It’s all about the hardware and the Socorro girls track and field team has a legitimate chance to grab a state championship meet trophy when the dust settles Saturday evening at the University of New Mexico Track and Soccer Complex.

For the Warriors, their ultimate team success will rest on the speedy feet of senior Elise Madril.

“She’s in the mix for high point for the state meet,” said assistant girls coach Cody Lee.

The high-profile race will be the 800-meter run where Madril is seeded second at 2-minutes, 28.37 seconds and her sprinter’s mentality will oppose top-seed Raylee Hunt of St. Michael’s who checks in at 2:28.37 and who is also seeded first in both 1,600 and 3,200.

“She’s a true distance runner and comes down for the 800,” Lee said of Hunt. “And Elise is more of a sprinter. It’s going to be a clash of both sides so it will be pretty interesting. Elise hasn’t had anybody push her in the 800, but she has the strength and endurance to do it.”

The endurance factor could be big as Hunt will run the 3,200 late Friday before coming back for the 800 early Saturday. The three distance races do not have preliminary races.

Madril is far and away the top seed in the 400 at 59.56, seventh in the 200 at 27.46, second in the 800 and also runs a leg of the 4X200.

Her biggest challenge for the high-point honor might be wearing the same uniform as fellow senior Warriors Kilee Mounyo could vault herself into that mix, as well.

Mounyo is first in the 100 hurdles at 16.44 and tied for first in the 300 hurdles at 49.85 and in a four-way tie for first in high jump at 5-feet, 2-inches. If she pulls down three gold medals for 21 points that would make her very difficult to catch.

What’s more, if Mounyo and Madril are waging an individual battle for high-point, that could mean that Socorro would be surging up the standings.

And if senior Lola Apodaca, seeded second in the long jump by one inch at 16-7, can turn in a strong performance in that event as well as the 100 where she is seeded sixth at 13.37 and sophomore Tamra Fowler is fifth at 13.33, the Warriors could be looking at some magic. The 100 is a tight pack where seven runners are bunched between the second seed at 13.23 and the eighth seed at 13.39.

“There’s a real chance that we can get third,” Lee said. “I don’t think that’s that far out. A fifth-place individual finish at state may not be the most exciting thing to a kid, but that’s two points.”

And every one or two points adds up, especially if the points are spread out among a number of different schools.

“We have kids competing at all levels,” Lee said. “We just need all of those kids to show up and compete. Sometimes all you need is 20-30 points to get a trophy.”

Glen Rosales for El Defensor Chieftain