LUBBOCK — When you are down to your last hand, the best thing you can do is bet on yourself.
Heading into boys mile relay, the final event at the District 3-5A/4-5A Area Track Meet on Friday at PlainsCapital Park at Lowrey Field, the Amarillo Sandies track team held a slim two point lead over Lubbock-Cooper. The Sandies trotted out Webb Throckmorton, Nolan Barney, Ahron Velasquez and Jude Dunavin.
Over the course of the race, Amarillo High began to gain a cushion, before handing off the anchor leg to Dunavin. Despite Caprock’s anchor leg in Jackson Hart closing in, Dunavin clinched the victory for the gold and black.
As 3:17.92 flashed on the scoreboard of Lowrey Field at PlainsCapital Park, Dunavin and the Sandies celebrated with hugs and cheers. The AHS boys turned in an even 100 points, 20 points over the runners-up in the aforementioned Pirates.
The rest of this story is only for subscribers.
“We knew from the very get-go that we just had to put our all into this,” Dunavin said, following the relay. “We had to shave off some time from our last meets, and we just had to improve. We knew that we had to win this race to win the meet, so it was just high stakes, high adrenaline and just crossing the line was the best feeling ever.”
“We knew Lubbock-Cooper had a strong fourth leg (in Blake Moore),” added Dunavin. “I knew that I needed some room, once I saw (Velasquez) create some more space, I just had to hold it down.”
Along with the mile relay, Amarillo High claimed the top spot in the 800-meter relay (made up of Dunavin, Creed Cavalier, Brandon Jiwa and Landon Barker) and the discus (Gareme Osteen, followed by Hunter Spier). The Sandies also witnessed strong finishes from the sprint relay (Dunavin, Barker, Jiwa and Cavalier), Barker (third, 100-meter dash), Cavalier (third, 200-meter dash), Spier (fourth, shot put) and their pole vaulters in Jenz Sewell (third) and Alec Galindo (fourth).
The girls’ side of the meet lacked any suspense, as Amarillo High earned the top billing by a 38-point margin.
Junior Kinley Davis got the Lady Sandies going by winning the 800-meter run (a personal best of 2:16.57) and finishing second behind senior Sofia Quiles (57.59 seconds) in the 400-meter dash (with a personal record of 59.01 seconds). In the mile relay, Davis opened up the throttle as the third leg, allowing teammate Willow Cornell to cruise to the finish line.
“It was really great,” Davis said. “It’s all in the Lord’s hands and just pushing myself, even when I don’t want to. In my first lap (of the 800-meter run), I was really thinking, did I start this maybe a little too fast? But then, I was like, ‘nah, just keep going.”
You just have to prepare yourself correctly and make sure beforehand that you feel ready,” Davis continued. “Believing in yourself is also a big one. That mindset is really big, especially in the 800 isn’t truly endurance. It’s just a good sprint.”
Quiles also won the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.17 seconds.
Along with helping her team wrap the mile relay title with a time of 3:54.77, Cornell had an impressive day at the office. Cornell turned in a PR of 14.43 in the 100-meter hurdles, followed with a 43.94 in the 300-meter hurdles.
As she crossed the finish line, Cornell’s visage revealed a wide smile. Just like Davis, all of her preparation paid dividends.
“Being able to win with everyone around me feels really good,” Cornell said. “It really comes down to practice and hard work. When you start the race, your mind kind of goes blank. So, you have to have that base built in practice. It takes a strong mindset to be able to keep working. I also have a great team, and we push each other at every meet.”
On the guys’ side of the hurdle events, front and center was Palo Duro junior Kyron Brown. Brown punched the accelerator, achieving a PR of 14.15 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles before earning top status in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 40.08 seconds.
“I wanted to get out as fast as possible, and as strong as possible,” Brown said. “When I hit the backside, where the wind is, I kind of slipped up a little bit. But I was able to keep my speed.”
Despite a little bit of a shaky start in the 110-meter hurdles, Brown credited the two-week break and his technique for his splendid day.
