BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
Competing in their first district meet as a 6A school this year, the outcome was a familiar one for PSJA Southwest: district champions. The Javelinas boys track team captured its third title in three seasons, edging out Edinburg Economodes 126-122. Southwest’s two other district titles came as members of District 32-5A.
Highlights for the Javelinas included senior Haru Akiyama winning the 100-meter dash (11.20), the 400 relay (43.29) coming in first and the 1,600 relay (3:29.27) claiming second.
“The kids knew it was going to be a lot tougher,” PSJA Southwest coach Ruben Moreno said. “And they rose to the occasion.”
This year’s senior class, Moreno says, has never lost a district title at the varsity or junior varsity level. This note is a source of pride for Moreno, who is stepping away at the end of the season after 34 years of coaching.
“Honestly, I hadn’t told them (the team) or mentioned it at all,” Moreno said. “They’re starting to become aware, because they’ve heard it from other people. They’ve told me, ‘Hey, Coach. We’re going to go out as champions.’”
Their vow left Moreno speechless.
“I’m really emotional about it because, number one, we put so much into it already,” Moreno said. “For them to say something like that shows the way they feel about what we’ve done here. It’s indescribable. There’s no way I could ever forget these young men and what they’ve done.”
The recent success was not enough to dissuade Moreno from putting his coaching career on hold.
“It’s time, at least for a little bit,” Moreno said. “This is something I’ve wanted to do. But I still enjoy coaching like it’s my first year of coaching.
“I’ve been very fortunate to coach with people that have influenced my life. I love this. I love the competition of it. I’m a very competitive person. So, I definitely see myself doing these things again.”
Moreno still has a few more meets to make some memories, including the area meet next week.
“The kids are beginning to peak,” Moreno said. “Their times are outstanding, and every week they’re improving more and more. You’ll see them working at practice like there’s no tomorrow. It’s amazing to see, because they’ve already won three championships, and they still have that hunger. As a coach, I am in awe of that.”
ROBLES SETS MEET RECORD
La Joya Palmview junior Brianna Robles set a meet record at the District 30-6A meet in La Joya on Tuesday morning. Robles clocked an 11:15.74 in the 3,200 final, completing the race a full 55 seconds before McAllen Memorial senior Samantha Perez crossed the finish line in second (12:10.82). Robles was pleased she won the race but believes she has quite a bit to work on.
“I think I did OK, but I was disappointed because I was trying to run against time,” Robles said. “Hopefully to run at least a 10:54 or under 11 minutes to prepare for regionals. But I pushed through, and that’s all that matters.”
“We’re trying to peak at regionals. That’s what we’re shooting for,” La Joya Palmview coach Claudia Bazan said. “We’re focusing on her mile time, because I think that puts her in the best position to advance to state. We’re slowly getting to the mark that we want to get to.”
McAllen Memorial’s Perez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Yareli Tamez (12:11.02) and McAllen Memorial’s Macy Henderson (12:16.36) also qualified for the regional meet.
MISSION’S DYNAMIC DUO
As the owner of the district’s highest pole vault to date (14 feet, 4 inches), McAllen High freshman Josiah Martinez was billed as the favorite to take the district crown in the event. However, two Mission Eagles had plans of their own.
Mission sophomores Miguel Frias (13 feet, 6 inches) and Anthony Ramon (13 feet) finished one and two respectively in Tuesday morning’s pole vault final in La Joya.
“I felt like I did really good today,” Frias said. “I could have fixed a few things. I wanted to jump 14 feet but wasn’t able to. Overall, I did pretty good.”
“I still have a lot to learn, compared to my competitors,” Ramon said. “Technique, mostly. I need to learn how to pull up and get higher. Also work on my run and getting mentally and physically ready.”
Mission coach Brian Garza is happy he got two to qualify for regionals, but he wanted more.
“They all had their best jumps of the year,” Garza said. “We have to take minimal steps to get where we want, and this is another step. Today, I wanted to get all three of my guys (Frias, Ramon and sophomore Raul Orduna) to move on. We got two of them, and we’re going to continue working.”
In addition to Frias and Ramon, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Carlos Gonzalez and McHi’s Martinez (12 feet) successfully qualified for the regional meet.