MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
DONNA — Considering his athletic abilities, Donna High hurdling coach Guillermo Cuellar suspects the outside world might think everything comes easy to standout Vince Castillo.
“Maybe (they think) that he doesn’t work hard because he’s a talented kid,” Cuellar surmised. “But if you think that, you should come to one of our practices and see how hard he works.”
Cuellar saw it when Castillo was 10. During summer workouts, Castillo pulled a hurdle off to the side and began leaping over it, declaring that one day he would do it competitively. The two began working together soon thereafter. And by the time he reached the eighth grade, Cuellar thought, “Man, they’re going to have something special with him (at Donna High) the next four years.”
Cuellar had the same thought in mind Thursday when Castillo signed his letter of intent with Mississippi St., securing the next stage of his athletic career.
“It was a very stressful process but very rewarding, as well,” Castillo said. “It took a long time to get here, a long process, but in the end it’s all worth it once you get your name on that piece of paper.”
Castillo, who also considered Texas Tech and TCU, has had one of the more decorated track & field careers in recent memory in the Valley, capping off his freshman year as a state qualifier began securing championships in the 300-meter hurdles the past two years.
He finished third at state last season in the 110-meter hurdles. He was also the district, area and regional champion in the 110 and 300 hurdles earlier this year.
“He works hard,” Cuellar said. “That’s one of the things that really surprises me. Having a kid with so much talent and still working as hard as he does, that makes him special.”
Castillo recently visited the school, taking in a football game against Texas A&M before ultimately making his decision two weeks ago to attend Mississippi St., where he’s expected to compete in the 100- and 400-hurdles and the mile relay.
As a freshman, Castillo had expectations to make regionals. Doing that lone would have made for a successful season. But things changed for him when he was in third place at district before an opposing huddler tripped, paving the way for Castillo to advance to regionals. There, Cuellar instructed Castillo to keep Harlingen High’s Randy Bermea within sight.
“I told him whatever you do, stay close to him,” Cuellar said. “By the end of the race, (Castillo) ends up second and goes to state.
“He really surprised us.”
Castillo called it a turning point in his career.
“It really opened my eyes that, ‘Hey, I really can do something with track & field,’” he said.
From there, Castillo was exposed to bigger competition, finishing in the top 20 in the 100 hurdles in the Texas Relays. The idea was to expose him to top-level athletes, hoping it’d inspire him to take the next step.
By the time he went to state again, Castillo, then a sophomore, was no longer nervous.
“He said, ‘Coach, I’m comfortable because I’ve already ran here,’” Cuellar said.
What’s next for him now as a senior?
“I definitely have to stay humble, stay healthy. I can’t get a big head,” he said. “I have to wait it more than the next guy.”