Taking a smaller squad than normal to the final track-and-field meet of the regular season on Saturday, May 9, Ignacio’s boys’ and girls’ teams each placed 11th at the Intermountain League/Southern Peaks League Challenge in Monte Vista.
Led by senior Davey Cooper’s winning 10’6” in the pole vault, the boys managed 26 team points, while junior Chrystianne Valdez’s second-place 8’0” in the same discipline headed a 24-point performance.
Valdez lost in a jump-off to 3A Bayfield’s Morgan Allred, while Cooper prevailed over 2A Del Norte’s McKenzie Mondragon. Bobcat Tyler Riepel cleared 9’0” quicker than teammate Blaine Mickey in the battle for third, making for a high-scoring showing at the pit.
Senior Sky Cotton took third place (13.63) and teammate Azala Perez was fifth (13.86) in the girls’ 100-meter dash, with both not far behind the winning 13.29 by DNHS’ Josie Sanchez. Cotton and Perez also helped – with Isis Gonzales and Jaylynn Herrera – the 4×100 relay take seventh in 54.28 seconds.
Senior Mike Perez was 16th in the boys’ 100 (12.52), but teamed with Bryan Gram, Blaine Mickey and Lorenzo Pena to register a sixth-place 48.11 in the 4×1. Gram also flew 18 feet, seven inches to place seventh in the long jump, and Mickey heaved a ninth-place 36’10” in the shot put.
Gonzales took fifth in the girls’ 400 in 1:07.69, and Herrera was 13th in the long jump (13’9”). Natoni Cundiff also brought back a 13th with a 104’4” best in the boys’ discus.
BHS won the boys’ team championship with 105 points, while Alamosa captured the girls’ with 100.
Only the Class 2A State Championships remain for the Cats, completing the 94th boys’/48th girls’ season of CHSAA-sanctioned interscholastic T&F competition, and taking place inside Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. Action commenced Thursday, May 14, and concludes Saturday, May 16.
As of Monday morning, final heat sheets and qualifiers had not yet been published.
GIRLS’ TEAM STANDINGS
1.Alamosa 100, 2.Pagosa Springs 89, 3.Bayfield 77, 4.Crested Butte Community 71, 5.Fairplay South Park 60, T-6.La Jara Centauri/Mosca Sangre de Cristo 57, T-8.Sargent/Del Norte 41, 10.Center 35, 11.IGNACIO 24, 12.Monte Vista 22, 13.Cotopaxi 14, T-14.Moffat/Lake City Community 9, 16.Blanca Sierra Grande 8, 17.Sanford 4, 18.Cripple Creek-Victor 3, 19.San Luis Centennial 2.
BOYS’ TEAM STANDINGS
1.Bayfield 105, 2.Alamosa 90, 3.La Jara Centauri 61, 4.Monte Vista 60.5, 5.Sanford 54, 6.Del Norte 53, T-7.Crested Butte Community/Mosca Sangre de Cristo 40, 9.Pagosa Springs 36, 10.Center 29, 11.IGNACIO 26, 12.Antonito 21.5, 13.Lake City Community 21, 14.Fairplay South Park 17, 15.Blanca Sierra Grande 16, 16.Sargent 13, 17.Cotopaxi 6.5, T-18.Moffat/San Luis Centennial 5, 20.La Veta 2.5.