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Edgardo Meza of Texico sprints the curve in the finals of 2A boys 200 meters at the Class 1A-2A State Track Meet in Albuquerque Saturday. At left is Jake Meairs of Santa Rosa, while at Meza's right in Leondre Sam of Ramah. Meza finished fourth.
FNM Correspondent Photo: Scot Stinnett
Melrose junior Call Barnard lets one fly during the 1A javelin on the second day of the Class 1A-2A State Track Meet. Barnard finished sixth with a personal best of 113-11.
FNM Correspondent Photo: Scot Stinnett
Foxes come in third
ALBUQUERQUE — You might go a long, long time before ever seeing as close a race as the boys 110 hurdles at the Class 1A state track meet on Saturday. Though Jacob West of Fort Sumner was closer than anyone to the action, neither he nor anyone else was of the winner when the race was over.
Leading with his right leg, Carrizozo junior Jeremy Zamora went to the lead first. One hurdle from the end, Mountainair senior Vincent Zamora caught his fellow Zamora. Then West, the tall Fort Sumner senior, came astride of both Zamoras as all three crossed the line at the same time.
Many minutes later, after careful examination of photos of the finish by race officials, West was told he was the winner. With a winning time of 16.4460, West’s time was only thousandths better than Vincent Zamora (16.4482) and Jeremy Zamora (16.4494).
“I was just to get it done; just trying to catch those guys,” West said. “It was like a dream or something to have a photo-finish. I first thought it was just them two and then they said that I was in there too.”
While the Foxes were hampered by the loss of standout Berry Stinnett in his usual running events due to a recent injury, West’s win helped Fort Sumner finish third overall in the 1A standings. Hagerman, which swept all four relays on Saturday, was first with 87 points while second-place Carrizozo tallied 67.
Following the Foxes were Mountainair with 34 points, Clovis Christian with 29 and Melrose with 25.
In Class 2A, Tucumcari rolled to the team title with 66 points to beat out rival Clayton’s 58. Cloudcroft (44 1/2), Santa Rosa (44) and Texico (39) rounded out the top five.
Texico had event wins by junior Mario Posada in the 400, its 1,600 relay and senior Ryan Morgan in the 300 hurdles. Both Posada and Morgan, along with Edgardo Meza and Humberto Burciaga, were on the Wolverines’ victorious relay squad, while Posada also was second in the javelin competition.
Posada’s preliminary run on Friday was only second-best in the 400 behind Santa Rosa’s Jake Meairs. In the finals, however, Posada came from behind to overtake the Lions’ senior down the home stretch.
“I got the lead at the (final) turn and the straightaway,” Posada said. “I was right next to him yesterday, but I didn’t finish fast — but I knew I had it in me.”
Morgan said his win in the 300 hurdles, in which Burciaga also finished fourth, was the culmination of a new determined regimen after he finished third at the same event at last year’s state meet.
“Work hard and get my legs stronger, so I could kick it in at the end,” said Morgan of his approach to this year’s track season. “I’m glad I won something finally.”
Morgan also finished third in the 110-meter hurdles while teammate Meza was fourth in the 200-dash.
In Class 1A individual events, Elida’s Wesley Gilmore was fourth in the 100 dash, won by Carrizozo’s Marc LeBlanc.
Junior Ross Miller of Clovis Christian got closer to LeBlanc and winner Bryan Norris of Hagerman in the 200, but was third overall. Miller also took fourth for the Eagles in long jump.
Stinnett, despite his leg injury, was able to compete in javelin for Fort Sumner and ended up fourth in that event.
One area competitor who might be a favorite next year, based on Saturday’s events, is Melrose junior Zach Pack. In 1A pole vault, Magdalena senior K.C. Armstrong finished first with a height of 14 fee, but Pack cleared 12-6 to take second ahead of Cimarron senior Eddy Nelson and Melrose teammate Clint Barnard — a sophomore with the Buffaloes.
“I got on a new pole this week,” Pack said. “Usually, I only go about 11 (feet).
“It works. With the new pole, I got a lot higher, so I did kind of think I was going to do a lot better.”
