MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
Harlingen South’s Andrew Ott has had quite the senior year after signing to throw for Kansas State and consistently delivering big performances in the shot put.
Now, Ott’s season will continue after placing second in the Class 6A shot put at Friday’s Region IV-6A meet at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio, securing a second straight state berth.
Ott was not the only Cameron County athlete to qualify for state, as Rivera senior distance runner Andrea de la Rosa made her way to the podium with a second-place finish in the 3,200-meter run.
De la Rosa, who was competing in her fourth straight regional meet, finished the race in 11 minutes, 20.51 seconds.
Ott’s top throw measured 60 feet flat. He said that he needed every last inch among a tough field.
“It felt well-fought and earned,” Ott said. “This has definitely been one of the more stacked regional meets that there has ever been; third place was 58 feet and some change. Just to get even close to the podium took a big toss. With it being my last year and all, it really drew out the more competitive side of me.”
Harlingen South coach Ralph De La Rosa said Ott scratched on his first two throws but eventually settled in and pushed through, and helped put on a show.
“He gets the crowd going,” the Hawks’ coach said. “They have a lot of fans in the throwing area. I walk around, and I see and hear all these people talking about seeing him since he was a sophomore. They’re saying, ‘Hey, watch that kid, he’s pretty special.’ It’s pretty cool to hear people say that.”
The rest of the Hawks’ throwers did not qualify for state but turned in top-five finishes in the discus.
Christian Cortez placed fourth with a throw of 161-9, and Chase Harrell placed fifth with a 159-05.