“That recovery was nothing,” said Brown. “It was just going through what to do in those situations. It helped me a lot in getting back on my balance and continuing to push through. That’s thanks to weightlifting. I felt like strength was key there.”
“You can have all of the speed in the world, but if your technique isn’t low and your back isn’t straight over the hurdles, it’s very hard to get back on balance and get those steps down,” Brown added. “It’s also a muscle memory type of thing. A lot of fast people think they can go out there and do it, but that’s not the case.”
Helping the Dons to a fourth place finish in the boys’ team standings was senior Abdihafit Mohamed, who won the 3200-meter run (9:50.53).
The stars of the show weren’t limited to those representing the Texas Panhandle. Lubbock saw one of its own in Monterey senior Mysia Lewis walk away with two first place finishes.
Lewis won the triple jump with a distance of 38 feet, 6.75 inches and took the top spot in the high jump with a clearance of five feet, three inches. She also took second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.04 seconds.
According to the Lady Plainsman, the success starts in between the ears.
“You just have to run through it, and try not to think too hard about it,” Lewis said. “It’s a mental thing. Then, when you’re on the track, you just have to go. If you think too hard, you’re going to get in your head.”
Plainview senior Ava Rushing picked up a pair of solid showings, winning the discus (with a distance of 137 feet, six inches) and the shot put (with a throw of 43 feet, 8.25 inches).
In boys’ action, Tascosa senior Aaron Phares overcame some early awkwardness in the shot put, winning the event with a toss of 59 feet, 1.75 inches. Phares knew that to be among the best in the state, he will have to bypass the 60 feet threshold.
“Even though the opening was awkward, I was in the right power position,” said Phares, of his most successful throw. “I had that little bit of momentum to work with, and I just kind of punched it out there. The finish felt the best, It came off of the fingers beautifully, and I felt the flick. It felt like I didn’t even put any effort into it.”
“I want to get to 60 consistently,” Phares added, on what it would take to continue his season. “One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that when it’s time to go, I add another five feet. Practice is almost horrible, but at the meet, the first two throws are the best. Then, I slowly fall off. I want to get to 60, then I can hit 65.”
Senior Chester Creery also contributed to the Rebels’ cause, winning the boys high jump with a clearance of six feet, seven inches. Tascosa sophomore Moises Sandoval took second in the pole vault with a height of 13 feet.
The Lubbock-Cooper track teams experienced success at the area meet, with the boys finishing second (80 points) and the girls taking third place (70 points).
Junior Josiah Davis won the 200-meter dash (21.36 seconds) for the guys, alongside teammate Blake Moore’s top performance in the 400-meter dash (48.66 seconds) and senior Shane Thompson’s first place spot in the pole vault (13 feet).
Davis placed second in the 100-meter dash (10.28) behind Abilene High’s Jaden Jackson (10.27 seconds), had second place finishes in the long jump (22 feet, 6.5 inches) and in the triple jump (47 feet, 5.25 inches).
Freshman Jordan Bush on the jets for the Lady Pirates in the 100-meter dash, recording a personal best of 11.83 seconds. Behind her was senior Abbey Watts, who took second with a time of 12.14 seconds. Lubbock-Cooper also won the 4×100-meter relay with a time of 47.29 seconds.
Lubbock High freshman Amelia Anderson took home gold in the girls 1,600-meter run (5:34.80) and in the 3,200-meter run (11:39.60). Lubbock Coronado’s top finishers were senior Keelon Campbell (first, boys long jump, 23 feet and a quarter of an inch), sophomore Ellis Jackson (first, boys 1,600-meter run, 4:30.39) and junior Kamryn Hill (first, girls long jump, 17 feet, 11 inches).
Caprock junior Triston West claimed top billing in the boys wheelchair 100-meter dash (17.04) and in the shot put (18 feet, five inches). Lubbock High senior Isaac Montoya won the boys wheelchair 400-meter dash (1:10.78).
The Region I-5A Track and Field Meet is set for May 1-2 back at PlainsCapital-Lowrey Field in Lubbock.
The top four athletes in each event qualify for the regional meet. For a look at the complete results from the area meet, please visit https://milesplit.live/meets/741443/team-scores