By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
While Del Rio’s boys track and field team didn’t take home a district title this year, they can add an Area championship to the trophy case.
The Rams earned 105 points at the 30-6A and 29-6A Area Track and Field Meet April 21 at the SAC in Laredo to win the team championship ahead of runners-up San Antonio Brennan and third place Laredo Alexander.
The Queens finished tied for eighth along with San Antonio Stevens. San Antonio Harlan won the girls’ team title with Brennan second and O’Connor third.
The Rams earned points in 10 events and will be sending several athletes onto the Class 6A Region IV meet April 28-29 at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio.
The top four athletes in each event advanced to the regional meet, and Del Rio will have competitors in 12 different events on the Rams and Queens side.
RAMS
Sophomore Zane Hughes continued his record-breaking ways with his performance at the Area meet.
Hughes, who helped set the school record in the 4×200 last year, set his own record in the 200 meters with a time of 21.350 seconds. That time was good enough to take first in the event and eclipse the old Del Rio mark of 21.57 seconds set in 2000 by current San Felipe Del Rio CISD Athletic Director Frenchey McCrea Jr.
Hughes brought back three first place medals from the Area meet. Along with the 200 meters title, he was also part of the 4×100 relay team and the 4×200 relay team that each took first.
The 4×100 team featured Hughes, Jovahn West, Juan “Chili” Peralta and Elian De La Paz. They took first in 42.299.
The 4×200 team had Hughes, West, Peralta and Devonte Reyes. They won first in 1:27.661.
West had a pretty good Area meet as well. Aside from the relay titles, West won the long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 7 inches. He also qualified for regionals in the 100 meters by finishing third in 10.702 seconds.
De La Paz is also headed to the regional meet in an individual event after taking third in the 400 meters in 51.684 seconds.
Alan Dobbins captured the Area championship in the triple jump with a distance of 43 feet, 1 ¾ inches. He will also compete in the high jump after taking third with a height of 6 feet, 2 inches.
Manuel Padilla advanced to regionals in the discus with a third place finish behind a throw of 141 feet, 6 inches.
Reyes did not qualify for the regionals in the long jump, but his sixth place finish helped earn a point for the Rams. His distance was 20 feet, 2 inches.
QUEENS
Del Rio’s girls didn’t bring home any Area titles, but several of the athletes advanced to the regional meet.
Danielle Almanza took third in the shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 1 ½ inches.
Myla Tabora was third in the 100 meters in 12.41 seconds. She also qualified in the long jump by taking fourth with a leap of 16 feet, 9 ¼ inches.
Emily Torres heads to the regional meet after finishing fourth in the 3,200 meters in 11:49.205.
Ariana Erickson will also compete at regionals after she was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 46.992 seconds.
Earning points for the Queens were Kimberly Gloria, who was fifth in the 3,200 meters in 12:07.436 and sixth in the 800 meters in 2:27.793; the team of Tabora, Makayli Manriquez, Rebaca Camposano and Hayden Garcia, which was fifth in the 4×100 in 49.711; and Luz Guerra, who was sixth in the 400 meters in 1:03.486.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
