Bobcat boys place sixth at home meet
As dominant as the Bayfield boys have emerged to be so far this spring, there’s one thing the Wolverines lack in their desire to contend at next month’s Class 3A State Track & Field Championships – a distance runner.
And though a Wolverine during the fall cross-country season, Elco Garcia Jr., is a proud Ignacio Bobcat during the second half of the year. He was even prouder to show his talents Saturday, April 7, at the Abel Velasquez Invitational – IHS’ home meet in 2018 – as his legs carried him across the finish line 10.61 seconds quicker (11:15.85 to 11:26.46) than Mancos’ Caleb Yoder in the 3,200-meter run, giving the ’Cats ten of their sixth-place 30 team points.
MHS, however, held off Durango’s JV in the race for first place, 115 to 106, and Montezuma-Cortez came in third out of nine competing crews with 84 points.
As expected, Natoni Cundiff scored well in the throwing events, totaling eight points by finishing third in the shot put (41’06”) and fifth in the discus (115’07”), and Jonas Nanaeto scored eight via fourth-place jaunts in the 400 meters (55.37) and the 800 (2:12.18).
Garcia placed fifth – good for two team points – in the 1,600 in 5:06.51, and Mitchell Neil scored one in the shot (39’4”) by earning sixth, and was a near-miss eighth in the discus (88’1.75”). Nanaeto logged another top-ten effort by taking ninth in the high jump (5’0”).
Up next, Ignacio will make the short trip to Bayfield on Saturday, April 14, for the Pine River Invitational beginning at 9 a.m., then hit Durango’s Ron Keller Invite on Tuesday, April 17 (10 a.m. start).
2018 ABEL VELASQUEZ INVITATIONAL BOYS’ TEAM STANDINGS
- Mancos 115
- Durango JV 106
- Montezuma-Cortez 84
- Pagosa Springs 71
- Bayfield JV 65
- IGNACIO 30
- Dove Creek/Del Norte 29
- Dolores 11