AUSTIN — From fifth place to second then, finally, to first, La Feria’s Reyes Rodriguez’s progression over the past three seasons at the UIL state track meet has been nothing short of impressive.
As a sophomore, Rodriguez was introduced to the lime light when he first qualified for state and placed fifth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:58.65.
As a junior, he went back and watched film on himself in an effort to correct his mistakes, and the strategy worked as he was able to win silver in the 800 with a time of 1:56.07.
However, as the old saying goes, “big players perform on the big stage.” And on his final attempt this year on Saturday, the senior went beyond his limits and captured gold in the 800 with a time of 1:54.81.
“It feels great to win,” said Rodriguez. “I saw all the hard work that I put in over the last year and to be able to pull it off just feels great. They (the pack) took off really fast, but I knew they would eventually begin to die off and I just waited for the right time.”
One person who has seen Rodriguez’s improvements over the course of the past few years is La Feria track coach Evie Sanchez, who knew Rodriguez had potential to win gold.
“Everything went as planned,” said Sanchez. “He (Reyes) kept his cool throughout the race and didn’t panic. He got stuck behind a few people early, but once he made his move we knew we had a shot at gold.
“But he’s had great mentors who came before him. Once they graduated he knew it was his turn to become the leader. He’s not one to be very vocal, but he definitely leads by example. He has a great support system that starts at home and a great distance coach that has been with him for four years.”
Another athlete that had an afternoon to remember on Saturday was La Villa’s Robbie Sue Espericueta. The junior came into the meet with the fastest qualifying time in the 800 and was able to represent the Valley well with a second-place finish with a time of 2:22.00.
“This was my first year coming to state and it was a great feeling,” said an exhausted Espericueta. “I came out here and got second and I’m really proud of myself. I want to cry, but it’s a great feeling. Last year I went to regionals and I missed it (state) by one place and I knew this was my year. I kept working through the summer and I finally met my goal, which was to get first at regionals and come out here to state to represent La Villa.”
But not only did she fulfill her dream of winning a medal, she also used the platform to profess another dream of hers.
“I have one more year and I want to come out here and try to get a scholarship to go to UT (University of Texas Austin) because it’s been my dream to come to UT, and I’m just going to keep working for it and keep coming out here to Austin and show them that I want to be here, and I want to run for them and hopefully next year I can come out and get a state title.”
In the 6A division, Harlingen South had a memorable day as the Hawks qualified three players to the state meet for the first time. And while the trio did not medal, Marcus Ramirez, Sky Tatum and Andrew Ott represented the Valley well.
Ramirez finished in fifth place in the pole vault, Tatum finished sixth in the discus and Ott also finished sixth in the shot put.
“I am very disappointed that I didn’t meet my expectations of throwing my best at the state meet,” said Ott. “However, it is a great honor to represent Harlingen South and the Valley. There were incredible competitors and I am proud to be a part of that group, and my hat’s off to the other competitors.”
How they fared
-Kristen Aleman, Santa Maria
1600: Sixth place (5:37.66)
3200: Did not finish
-Julissa Garcia, Santa Maria
400: Ninth place (1:03.10)
-Reyes Rodriguez, La Feria
800: First place (1:54.81)
1600: Fifth place (4:29.83)
-Robbie Sue Espericueta, La Villa
800: Second place (2:22.00)
-Refugio Montelongo, La Villa
800: Ninth place (2:10.04)
-Marcus Ramirez, Harlingen South
Pole vault: Fifth place (16-00.00)
-Andrew Ott, Harlingen South
Shot put: Sixth place (57-09.75)
-Sky Tatum, Harlingen South
Discus: Sixth place (179-01)
