BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
MERCEDES — As the final tallies were being made on Day 2 of the 2017 District 32-5A meet Thursday, Mercedes coach Pete Martinez experienced excitement mixed with caution as his team and Brownsville Veterans seesawed between the top two spots in the standings.
“We were writing every little event down to the last point,” Martinez said. “And it was close. We knew they were going to take the lead, we were going to take the lead and then they were going to take the lead throughout. My assistants did an outstanding job of keeping track of things. They did most of the work, and I’m thankful for them.”
At last, the final results were in. Mercedes took first place in the meet with 147 points. Brownsville Veterans finished second with 138.
“We told each of our kids what they had to do today,” Martinez said. “Each of them had one job to take care of – don’t worry about anything else – just take care of your job. They all went out and did it, and we came out ahead. It’s exciting.”
Junior distance runner Dominic Cavazos was of those Mercedes runners who met the expectations of his coach. Cavazos took the gold medal in the 800-meter run (1:59.70) and the 1,600 run while setting a new personal record in the process (4:21.31).
“Knowing how badly I want to win, I don’t want anyone to pass me in the last 200 meters,” Cavazos said. “I consider my strongest area is the last 200 meters, so I try to go out there and run those the hardest.”
Thursday night marked Mercedes boys’ first district title in 35 years, a fact not lost on the third-year coach Martinez.
“We’ve come in second at districts the last two years,” Martinez said. “So this is a big event for us. To have it here at home, in front of our home crowd, is unbelievable. The support that we got from our athletic director and my assistants was great. They’re the heart of the program. I couldn’t do this alone. They did a great job.”
MEDINA’S MAD DASH
Edcouch-Elsa sprinter Justin Medina is winding down his career as a Yellowjacket. The sprinter entered this week’s district meet in Mercedes in new territory.
“The thing with Justin was that he was always a relay guy,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Victor Cardenas said. “He never got a chance to excel in individual events. With this being his senior year, we wanted to honor him, considering his hard work and dedication to the program. We wanted to showcase that, because he deserved it.”
Medina captured the district titles in the 100 (11.43) and 200 (22.95) dashes on Thursdaynight.
“It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” Medina said. “I’ve never won two consecutive events before. Winning two in a row makes me feel special, because I put in all the extra effort after school in track practice. I go to the weight room every day, and I do what my coach tells me to.”
“I’m real happy I’ve gotten these two awards as a senior, and I wouldn’t have done it without my teammates and coach.”
Shortly after Medina completed the 200 dash, Cavazos explained the significance of what he had accomplished.
“Coach was telling me that I’m the first runner at Edcouch-Elsa to do win two gold medals in 20 years,” Medina said. “It feels unreal. I can’t even believe I won.”