “We’ve got a young team both grade-wise and chemistry-wise. They fought a lot harder than I imagined.”
As a team, the St. Joseph girls placed 10th with 32 points. The boys finished 11th with 28 points.