Slaton, Roosevelt earn State medals in track
By Melissa McCaghren
Slatonite GM
A few years ago, the Slaton Tigers just missed out on a State medal by mere tenths of a second in the 4×400 meter relay.
Thursday (May 11) the 4×200 meter relay team of CJ Anzley, Ethan Anzley, Isaias Gallegos and Zamion Davila, had a similar scenario, where fractions came into play.
This is time, Slaton came home with a medal.
The Tigers 4×200 team won silver in the State University Interscholastic League track meet Wednesday evening in Austin.
The team ran a 1:27.56, narrowly losing to New London West Rusk, who ran a 1:27.12, but finished ahead of Gunter, who ran a 1:27.83.
The time is also a new school record.
The relay team consisted of CJ Anzley, Zamion Davila, Isaias Gallegos and Ethan Anzley with alternates Brayden Brown, Thomas Cardenas and Jacob Lopez.
Head Coach Ryun Martinez was happy with how the team competed.
“I’m extremely proud of our athletes and how they responded throughout the year, they won the District and Area meet. Also, they set the new Regional record for the 4×200,” he said. “They have overcame a lot of adversity and everyone stepped up and ran on the relays this year.”
Slaton also competed in the 4×100 meter relay and E. Anzley in the 200 meter dash.
The relay team, finished fifth in their race with a time of 42.13 seconds, while E. Anzley placed sixth in the lone
individual race for the Tigers, running a 22.09.
Martinez said the event was bittersweet for him as well as several seniors who raced their last high school race.
“Hard to say goodbye to the seniors because I’ve been with them for 4 years. Now we have to keep the standard of making it to state every year and we have the kids that can do it. We have a lot of returners for next year, the track team will be lead by Isaias Gallegos, Tomas Geronimo, and Collin Simmons will be seniors. Zamion Davila and Thomas Cardenas will be juniors.
They were not the only ones who earned a medal.
Dakota Zuber of Roosevelt won a bronze medal in the pole valut with a height of 14 feet even.
His teammate, Hunter Garrison, placed sixth in the long jump with a jump of 21 feet, 4.75 inches.
Southland’s De’Angelo Humprhise competed Saturday (May 13), qualifying as the wild card for the 1A 200 meter dash.
He placed eighth in his race with a time of 11.34 seconds.
The meet was conducted over three days, with classes 3A and 4A competing Wednesday, 2A and 5A Friday and 1A and 6A Saturday.
To advance to State, an athlete had to place in the top two in the Regional meet or qualify as the wildcard in the ninth spot.
