By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — The conditions were good and the competition was fierce on Day 2 of the District 32-6A track & field meet Saturday at Boggus Stadium.
The Harlingen High Cardinals and Weslaco High Lady Panthers stood out above the rest to take home the boys and girls team titles, respectively.
Harlingen High accumulated a whopping 208 points to clinch its third straight title, not counting last season when the meet couldn’t happen because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cardinals coach Efrain Ambriz got emotional after the win and said it felt extra special to see the boys earn the trophy after the heartbreaking end to a very promising 2020 season.
“I’m ecstatic, honestly, right now. We put up 208 points, and that’s a testament to these kids,” Ambriz said. “They’ve been resilient through COVID, and all the starts and stops. I got emotional with them after they won, because last year’s season got taken away from them. The saving grace was that (many of) these guys were juniors, so for them to be given life again and get to savor this opportunity is precious.”
The Cardinals got their day started with a win in the 400-meter relay. Harlingen High’s team of Pedro Luna, Eric Quilantan, Ezvyn Zuniga and Jose Garcia ran a season-best 42.38 second to set a new district record.
Garcia broke a district record that stood since 1985 on Thursday with his 23-11.75 long jump. On Saturday, the speedster broke two more records while winning the 100 and 200. He ran a 10.36 in the 100, which reset the district record he held from 2019, and ran a 21.41 in the 200 to cap his historic day.
“I felt good, especially about the team. It’s all about the team, and we performed really well,” Garcia said. “It’s all the training and taking care of our bodies in order to advance and put on a show for the people. It’s an honor because we really wanted it. There’s a lot of big targets, people looking at me and my team. That’s what I like, is people pushing me.”
Quilantan took gold in the 400. The Cardinals finished second in both the 800 and 1,600 relays. Harlingen High’s Geovany Cisneros won the 800 and was followed closely by teammate Dominic Luna in second. Both set personal bests in the competitive race.
Cisneros won the 3,200 on Thursday, with San Benito’s Roy Gomez coming in second. The pair battled in the 1,600, one of the most exciting races of the day. Gomez took the slim lead from Cisneros in the final lap and maintained it to the finish line to take gold.
“Thursday we came out with, I think, 80 points from field events, so that was a big boost,” Ambriz said. “Today, the focus was to advance everyone we needed to, and honestly, I think the boys performed better than I thought. They’re coming around. The big plan is to make some noise at state.”
Julio Gonzalez of Los Fresnos won the 110 hurdles and San Benito’s John Castro was the top finisher in the 300 hurdles. The Weslaco High Panthers won both the 800 and 1,600 relays with ease, and they finished second in the team standings with 118 points.
Harlingen South (99), San Benito (67), Brownsville Hanna (41), Los Fresnos (37), Brownsville Rivera (31) and Donna North (19) rounded out the boys team standings.
The Lady Panthers totaled 191 points and handily took home their ninth consecutive district championship. Los Fresnos (118), Harlingen High (111), Harlingen South (71), San Benito (57), Brownsville Hanna (36), Donna North (19) and Brownsville Rivera (17) followed in the girls team standings.
“It’s a good feeling, and it’s something we strive for year in and year out,” Lady Panthers coach Pablo Almaguer said. “Last year we got shut down because of COVID, it was a rough year, so it’s been a blessing for us. I tell the girls every day, ‘Take advantage of opportunities and count your blessings every day.’ They understood that, and they really worked hard for it.”
Lady Panthers standout and future Texas Longhorns athlete Amity Ebarb won gold in the 400 and 800. She also anchored Weslaco High’s 1,600 relay, taking first place with Alexa Davila, Kalissa Cavazos and Emma Arndt.
Weslaco High also took gold in the 800, ran by Mya Pugh, Davila, Alessa Zapata and Arndt. Cavazos added a district title in the 300 hurdles, and Destinee Longoria was victorious in the 1,600 and 3,200 to aid the team’s win.
In the field events Thursday, Arndt won the long jump and Aracely Moreno won the discus throw.
“We know teams want to knock us off, and we’re in such a great district. Hat’s off to Los Fresnos, Harlingen High, we have a lot of respect for our opponents,” Almaguer said. “They know they have a target on their back, and it’s even more challenging knowing that, but it makes it that much more exciting and worthwhile. It’s exciting to coach a group like this.”
Harlingen High’s Faith Franklin was the top sprinter in the meet. Franklin won the 100 and 200 and anchored the Lady Cardinals’ first-place 400 relay team. Lauren Swinnea, Valeria Cruz and Cassandra Rodriguez helped the relay pick up the win.
San Benito’s Mia Moreno took the gold in the 100 hurdles. The top four finishers in each event qualified for the area meet.