Jaguar Boys Invitational Run

Santa Fe Prep senior Patrick Boyd blazing a trail in track and field, wins the 200 meters and high jump Saturday at the Jaguar Invitational run

Santa Fe High senior Mateo Martinez qualifies for state after taking the pole vault, St. Michael’s senior Esteban Alcaraz presently the one to beat in the 300 hurdles

By Arnie Leshin | April 10, 2017

Summer does not officially check in until June 21, but it doesn’t matter to red-hot Santa Fe Prep senior Patrick Boyd.

Last year at this time, he was not competing in track and field for the school, instead completing his semester elsewhere. What the Griffins missed was his speed, his versatility, his leadership.

Now he’s back and better than ever. Red-hot, chili-hot, whatever, he’s blazing a trail on the track. Not only has he already qualified for state in the 100, 200, 400 and high jump, but his legs on the relays has also qualified Prep for state in three of them.

Busy busy, as if he couldn’t wait to return. At Saturday’s annual Jaguar Invitational hosted by Capital High, Boyd skipped the 100 and 400, but sped first in the 200 in 22:93, with 100 meters winner, Santa Fe High junior Theodore Goujon trailing in 23:21.

Boyd also won the high jump by soaring 5-10, with Pecos junior Carlos Cordova the runner-up at 5-8.

He did not take a leg on any of the relays, with team winner Albuquerque Eldorado High taking the 4 x 100 and 1,600 sprint medley relay. Santa Fe High the 4 x 200 and St. Michael’s the 4 x 400.

Currently, Boyd has the 100 best of 11:26 and the 200 best of 22:93, his time at the Jaguar. In the high jump, he’s tied with Cordova at 5-10 each.

In the relays, the Griffins stand at fifth in the 4 x 100 (45:61), fourth in the 4 x 200 (1:53.7) and first in the 4 x 400, where he runs the anchor leg, in the time of 3:36.32. No doubt head coach Tove Shere will also be trying to get the boys qualifying for the sprint medley.

Eldorado, as its girls did, won the team scoring with 159 points and won seven of the 19 events. Second, as were its girls, was St. Michael’s with 109. Third went to the Demons with 86, Pecos was fourth with 85, Prep sixth with 64, host Capital eighth with 41, and Santa Fe Indian School finished ninth with 31 points.

“We had about 20 of our athletes taking tests,” said Braves’ head coach Joe Calabaza, “and Michael (Tenorio) was listed in the results but was not at the meet. He’s also recovering from a knee problem, so maybe it was best he didn’t run Saturday.”

Tenorio, the state 4A cross country champion, is in quest of qualifying for state in the 800 and 1,600 after already qualifying with the third-best time of 10:17.50 in the 3,200.

Goujon has qualified in the 100 (11:01) and the 200 (22:34), with the third-fastest time in the century and the fourth-best in the 200.

Pecos’ senior Julian Garcia ran first in the 1,600 in 4:46.74, and this qualified him for state in that distance. St. Michael’s senior Esteban Alcaraz took the 300 hurdles in 42:24, but has qualified with the fastest time of 41:94.

In the relays, the Demons’ quartet victorious in the 4 x 200 (1:34.70) were sophomore River Edwards, freshman Oscar Perez, senior Mateo Martinez and Goujon. The Horsemen clocked 3:36.89 in the 4 x 400 with Esteban and sophomore Esteban, sophomore Justin Angel, and sophomore Justice Johnson.

Martinez also finished first in the pole vault by going over at 12-07, which was good enough to qualify him for state with the fourth-best vault. In the triple jump, Prep sophomore Sam Sparks was first by going 39-02, and in the javelin, senior teammate Thomas Naylor’s throw of 132-02 was good for first.

The next stop is Saturday’s Capital City Invitational at Santa Fe High.