Depth propels Cibola boys to YUHSD title
Despite trio of multi-event winners, Gila Ridge comes up 3 points shy of 1st as a team
Gila Ridge may have produced far more individual champs, but at the end of the day, the most important thing was that Cibola finished atop the team standings.
Cibola’s boys team rode its depth to a first-place finish at Wednesday’s Yuma Union High School District Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium, edging defending champ Gila Ridge by just three points. The Raiders finished with 135 points; the Hawks came in second with 132. “It feels great,” Cibola coach Brett Pavey said.
just really happy for the kids. We’ve had a couple of close calls the last few seasons (at districts), so they really wanted it. They’ve been working hard for it.”
Seniors Jaelen Thompson (400 meters in 52.88, hand time), Dominic Lett (110-meter hurdles in 16.31) and Hyrum Broby (pole vault at 12 feet, 6 inches) and junior Levi Galvan (shot put at 43 feet, 10.5 inches) won individual titles for the Raiders.
Gila Ridge, meanwhile, produced a trio of multievent champs individually — junior Ryleigh North (long jump, triple jump, 300-meter hurdles), junior Cody Hartman (800 meters, 1,600 meters) and senior Dareyon Taylor (100 meters, 200 meters) — but were beat out by the Raiders’ plethora of second-throughfifth-place finishes.
“Both teams have a lot of good individual athletes, but this is a team title,” Pavey said. “Our depth definitely paid off for us. We emphasized that with the kids, that it’s not just about winning each event, it’s about overall team-wise, getting as many points as possible.”
Individually, the biggest development may have been Hartman’s performance for Gila Ridge.
In the 800 meters, Hartman — a sixth-place finisher in the event at last year’s Division II state meet — cruised to a first-place finish in 1:59.86. That wasn’t all too unexpected, whereas his win in the 1,600 meters was.
In that race, Hartman came from behind in the final 50 meters to edge Cibola junior Thomas Cain, the reigning Division II state runnerup in the event.
“I came into this race knowing it was going to be tough,” Hartman said. “My strategy was just stay behind Thomas and come the end, I know I can outkick him.”
North’s victories — he was the only three-event individual champ on the boys side — were much easier, as he defended his titles in the long jump (20 feet, 10 inches) and triple jump (39 feet, 3 inches) and won the 300-meter hurdles going away (41.34).
That latter event is new to North this year.
“My family wanted me to try (the hurdles), and I thought it looked fun, and it’s working out,” North said.
Also picking up victories for Gila Ridge, which swept all three relays, were junior Christian DeBoard in the 3,200 meters, senior Travis Cox in the high jump (for the second year in a row) and junior Rafael Duarte in the discus.
Kofa finished in third as a team with 57 points, followed by San Luis (12) and Yuma High (8).