St. Michael’s boys hope to win another track and field championship

Can the boys track and field team at St. Michael’s keep it going when the weekend state championships are held at the University of New Mexico Complex?

First off, Joey Fernandez’ chili-hot team that includes both genders is out to claim its 3rd-straight state 3A title. It has also taken care of business this outdoor season with team titles at the Capital City, Jaguar, Golden Spike, Horsemen Invitation and last Saturday’s District 2 championships held at Santa Fe High.

The two-day meet will be a mixture Friday of preliminaries and finals, and is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start in both the track and field events. On Saturday morning the finals will begin at 8:30 for 1A, 2A and 3A with the 4 x 800 relay,

Pecos is in the 2A field and comes off its District 6 championships held at Fort Sumner. Santa Rosa won both the girls and boys team titles, with the Panthers second among the boys and third among the girls.

But for St. Michael’s, it will be favored versus the rest of the state 3A field that qualified, as well as District 2 rivals Santa Fe Prep, Robertson, West Las Vegas, Santa Fe Indian School and Raton.

The Horsemen have strength up and down the lineup of 19 events. But the most versatile is Indian School senior Fenyx Morningdove  He tripled at districts by winning the 200 and 400 meters and adding the javelin. He is expected to do the same at state.

Santa Fe Prep junior JB Davis and St. Michael’s junior Daniel Kupcho had the tightest finish in the 100 meters at districts, with Davis first in 11.67. a split second ahead of Kupcho. In the 200, Kupcho was runner-up again, this time to Morningdove. He was third in the 400 behind Morningdove, but did win the long jump.

St. Michael’s had a double winner in senior Daymon Lujan as he topped the field in the 110 and 300 hurdles, and other Horsemen winners were junior Ryan Kuhn in the discus, junior Taven Lozada in the triple jump, senior Isaiah Salazar in the shot put, and Griffins senior Harry Browning claimed the high jump.

Raton senior Chase Kemp will also be tested after winning the 1,600 and 3,200, and freshman Patrick Rodriguez of West Las Vegas looks to add another pole vault triumph.

As for Pecos’ boys, its best bets are junior Elijah Lujan, who doubled at district by taking both the 1,600 and 3,200, junior Zackery Fox in the 800, junior Malik Barrens who won the district 800, and finished second in the 100, 200, and third in the triple jump, and junior Israel Villegas was runner-up in the 110 and third in the 300.

In the relays, foursomes can change every meet after Santa Rosa won four of the five at districts.