By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Rivera has a group of seven track & field athletes who pride themselves on sticking together.
They’d like nothing better than for that to continue beyond Thursday’s Class 6A area meet involving Districts 32-6A and 31-6A at Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey Stadium.
The seven athletes are Angel Espinoza (discus), Sammy Orive (triple jump), Edward Velasquez (110 hurdles), Arnold Mendoza (400), Anthony Garza (3,200 and 800), Christian Machuca (3,200 and 1,600) and Jonathan Herrera (3,200 and 1,600).
Together they advanced out of the 32-6A meet, and together they’d like to move on the Region IV-6A meet May 1 and 2 at San Antonio by finishing in the top four of their respective events at the area meet, which would qualify them for a trip to the Alamo City.
“I was happy with the overall performance of these guys (at district),” Rivera coach Omar Gonzalez said. “We had a few letdowns, and it’s what you do on that day, not what you’ve done lately that counts. We have seven athletes competing at the area meet, and to a man, they all have an excellent chance of moving on to the next level.”
Velasquez, a senior coming off an injury, missed out on advancing from district in the 300 hurdles, the event in which he went to the regional last year, but he won the 110 hurdles.
“Most of the season I was struggling with a hamstring injury, but I still managed to come back,” Velasquez said. “I just put in work, and here I am in the area meet again just like last year, so now I’m looking forward to advancing to regionals. It’s a lot of work I’ve got to put in, but I really believe I can take the 110s (at area). If I go to the regional meet, it would be the second straight year, but not for the same event. I just want to keep going.
“Yes, it’s a motivation (to be competing with these fellow athletes),” Velaquez added. “I really want to accomplish the goals I have just like the rest of these guys want to accomplish theirs. I don’t want for them to be competing alone. Nobody likes to be there by themselves. It’s always better to have some teammates there with you to help out and give you some motivation and inspiration.”
Added Mendoza, a senior, “I just want to run faster than I did at district. I know in my heart that I can make it to regionals. I’ve just got to try harder. I have to give it 110 percent, not just 100 percent. Being with these guys brings me up. If they make it to regionals, I want to make it, too, because they’re my friends and they’re my teammates. We’re a team, not just individuals, and that brings my motivation up because I want to be as successful as they are.
“Any opportunities I’ve been given, I just try to do well in them, and I thank God for them,” he added. “Hopefully I make it to regionals.”
For Orive, a junior, it’s a matter of returning to his level of one year ago.
“I’m trying to improve from last year, but I haven’t hit my PR (personal record) from last year yet (in the triple jump),” Orive said. “I’m confident that I’ll improve. I’ve been dealing with a back injury for most of the year but I feel better now, so I should be able to get back (to the regional meet).
“It feels really good going (to the area meet) with people that you know and that you’re comfortable with,” Orive added. “When you’re comfortable, you can perform very well. We’re kind of like a family, and with that type of atmosphere, It just makes you feel comfortable and confident.”
Perhaps the Rivera athlete with the best chance to do well is Angel Espinoza, who won the discus at the 32-6A meet. He owns the Valley’s best mark this season in his event with a toss of 182 feet, 5 inches. Espinoza ranks among the state’s top throwers.
The Raiders also have some standouts in the distance races as Garza, Machuca and Herrera all ran on the Rivera cross country team that made it to state last fall. In the 3,200 at district, Garza, Machuca and Herrera came in first, second and third, respectively.
“I just want to stay with the top runners and give it my all,” said Herrera, a sophomore. “You have to do that the first and second mile (in the 3,200). You can’t slack at all. Especially to have the other runners I have with me, it really helps. I have to stay with them. Me, Anthony and Machuca, we’re not going to give up. We’re going to try to represent Brownsville and Rivera, and go as far as we can go.”
The area meet at Bobby Lackey Stadium starts with the 3,200 final at 9 a.m. and will be followed by running preliminaries. The field event finals are scheduled for the morning as well with the running finals set to start at approximately 1:30 p.m.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.