THS track coach optimistic about squads

Tucumcari High School's track coach expressed optimism about his boys team and especially the girls squad as their seasons begin Saturday.

The Rattler Relays at Tucumcari's Rattler Stadium kicks off with field events at 9 a.m. Saturday, then with the running events at 11 a.m. Logan, a traditional Class 1A power with their boys and girls teams, will be among the participants at the meet.

Tucumcari coach Wayne Ferguson said he has only 15 girls going out for track, but he's impressed with that group.

"I have some pretty high hopes for the girls," he said last week. "We have some girls who haven't run before who are coming out, and we basically have everybody coming back from last year."

Returning stars are senior Delilah Acosta, who qualified for state in the discus and shot put last season; senior Elena Gutierrez, who qualified in two hurdles races; freshman Caylee Benavidez, who qualified in the 800-meter run; and sophomore Kylie Ann Rincones, who qualified in two relay races.

Ferguson said basketball players Haisley Huffman, Alexus Lafferty, July Lafferty and Estella Cordova, plus a few talented eighth-graders, also are going out for track this spring.

"Hopefully, we'll have a good core group where they can run some relays together," he said.

Ferguson said about 25 boys are participating in track this spring.

Returning are senior Khobie Salvador, a senior who finished runner-up in the shot put in Class 3A and sixth in the discus last season; senior Andrew Henderson-Clark, who finished fifth in the javelin; and senior Manny Hernandez, who qualified for last fall's state cross-country championships.

Outside of that core group, Ferguson said he was less certain how rest of the team would stack up until after the first meet. He said he has a good group of eighth-grade sprinters, but it's iffy how well they'll compete at the high-school level.

"With the boys, I don't really know," he said. "It's going to be wait-and-see until we have our first meet."