Peñasco athletes leap off the starting line
On Oct. 16, Gilbert Valdez stepped to the starting line at the Academy Extravaganza in Albuquerque. His mind, his heart, his body were all pointed toward one goal: the finish line. He tensed his muscles and relaxed his mind. His shirt read “Peñasco” across the front and few knew what it meant. More than simply the name of his school and his team, the Peñasco Panthers, it meant there was a lot of pressure on Valdez’s shoulders.
Luckily, he had his entire team to back him up. The starter pistol sounded and Valdez leapt off the line.
It’s been a tough couple of years for Peñasco as COVID forced shutdowns throughout the small mountain community and athletes were confined to the world of sports videogames and TV broadcasts, rather than the joy of the real thing.
This year, however, the Panthers are back on the prowl, and they are making themselves known.
In cross country, a traditionally strong sport for Peñasco, they are right back to upholding their school’s legacy of success. In fact, in the Academy Extravaganza, after Valdez kicked off the line, he never let up. He finished first and put his team in position to finish in the top 10 in one of the largest cross country meets of the season. (The Panthers finished 7th out of the 26 qualifying teams.)
On the girls’ side, Rochelle Lopez led the way, finishing 10th and leading her team to a 4th place finish (out of 16 qualifying teams.)
Though the Panthers did not field a football team this year, cross country wasn’t the only place they made their presence known.
The Peñasco volleyball team has a 6-7 record and is looking to finish strong as they head into the playoffs. Their next game takes place tonight (Oct. 21) at 6 p.m. versus a tough 11-4 Questa team.
Luckily they are playing on their home court.