Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Clovis High senior Marvin Cox clears the high jump bar at an even 6 feet during Friday's Wildcat Relays track meet at Leon Williams Stadium, qualifying him for next month's Class 5A state competition in Albuquerque.
Essentially, there were two track meets going on in Friday's Wildcat Relays at Leon Williams Stadium – one for Rio Rancho, Artesia and Hobbs and another for everybody else.
Clovis High's squads won the "other" meet – finishing fourth in both divisions. Rio Rancho took the boys title with 97 points to 95 for Artesia, 80 for Hobbs and 50 ½ for the Wildcats, and completed a sweep with 102 ½ on the girls side to 85 for Hobbs, 83 for Artesia and 60 for the Lady Wildcats.
"I'm super-happy with our growth and improvement, especially from our younger kids," CHS boys coach Mark Sena said. "We just have to keep moving forward."
Portales was eighth with 23 points and Texico 10th with eight on the boys side. For the girls, the Lady Rams were sixth with 38 while Texico finished with two points.
Sena noted the boys ran a season-best time in the 3,200 relay (9 minutes, 42.22 seconds), good for fifth place. Clovis was second in the 800 relay (1:31.63), third in the 400 relay (43.69), fifth in the 1,600 relay (3:40.88) and sixth in the medley relay (4:01.17).
"Our other relays have been pretty solid," Sena said. "I think we've improved in some of those areas."
Seniors Jeremiah Johnson and Aiden Brown went 2-3 for the Cats in shot put at 49-3 and 46-4, respectively. Junior Sammy Fuentes ran third in the 3,200 (9:55.31) and fourth in the 800 (2:05.92).
Rio Rancho won seven events, including four of the five relays, while Hobbs and Artesia each won three events.
Junior Gabrielle Foggie posted the lone win for the Lady Cats, taking the 400 in 59.38 seconds.
"It was a good sign for her," Lady Cats coach Avery Rasher said of Foggie, who didn't run her best event, the 400. "It means she's getting stronger and more consistent.
"The girls did a good job of getting out there and competing."
Skye Karoki was second in the 300 hurdles in 50.83 while Aja Gonzales tied for second in high jump at 4-8.
Rasher moved a couple of eighth-graders up from the junior varsity in Roselia Morales in the 1,600 and Christina Waltrip in the 400. Morales earned a sixth-place finish in her event in 5:59.24.
"It was the first varsity meet for both of them, and they stepped up to the occasion," Rasher said.
Junior Manny Chavez, the defending Class 4A state champion in javelin, won the event despite a season-worst throw of 153 feet. Clovis senior Kohen Matus (149-0) and Texico junior Alex Fuentes (142-5) followed, while the Rams' Gideon Smith was fourth (133-9).
Junior Tommy Lopez posted a second-place finish for the Rams in pole vault (12-9).
The Lady Rams won the 1,600 relay in 4:14.49, beating out Clovis (4:16.91). Senior Olivia Low also took second place in discus (112-11).
"They ran well," PHS coach Quintin Wilson said of the relay quartet of seniors Audrey Paden, Abby Ontiveros and Alondra Acosta and junior Kadynce Reeves. "I'm so proud of those girls."
Clovis returns to action on Friday at the Bob Sepulveda Invite at Alamogordo, while PHS squads will participate the next day in the Artesia Invitational. Next up for Texico is the EPAC meet on Saturday, hosted by Logan.
