For many of the track and field veterans, the early season competitions provide a good opportunity to see where their road back to personal records and state appearances will begin. For the newcomers, the first couple of meets involve a mix of finding their best events, while also seeing where they stack up against the rest of the region.
At the Pine River Invitational in Bayfield, the Four Corners high schools all converged to establish a preliminary pecking order for the big meets ahead.
Montezuma-Cortez posted the highest team finishes in both boys and girls action among the area schools, as the Panthers took third as a team for the boys, while the girls captured fifth in the meet.
Dove Creek’s boys bested the San Juan Basin League competition, taking home sixth overall, while the Mancos girls edged out their league opposition, finishing sixth in their field.
As has become a familiar tune over the past couple of seasons, M-CHS senior Zander Cruzan dominated the sprints, leading M-CHS with victories in the 100 meters (11.12 seconds), 200 (23.10), high jump (5 feet, 8 inches), and part of the winning 4x100-meter relay squad (44.67).
Cruzan’s exploits were joined by several top-five performances for head coach Bob Archibeque’s group, as junior Raul Soto took fourth in the 300 hurdles (47.30), while Ryan Pipkin and Houston Hurst tied for fourth in the pole vault, both clearing 9 feet.
The Panthers added third-place relays in the 4x400 (3:56.26) and 4x800 (10:00.39), while Dalton Muzzy added a sixth-place throw in the shot put (30 feet, 8¼ inches), Ben Hoffman placed sixth in the 1,600 (5:32.13), and Austin Wood took sixth in the long jump (18 feet, 7 inches).
For the Panthers girls, freshman Marlee Mack stepped into the spotlight, winning the 100-meter hurdles (17.43) to take home the top individual placement for M-CHS. She added a fourth-place dash in the 100 (14.05), and took home third in the long jump (14 feet, 8½ inches).
The youth movement for the Panthers included more top finishes, as Tatom Endres took second in the pole vault (6 feet), and Madeline Pipkin added a fourth-place finish in the same event (5 feet, 6 inches). Endres added a fourth-place run in the 400 meters (1:13.68), while the Panthers 4x100-meter (57.82) and 4 x 200-meter (2:04.64) relays would both claim fourth.
Olivia Yarbrough took fifth in the high jump (4 feet, 6 inches), while Danielle Billie finished as the top Panthers thrower, claiming seventh in the discus (68 feet, 9 inches) and ninth in the shot put (23 feet, 5¼ inches).
For the Mancos girls, balance across the various events have helped the Bluejays to recent success in the SJBL, and the 2023 edition appears to have some of the same dynamics.
The Bluejays scored top finishes in the distance events, where Brooke Jabour, Adaline Kearns, and Teagan Archer placed second through fourth in the 800 meters, which complemented Archer’s fourth-place run in the 1,600 (6:15.78) and Jabour’s sixth-place sprint in the 100 (14.50) and a leap of 14 feet to claim sixth in the long jump.
Mancos added a sixth-place race in the 300 hurdles from Claire Goodwin (56.01), and a runner-up race in the 4 x 100 (56.58) to round out the top six placements.
On the boys side, the Bluejays earned a fourth-place 100-meter dash from Jonah Ritter (12.08) to go along with a third-place run from the 4x200-meter relay (1:42.13). Mancos finished eighth in the team scoring in the meet.
Dove Creek’s boys look to make a serious run at the league title, and their early season meets have showcased the deepest Bulldog squad in a long time. A pair of double-victors – Kade Hankins in the 110 hurdles (17.23) and 300 hurdles (44.70), and Quaden Huffaker in the long jump (19 feet, 1½ inches) and triple jump (38 feet, 11½ inches) – look to play a large role in the Dove Creek season ahead.
The Bulldogs add depth in the sprints with Bobby Pastorius (sixth – 110 hurdles and seventh – 300 hurdles) and Bowdy Seely (eighth – 800 meters), while Asher Nye took seventh in the shot put (30 feet, 7 inches).
For the Dove Creek girls, senior Trista Barnett looks to return to the state championships, taking first in the 300 hurdles (54.12) and third in the 100 hurdles (18.72). Freshman Ambrynn Huffaker claimed ninth in the 100 (15.08) as the Dove Creek girls took ninth as a team in the invite.
Both the Dolores boys and girls programs showed early promise, bringing their largest squad in years into the season. The Bears picked up a fourth-place mark in the 110 hurdles from junior Ty Gaddis (20.10) to claim the highest finish for the boys team.
Sophomore Tray Traweek added a seventh-place run in the 400 (1:02.09) while the 4x200-meter relay squad duplicated the feat with a time of 2:04.76.
For the girls team, the Bears claimed top spot in the 4x800 relay (12:29.53), while adding a third-place race in the 4x400 relay (5:07.31). Siena Parr took fourth in the 3,200 meters (15:27.24), while Elia Lowe and Maya Lowe took sixth in the 1,600 (6:38.39) and 400 (1:14.66), respectively. Samantha Abate added a seventh-place finish in the 300 hurdles (1:01.33) to round out the top eight finishers for the Bears.
The Dolores girls placed seventh in the team competition, while the boys team finished ninth. Durango took home both the boys and girls team titles in runaway fashion.
Many of the same competitors will take to the track again this upcoming weekend, as Mancos hosts their annual invitational on Friday evening, before taking on the Abel Velasquez Invitational in Ignacio on the following day.
