Leaving coaching in style
S.F. Prep girls claim team title, bid farewell to longtime leader
TALBUQUERQUE his one was for Tove Shere.
The Class 3A girls State Track and Field Championship.
The tears that flowed and the cheers that didn’t seem to end.
The first-place medals that cemented an athlete’s status among 3A’s best, and the fifth- and sixth-place finishes that were pleasant surprises and cherished just as much.
And that last victory lap around Great Friends of UNM Track and Field Complex on Saturday afternoon.
It was the last moment that meant the most to Shere, Santa Fe Prep’s head track and coach who put an end to her decorated 21-year tenure with a girls state title in almost convincing fashion at the State Track and Field Championships. The trip Shere shared around the track with her girls and boys athletes celebrating the fourth girls title was more about taking in the moment.
Yes, titles are nice, but taking in the job and the moment with her team meant so much more for the coach many of her athletes call their “track mom.” In fact, it meant more than Shere could describe.
“I don’t know if I can answer that,” Shere said after a long pause as she tried to stop the tears from flowing. “Twenty-one years is what it’s like. If you’ve ever been in any relationship for 21 years, that’s what it’s like. It’s like the end of a 21-year relationship. And it doesn’t matter if it’s with a team or someone you care about or someone that’s passed. To say goodbye to 21 years … I needed to run that lap. I needed to say goodbye. I needed to breathe it in and hold it.”
Oh, but there was so much to hold in by the end of Saturday. There was Sam Sparks willing himself to the jumping title that he battled to hard for during the weekend, as his final triple jump landed him the winning 42 feet, 2¼ inches he needed to beat Eunice’s Cameron Santa Cruz’s final attempt of 41-9¼.
“She’s everything that’s in the program,” Sparks said of Shere. “She’s awesome. She’s the best coach.”
Then there’s Hayden Colfax, who had to wait during a 40-minute delay in the girls triple jump after a competitor tore an Achilles tendon. Colfax trailed Tularosa’s Allysa Montoya before nailing a 34-11 effort that won by 2½ inches.
It was one of two wins for Colfax, who also took the 100 hurdles title in 15.776 seconds, while finishing third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the high jump.
While only a sophomore, Colfax’s relationship with Shere goes back to when the two competed in cyclocross. She felt it was an honor for Shere to select her for the 1,600 relay team — Shere’s favorite event that she called “The Warrior’s Race.” The relay team finished fourth
to cap an overall team win over Capitan.
“That 4-by-[400] means so much to her,” Colfax said. “It’s a huge honor. Most people don’t like the 400 or the 4-by-4, but our team, it’s a huge honor and we all fight for those positions. So, it means a lot.”
Junior Daisy Cunningham couldn’t qualify for the finals in the 100 or 300 hurdles, leaving her with just the high jump. She finished second with a height of 5-0, but almost cleared 5-2 on her final try, but knocked the bar down. It was her first appearance on the podium, and she was glad to do it in Shere’s final meet.
“If I am ever hurt in any way or I got an injury, she’ll call on a Sunday just to check in,” Cunningham said. “If I ever win an event that I don’t know about, she’ll call me. She’s part of the reason why I am out competing in all the sports out there.”
Shere also makes note of the little things her sprinters, runners, throwers and jumpers do. She praised freshman Chelsea Griscom for competing in the 1,600 meters and the 800 anchor leg of the medley relay within 15 minutes of each other. Griscom was sixth in the 1,600, then kicked in the final 100 meters to beat Capitan’s McKenzie Gibson for third place.
In the girls team events, Capitan stayed close to Prep throughout the events. When Taylor Lincoln took third in the 200, it locked up the blue trophy for the Blue Griffins.
Griscom also finished third in the 800, giving her 3,200 meters of sweat and tears to go with the championship.
“Only in high schools do you see those types of extraordinary performances,” Shere said. “Adults can’t do that kind of stuff. Only children. That is the magic that keeps you going. And that has nothing to do with coaching. But it keeps you going.”
The magic didn’t belong solely to Prep.
Mesa Vista’a Frankie Ortiz couldn’t let winning the 2A boys 100 title go without a little celebration. He raised his arms in victory as he reached the finish line in 11.86 to beat Fort Sumner’s Peyton Lewis by .08.
“I felt it because I saw all the guys a little bit behind me,” Ortiz said. “I wasn’t going to let those guys get past me. So, yeah, I was a little confident.”
Teammate Abrianna Griego also brought the Trojans home two titles on the girls side when she won the 400 and 200. The 400 was a bit of redemption for her after losing the race a year ago. Griego left no doubt this time, as she easily beat Aubrie Hinds and Reina Terrazas of Escalante with a time of 1:01.67.
“I didn’t want to get second like I did last year,” Griego said. “It motivated me a little bit. I just wanted it that much more.”
Deven Thompson of New Mexico School for the Deaf wanted to add a second state title this weekend, and got his wish in the shot put. His final throw of 46-4¼ was more than 6 feet better than Detrick Autrey of Carrizozo. He took second last year, but was never threatened in the event as all of his throws bested Autrey’s.
“I was shocked and it was the first time,” Thompson said through his head coach James Litchfield. “I was just thrilled.”
Thrilling was how the Pecos boys made the 3,200. The Panthers took five of the top six spots, led by Isaiah Armijo’s win in 10:11.19 to catapult them into third place with 38 points, just one point ahead of Prep heading into the 1.600 relay. However, Albuquerque Cottonwood Classical and Tucumcari were also in the mix, and the Rattlers came from behind to steal the show by winning the final event and jump from sixth to third with 42 points.
Prep and Pecos tied for fifth at 38, but the Blue Griffins left Shere with one more memory. The boys placed on the podium for the first time in three years.
“When was the last time we got a podium in the [boys] 4-by-4?” Shere said. “Last year, we blew it off the track, we [disqualified]. This time, everybody brought their ‘A’ game. Everybody brought it.”
Of course. It was all for Tove.