Nora, Fuentes lead Cats in Gene Wells Relays meet

HOBBS – Senior R.J. Nora and sophomore Sammy Fuentes led the way for Clovis High’s boys in Friday’s Gene Wells Relays track meet.

Nora took first place in the 110 hurdles (14.76 seconds) and triple jump (45 feet, ½ inch), and anchored the 1,600 relay team also including Kaleb Foggie, Josh Mondragon and Kash Roberts to victory with a Class 5A state-qualifying time of 3 minutes, 29.88 seconds.

Nora, who currently has the top 5A mark this season in triple jump, added a third-place finish in the 100 in 11.33 seconds.

Fuentes ran all three distance races for the first time in the same meet, winning the 1,600 in 4:41.50 while placing second in the 3,200 (10:21.83) and third in the 800 (2:02.01).

No team scores were available at press time.

“Where we stacked it up, we did well,” CHS boys coach Mark Sena said. “We were trying to get that (1,600 relay) team qualified. We had a couple of near-misses (in other relays).”

The same four runners just missed qualifying in the 400 relay, with Nora leading off that one and Foggie running anchor. They ran 43.6, coming up two-10ths of a second short of a qualifying time.

Meantime, senior Jeremiah Johnson led a strong Cats finish in shot put at 46-11, with Brayden Golden second (45-1) and Gregorio Cordova tying for fourth with Hobbs’ Sage Baeza (42-3).

On the girls’ side, Clovis qualified its 400 and 800 relay teams, finishing second in both with respective times of 49.50 and 4:22.07. Portales, with Kadynce Reeves, Abby Ontiveros, Alondra Acosta and Savanna Heflin, won the 800 relay in 1:51.47, and also took the 1,600 relay in 4:19.16 with Reeves, Ontiveros, Audrey Paden and Acosta.

Defending 5A pole vault champion Madison Parkin gave the Lady Wildcats a win in that event at 10-6. Coach Darrel Ray said Parkin, who currently leads 5A in the event, has made a verbal commitment for next year to NCAA Division II Texas-Tyler.

Clovis was top-three in all five relays on Friday.

“It was good progress for us,” Ray said. “We had lots of kids with PRs (personal records) tonight.”

Portales High coach Quintin Wilson said his squads were not at full strength for the meet, but did well overall anyway.

“Our kids competed, and we had some personal bests,” he said.

Senior Michael Riess, who has already qualified for Class 4A boys state competition in the 800 and 1,600, ran the 400 for the first time and won the event by more than three seconds with a time of 52.10.

“He went out and ran it like it should be run,” Wilson said. “He didn’t have anybody running with him. He got out there and left the field behind.”

He said the boys are making improvements.

“It’s a work in progress,” Wilson said. “We’re not as fast as we’d like to be, but we’re getting better.”

Senior Emma Hurren had a solid outing for the Lady Rams, winning the 800 in 2:28.19 and finishing third in the 1,600 in 6:05.79.

Next up for Clovis and Portales is the George Love Relays on Thursday at Portales.