BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — As San Antonio faded in the rear-view mirror and the regional track meet became a glorified memory, a trio of Valley athletes made a pact: Win a medal at state. Do so yourself and for each other.
Fabian Garcia, Jesus Mata and Luis Trujillo will have four opportunities to make good on their intentions when they compete at the UIL track and field meet May 12-14 in Austin. The Mission Veterans athletes will compete in four events with an eye on a podium finish.
The three Patriots sent to state will be the largest contingent of any Valley school that did not qualify a relay team. The only other area program to achieve such a feat is La Feria.
The busiest of the three will be Garcia, a senior distance runner who will race in the Class 5A boys 1600- and 3200-meter runs.
Garcia was the Region IV champion in the 3200 with a personal best time of 9 minutes, 30.36 seconds, and says his primary focus is on the longer race.
“Throughout the season, I’ve had more success in that one,” Garcia said. “I like it more because I’m able to think more, position myself more and strategize more.”
Garcia’s seed time is the second fastest of the nine-man field. The quickest time belongs to College Station’s Jon Bishop with a 9:23.53. Garcia is looking to run at a quicker pace in hopes of breaking the 9:20 barrier. Garcia holds the seventh fastest time in the 1600 (4:24.13).
Mata experienced victory at the regional meet, too, winning gold in the boys 800 run in 1:55.46. The win marked a moment of redemption for the junior after a disastrous turn at regionals a season ago. As the first lap became the second, and the pack entered a turn, Mata was spiked from behind by an opponent.
“It caused me to stumble, so by the time I caught up with them, they were already pretty far ahead of me,” Mata said. “I was trying to catch up, and I wasted all of my energy.”
Despite the mishap, Mata managed to finish in fifth.
Mata’s go at state looks to be a tight race. Though he holds the third quickest seed time, the five fastest qualifying times are separated by only just 2.94 seconds. Though he’ll be competing at the state’s highest level, his approach will remain unchanged — hang out near the front with the leaders, keep a steady pace, then bolt in the race’s closing meters.
“By the final 150 (meters), I take off,” Mata said. “I let hell loose.”
While Mata will stick to his guns, Trujillo will compete in the pole vault with a new approach he’s spent all season perfecting. Where the junior once carried the vault in a traditional approach, he now drags the pole on the ground, pushing it in front of him like a cowcatcher on the front of a train.
Though he’s comfortable with his new technique, Trujillo is working with bigger poles to achieve higher vaults in Austin. Though he cleared 13 feet, 6 inches at regionals, every other competitor enters having cleared heights greater than 14-00, Trujillo’s personal best.
“He’s jumping with a lot of confidence,” Mission Veterans boys coach David Longoria said. “He’s going to try and hit a (personal record) at state. That goes back to our motto, ‘Beat me. Beat you.’ Everything else takes care of itself. That’s how we got here.”