Boys state track meet: 'Stronger and healthier' Hilltoppers have sights set on Academy

Pancho Morris | The New Mexican

5/15/2008 - 5/16/08

For every Matt Zocco, there's a Benigno Sandoval.

For every Martin Romero, there's a Noah Sandoval.

For every Ruben Martinez, there's a Spencer Schoonover.

And for every Allen Pittman, Kyle Pittman and Gareth Gilna, there are the Toms — Bowidowicz and Witherell.

And it will take all of them — the unknowns and the unforgettables — for Los Alamos High School to loosen the stranglehold Albuquerque Academy has on the state.

Academy enters the Class AAAA Boys State Track and Field Championships as six-time defending champion. The two-day event begins at 8 this morning at Great Friends of UNM Track in Albuquerque.

Curtis Beach and Ben Johnson are again at the forefront for the Chargers. Beach, a junior, won five events a year ago and is favored to win five more. Johnson, a senior, is the favorite in the 3,200 and the co-favorite in the 1,600, along with Kevin Burnett of Albuquerque St. Pius X.

"That's a bunch of points," Larry Baca, Los Alamos head coach, says of the potential 56 points Beach and Johnson could contribute. "That's hard to overcome, and they've got a lot more around.

"But I knew at the beginning we'd have a pretty good team, and it's been a rough season because I was so excited about our chances. Right now, the way things are stacking up, things look really good."

Los Alamos might be one of the few teams not intimidated by Academy. Particularly, this season.

In November, Los Alamos upset Albuquerque Academy at the New Mexico Class AAAA State Cross Country Championships. Academy entered the race undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country.

In December, Los Alamos finished second at Nike Team Nationals, missing the national title in cross country by two points. The Chargers were a close third.

In April, Los Alamos finished ahead of the host Chargers at the Richard Harper Memorial Invitational.

"The fact that we weren't at full strength and we beat Academy at the Harper Invite without our two top sprinters gave us a lot of confidence," Baca says. "Usually at Harper, they step it up a notch and they always beat us.

"We're stronger and we're healthier this week than we were at Harper. But we're asking a lot of the kids."

Take Romero, who pulled a hamstring muscle early in the season, for example.

"It's been so frustrating for him," Baca says. "But he's hung in there, stayed with it. We told him want we wanted him to do and he's ready to go."

Romero is scheduled to run three 400s today. He's also penciled in for the 400-meter relay and will long jump.

"I hope it's not a mistake putting him in so many things," Baca says. "Every time those guys go all out, it makes me nervous. But they don't know what backing off means."

It isn't just Romero that Baca worries about. Noah Sandoval overcame an appendectomy. Benigno Sandoval pulled a hamstring. Noah Sandoval is a cornerstone on the relays. Benigno is seeded third in the pole vault. Both stepped out of the shadows cast by Martinez, Jason Reagor, Raul Rodriguez and Zocco.

So, too, has Schoonover.

"Last year, he came out and threw the javelin," Baca says of his sophomore. "But, of course, we made him run. It was 58-59 in the 400, mid-to-high 25 in the 200. This year, he's run 11.22 in the 100 and high-23s in the 200.

"He's been a huge addition for us. We lost so many kids during the year, but he stepped up and filled the void for us. Those three have really come around."

The mainstays have delivered, too.

Martinez, who signed a national letter-of-intent to play football at New Mexico State University, is favored to win the shot put and javelin, and is seeded fourth in the discus. He also is part of the talented and deep relay stable.

Zocco is seeded second behind Beach in the 110 hurdles and is the third seed in the 300 hurdles. Reagor is the second seed in the 100 and the third seed in the 200, while Rodriguez is the third seed in the 200 and fourth in the 100.

Romero, meanwhile, is .27 of a second off the top time in the 400.

Los Alamos also arrives with the top times in the 400 and 1,600 relays, and the second-best times in the 800 and 1,600 medley relays.

"If everything happens the way the heat sheets say they will, we'll win," Baca says. "But nothing ever happens the way it's set up. You never go by the times that are entered. You have to be able to compete on the track, and I think our kids are ready to compete."

The distance runners are.

Even though it will be tough to catch Johnson, who is heading to Stanford, and Burnett, who is off to Texas A&M, the Hilltoppers could gobble enough thirds, fourths, fifths and sixths to offset Johnson's contributions and those of his teammates.

"I think we're going to get a little help from Burnett," Baca says. "I wouldn't be surprised if they ran 4:11, maybe 4:10."

Burnett's season best is 4:18.91. Johnson ran 4:20.78. Gilna and Kyle Pittman are next, at 4:23.18 and 4:26.00, respectively.

The state-meet record is 4:16.12, which Johnson ran last season.

The 1,600 is likely the signature event of that meet that includes boys and girls, and AAA and AAAAA. But one event does not a team champion make.

Adam Kedge, Academy head coach, did not build the dynasty on quality alone. The Chargers are seldom shut out of an event.

Depth is Los Alamos' ally as well. Health, though, remains the question mark.

"With the number of injuries we've had, something can always go wrong," Baca says. "If we can go injury-free, there's no doubt we can win."

Baca has been at Los Alamos for the past 24 years. Outside of the '95 state championship, he said, few years have been as enjoyable.

"This year, it seems like it's the best ever," Baca says.

He's referring to more than the athletes.

"Rob (Hipwood) is such a quality human being. And for all his accolades, what he and Kathy did in cross country this season, and with him being inducted into the Hall of Fame at Adams State, he's still a humble guy," Baca says of his long-time assistant, his long-time friend. "His love and passion for the sport and the kids are always constant.

"Wil Stolpe is the same way with the sprinters. Eddie Pulliam helps with the long- and triple-jumpers. He sacrifices so much time and he's been a blessing, also. Blake Wood and Rebecca Clark are two people who try to go to all our meets. Blake is essentially an assistant to an assistant and Rebecca saved me numerous times by getting splits at the track meets. They both are great and positive influences on the kids."

Los Alamos' strength is its numbers. And while Baca isn't one to count a point before it's scored, if the Hilltoppers get a total team effort, he believes the final tally will be favorable.

And one state championship will belong to every Hilltopper.