Clovis boys take third in 6A track

ALBUQUERQUE — The math isn't difficult.

Fifteen teams competed in this weekend's Class 6A state track and field meet at the University of New Mexico. Only three were coming away from the UNM Track-Soccer Complex with trophies.

Clovis boys coach Mark Sena told his team just that after Saturday's conclusion of the two-day state meet. Sena was trying to buck up his Wildcats, who looked sullen after their third-place finish. They had hoped to finish higher, maybe win the whole deal.

"15 teams are here, guys," Sena told his athletes. "I guarantee you, 12 of them would trade places with you."

During the past month, the 'Cats have torn off victories in their own Wildcat Relays, in the regular-season-ending Ross Black Relays, and just last week at the District 2-6A championships, repeating as district titleists. Unfortunately for them, Saturday's state meet was "The Cleveland Show."

As in, Cleveland Storm and Jericho Cleveland.

Cleveland High School blew the doors off boys 6A competition, taking first with 89 points, 31 ahead of second-place Volcano Vista. And on the subject of that Volcano Vista team, its senior star Jericho Cleveland tore up the meet, helping his Hawks finish second, seven points ahead of Clovis' 51.

So, a green third-place trophy it was for Clovis. But hardware is hardware, and Saturday marked the first time a Clovis boys team has left a state meet with a trophy since taking second in 2004.

"I'm very proud of these kids," Sena said, clutching that green trophy. "They've worked hard all year long. They earned a trophy out here today. We didn't have it given to us; we had to earn it, we had to fight for it. And these kids displayed a lot of heart and character, and I'm more proud of that than anything else they could've done."

Clovis had five second-place finishes, with junior Montez Wright factoring into four of them. Wright took second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.99, but Manzano's Jordan Byrd won it with a time of 10.5 to tie the state record established by Highland's Bobby Newcombe in 1997. Byrd was 8nititally credited with 10.4, but the time was revised following the meet.

In the 200-meter dash, it was actually Clovis' Austin Fuentes holding a slight lead around the turn, before Byrd kicked it up a notch and went on for a first-place time of 22.21. Also passing Fuentes was his teammate Wright, who wound up second with a 22.43 time, but Fuentes was still a solid third at 22.55.

Wright and Fuentes were both part of second-place 400 and 800 relay teams. Clovis' 4 x 200 team of Malik Phillips, Wright, Seth Lopez and Fuentes lost to first-place Manzano by an agonizing one-hundredth of a second. The Monarchs team of Andrew Erickson, Austin Erickson, Isaac Cole and Byrd notched a 1:27.11 time, nipping Clovis' 1:27.12.

In the 400 relay, Brandon Mason, Fuentes, Lopez and Wright posted a 41.77, behind only the 41.47 time recorded by the same Manzano quartet that won the 800 relay.

With his second-place finishes in the 100 and 200 dashes, and his role in the second-place 400 and 800 relay teams, Wright helped the Wildcats notch a total of 26 points.

"I tried to do everything to help my team," he said.

And good news for Clovis - Wright is only a junior. He has a shot at winning some first-place medals next year.

"If I do everything right," he said. "It'll take a lot of things."

Clovis' Josiah Thomas placed second in the shot put with his toss of 54-4. Thomas trailed only Hobbs' Michael Honigmann and his championship-winning heave of 57-1.

Fuentes grabbed fourth place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.36.

Learning experience

Clovis' girls team was young and didn't have qualifiers at every event Saturday.

There's room to grow, and the Lady Wildcats who will return next year know what it will take.

"I really felt like they competed," Durham said. "And being as young as we are, hopefully they learned a lot of things. And certainly they understand that in track competition that you have to be at this state track meet, and I think that's the big thing that those young ladies were able to learn, is just exactly where they need to get so they can be successful. I think there's a good, solid base there, and if they can add some other athletes to that base, I think that certainly in the future they might be trying to get a trophy."

Clovis' Kianna Chappell headed into the weekend with the state's leading girls shot put throw of 37-8. She took third on Saturday with a 35-4 toss, good for four points.

Rio Rancho's Kamirah Decker set this year's new state standard with her first-place fling of 37-9. Onate's Pilar Daugherty was second with a 37-1 heave.

La Cueva won the girls meet with 62 points, followed by Cleveland (60) and Sandia (52).