Penasco Hosts Santa Fe Area Schools in Track and Field

Senior Michael Tenorio returns for Santa Fe Indian School in Saturday’s Penasco Relays, Santa Fe High at APS Invitational, Capital High at Dons’ Invitational in West Las Vegas

Santa Fe Prep, Pecos at Estancia Invitational, Taos at Aztec Top Gun Relays, Desert Academy at Penasco

 

By Arnie Leshin | March 31, 2017

The St. Michael’s track and field team is taking this weekend off after competing last week in Bernalillo Friday and at West Las Vegas Saturday.

But Santa Fe Indian School will be at the Penasco Relays Saturday morning after running in WLV last week. Other schools in the field include Desert Academy, Santa Fe Waldorf, Espanola McCurdy, Coronado, Escalante, Mora, and host Penasco. The first event is scheduled for 8 o’clock.

The Braves’ Michael Tenorio, state 4A cross country champion, will be running this time after having to instead participate in the school’s “senior honors project” last week.

“He’s been working out,” said head coach Joe Calabaza, “He has a very positive attitude after doing so well in cross country, and is anxious to get on the track.”

The senior is scheduled to run the 1,600, the 3,200, and race the anchor 800 leg in the sprint medley relay. His mission this final year is to also land on the top step of the podium at the track and field championships in May. Las year, he finished third in the 1,600 and fourth in the 3,200. He did not enter the 800. He should have no problem qualifying for all three.

Plus, his place on the sprint medley relay quartet should result in the team’s best time in the event. In two previous meets, the Braves came within one and two seconds of qualifying for state. This time, it will be Tenorio following lead leg sophomore Terrell Toledo and junior Matt Morgan racing the 200, and sophomore Alex Lee taking the baton for the 400.

For the Brave girls, freshman Emery Ivy also comes off a positive cross country campaign and in winning last week’s 1,600 came within five seconds of qualifying for state. She timed 5:53.79.

But Calabaza is not sure if Penesco will have a timing system that provides state qualifying times.

“That’s what I heard,” he said, “but it’s not for sure.”

Another Indian School boy’s entry last week, senior Towaska Hunts Along, showed a vast improvement over last season in the javelin by finishing second with a heave of 123-0.

“When we have a complete team,” Calabaza said, “we’re good. But many of our kids, mostly seniors, have special projects that keeps them from competing. We have already run up more points in 20 years.”

Desert Academy senior Lia Kane is out to move up one position in the 1,600 after placing second last week in 5:56.78. Same with senior Max Logan, who dashed third in the 100 (11.78) and second in the 400 in 53.66. In the 800, senior Alex Kellam comes off a fourth place in 2:13.39.

Also on Saturday, Capital High takes part at the Dons’ Invitational in West Las Vegas, with a scheduled starting of 8:30 a.m.

Soaring hot right now for the Jaguars is junior Lucas McNatt. At last week’s Los Alamos Invitational, he swept the 200 and 400. He went 23:42 in the 200 and 52.18 in the 400. He also ran the lead leg on the fourth-place 4 x 100 relay team.

From the Jaguar girls, senior Sydney Martinez looks to better her second place last week in the 100 (13.65), as well as in the 200 where she sped fourth in 29:02. In the 800, junior Audrey Gonzales seeks to improve on her fifth place last week in 2:50.76.

Friday and Saturday has Santa Fe High heading to the Albuquerque Public Schools Invitational at Nusenda Community Stadium, with a 3 p.m. start on Friday and 8:45 a.m. Saturday.

Also on Friday, Santa Fe Prep and Pecos are at the Estancia Invitational that gets underway at 3 p.m. And Taos runs at the Aztec Top Gun Relays that also starts at 3.

As is the norm, Griffins’ freshman Hayden Colfax will be competing in five events, the 100 and 300 hurdles, the high jump and triple jump, and running a leg on the 4 x 100 relay team that came in second last week in West Las Vegas. She has already qualified for state in both hurdles.

Pecos’ boys should be having a full lineup this time after many of its athletes came out late after winning the state 3A basketball championship. The Panthers are the defending state boy’s track and field champions.

Taos has a strong one-two girl’s punch in the distance races in junior Cora Cannedy and senior Elizabeth Reyes.