Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari's Khobie Salvador prepares to throw the shot put during Saturday's Rattler Relays at Rattler Stadium. Salvador won the event and the discus throw.
The Logan boys and girls track and field squads showed they'll be a regional power again by besting 17 other teams and winning the season-opening Rattler Relays at Rattler Stadium on Saturday.
Host team Tucumcari finished a strong fourth in both the boys and girls divisions. Tucumcari was buoyed by a double-champion Khobie Salvador in the weighted field events for the boys, along with champion Delilah Acosta in the girls discus.
The Longhorns totaled 87 points, edging runner-up Pecos with its 76 points. Sprinter Haden Judd's presence loomed large for Logan, with him winning three individual events and participating in a champion relay team.
Santa Rosa was third with 62 points, and Tucumcari was right behind with 56.
Tucumcari coach Wayne Ferguson said his boys team probably would have done even better had javelin thrower Andrew Henderson-Clark had competed in that and a few running events, but the senior was competing at a basketball all-star game that day.
"For the first event, I was pleased," Ferguson said.
The Lady Longhorns dominated with 87 points, beating runner-up Farwell (Texas) by 34. Logan's Kaylee Williams won two sprint events and played a role in a champion relay race.
Santa Rosa edged Tucumcari 49-48 for third place.
"I was really pleased with the girls," Ferguson said of the Lady Rattlers. "It's just that I know the boys and girls aren't in really good shape right now. It's going to take a while to get to that."
Champions for Tucumcari were:
• Salvador in the boys shot put (43 feet, 7 1/2 inches) and discus (108 feet);
• Santiago Montano in the boys 300-meter hurdles (48.91 seconds);
• Acosta in the girls discus (87 feet).
Salvador's distance in the shot put met provisional standards in qualifying for the state meet.
Rattler Relay champions for Logan were:
• Judd in the boys 100-meter dash (0:11.75), 200-meter dash (0:24.01) and long jump (20 feet, 1 1/4 inches);
• Payson Nials, Christian Kotara, Diego Sanchez and Haden Garnett in the boys 800-meter relay (1:40.30);
• Judd, Kotara, Sanchez and Nials in the boys 1,600-meter relay (3:46.94);
• Williams in the girls 100-meter dash (0:13.67) and 200-meter dash (0:28.49);
• Sierra Horne, Natalie Bongers, Williams and Desta Rose in the girls 400-meter relay (0:54.33);
• Horne, Haylie Bidegain, Rose and Peyton Merrill in the girls 1,600-meter relay (4:44.18);
• Bidegain, Rose, Sadie Bruhn and Reece Goldston in the girls 3,200-meter relay (11:30.77).
Williams qualified for provisional state standards in three individual events, and Horne also qualified in the long jump. Three Lady Longhorn relay teams ran in provisional state-qualifying times.
Logan's teams piled up more points with second- and third-place finishes in many events.
Other teams at the meet were Springer, Robertson, West Las Vegas, East Mountain, Cimarron, Penasco, Clovis Christian, Grady, Mosquero, Floyd, Clayton, Native American Community Academy and San Jon.
