BY JON LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
Don’t tell La Joya Juarez-Lincoln boys track coach Horacio Garza his team is the favorite to win this week’s District 30-6A track and field meet at La Joya ISD Stadium.
“We’ll see if we can’t get there and win by the hairs on our chinny chin chin,” Garza said. “We’re going to be coming up from behind. It’s going to be close.”
The 30-6A meet is a two-day affair which Thursday at 9 a.m. today with finals in the boys and girls 3200-meter run. Finals for all field events get under way an hour later. Track finals will be held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the same location.
“We’re hoping we can go in and do the things we’ve been doing throughout the year,” Garza said. “Hopefully we can stay healthy, but we’re excited for how the season has gone.”
The Huskies have been defined this season by the speed and consistency of their boys relay teams. The program holds the second-fastest time among Valley schools in both the 800-meter and 1600-meter relays with respective times of 1 minute, 30.60 seconds and 3:23.97. The Huskies also claim the third-quickest Valley time in the 400-meter relay with a mark of 43.16.
“We’ve been fortunate to have a number of kids run different relays,” Garza said. “I’m surprised how many kids we have. It’s allowed us to put some kids in other events and add to our depth.”
One such runner who has surprised Garza is Angel Garcia, a sprinter who only now joins the Huskies full time due to his commitment to the soccer program. Garza also mentioned Carlos Hernandez, a former distance runner who has worked his way into various relay rotations. Though Garza has a strong group of relay runner to choose from, he’s mum as to who will compete during Saturday’s finals.
“I’m can’t tell anything,” he said with a laugh. “I know some other people will be reading the newspaper.”
Though Juarez-Lincoln is loaded in several track events, Garza is honest about his team’s prospects in other areas.
“We’re represented in all of our field events,” he said. “We’re just not top notch. We’re going to do the best we can, but we know where we’re at in a lot of events. The kids are excited for the challenge though.”
‘ROLLING THE DICE’
Just as the Huskies will load up on healthy bodies by reacquiring multi-sport athletes, so too will the McAllen Memorial Mustangs.
“We’re jumping some of our guys for the first time this season,” boys coach Marcus Kauffman said.
Two individual who will make their track debut are D.J. Johnson and Jonathan Sanchez. Both will compete in the triple jump and high jump. Neither has competed in track and field since regional competitions a season ago.
“I have no idea what I’m going to get out of them this year,” Kauffman said. “I’m rolling the dice. Hopefully they’re a fraction of what they were last year. They could explode, or not do anything. They’ve had three weeks of practice. They’ve done it before, so they should be fine.”
One of the athletes Kauffman is sure of is Michael Boltie, who will compete in the long jump and pole vault today. Boltie claims the second-best long jump among Valley-boys with a distance of 22 feet, 1 1/2 inches. Boltie also holds the best mark in the pole vault at 14-7.25, just 1 1/4 inches better than Mission High’s Jose Garcia. Despite registering among the Valley elite, Kauffman thinks Boltie can do more.
“He just hasn’t been able to hit his mark,” he said. “He needs to hit everything at the right time. I think we’ll probably be at our best this week, though.”
RUN SMART
The La Joya Palmview Lobos could sit atop the team standings after today’s field events and two-mile run, but coach Claudia Bazan says the Lobos’ goals have become more specialized at this point in the season.
“We’re looking to get our kids to perform at their best,” Bazan said. “Some kids who do things well individually should get good times and place well.”
Palmview will see both Brianna Robles and Eliseo Rodriguez compete in the girls and boys 3200-meter run, respectively. Rodriguez’s season-best time is third among Valley boys with 9:36.75, while Robles is fifth among girls with a time of 11:44.52.
“(Today) is supposed to be a very windy day,” Bazan said. “We’re looking to run smart. The whole key to (today) is running smart, conserving energy and getting good times. (Brianna) needs to pace and use the wind to her advantage and strategize where she needs to push.”
Notable members of the Lobos to compete in field events are junior Brenda Martinez, who is among the Valley’s best in the triple jump, and Ricky Espnioza, who will compete in the shot put.