Young Rams squads hold their own at state

ALBUQUERQUE — Portales girls track coach Sandie Shillings acknowledged her team didn't have a lot of entries in this weekend's Class 3A state track meet at the University of New Mexico track facility, but at least they have something to build on.

CMI correspondent: Junfu Han

Portales' Shereya Cox keeps her pace during the 100 meter dash during the Class 3A state championship, Saturday afternoon at the UNM track complex. Cox finished seventh in the 100, but took fifth place in the 200 to help the girls finish with five team points for 15th place in Class 3A.

Freshmen Shereya Cox and Hannah Cabledue notched fifth-place finishes in Saturday's competition, giving the Lady Rams five team points for the weekend and 15th place.

The PHS boys, meantime, got a fifth-place finish from junior Matt Shelly in the 110 hurdles and ended the weekend with six points, good for 14th place.

Taos took the girls team championship with 69 points to 52 for Hope Christian, while the boys title went to Lovington with 33 points to 29 for runnerup St. Michael's.

Cox posted a time of 27.34 seconds in the 200, edging fellow freshman Michaiah Chock of Hope Christian by one-hundredth of a second.

Cox had the Lady Rams' only other event on Saturday, finishing seventh in 13.24 in the 100. She missed out on a sixth-place finish and a team point by .01 seconds to freshman Daysha Smith of Bloomfield.

Also on Saturday, Cabledue earned two points by going 8-6 in pole vault. Bailey Shillings, the coach's daughter and another freshman, managed to clear opening height in pole vault.

On Friday, senior Megan Sutton gave the Lady Rams their first team point by placing sixth in discus.

"Sheraya was barely off the (awards) podium in the 100," coach Shillings said. "We have some promise for the future with the freshmen today."

CMI correspndent: Junfu Han

Portales' Matthew Shelly, right, hurdles up during the 110 meter hurdle during the Class 3A state championship Saturday afternoon at the UNM track complex. Shelly finished with a time of 16.23 for fifth place.

The boys, who got a fourth-place finish on Friday from Jonathan Bargas in high jump and a sixth from Paul Conrow in high jump on Friday, added Shelly's two points in the hurdles. He posted a time of 16.23, or 16.224 to lose out for the fourth-place showing to senior Adam Paz of Socorro, who was clocked in 16.221.

"We came up with a very young group, and they competed well," Rams coach Glenn Johnson said. "It's a great opportunity for the kids to experience this. It's a pretty awesome deal."

Other team champions included the Rio Rancho Cleveland boys and the La Cueva girls in Class 5A, and the Aztec girls and Albuquerque Academy boys in Class 4A.