Winning a track and field is all about the numbers scored over 20 events, and Alamo Navajo will have moments in 2024, but it will take a lot of work to fill a 20-event card with low numbers.

Head track coach Lemuel Guerro pointed to 2020 as the start of the hole that the Cougars are still trying to climb out of due to Covid.

No pun intended, but track has been the slowest sport to recover from the pandemic.
It’s been taking time as things have been coming back around.

“A lot of them are getting into it. I want to encourage and motivate all of them,” Guerro said.

There’s a tiny nucleus of seniors, including Katelyn Stockham, Claire Apachito, D’Xavier Mexicano, and Aldriano Abeyta, double that number in the freshman class.

Alamo has 24 athletes in total. Rather than having a coach for boys and another for girls, Guerro concentrates on the running events, and football/track coach Wyatt Billy concentrates on throwing events like the shot, discus, and javelin.

“I concentrate on sprints, and coach Billy concentrates on things like throwing,” Guerro said. Our seniors are athletes who have been going from sport to sport, like volleyball, cross country, and basketball.”

Senior Katelyn Stockham had the best girls’ long jump in the county last week with a leap of 11-05.00, but she’ll need more distance to qualify for state. With both of Alamo Navajo’s varsity basketball teams making the state tournament, the Cougars need more practice and have just two meets under their belts this year.

The Cougars had multiple qualifications in the shot-put last season, and throwers must surpass the 38’ 1” one mark to make that happen again.

“So far, we haven’t had anybody qualify for the state meet, but we’ve only had a couple of meets,” Guerro said.

Guerro is a realist. He knows it will take some time to grow the program’s numbers, and he’s recruiting in the hallways at the schools.

“I’ve been talking to the kids, and I’ve been reaching out to boys and girls because I want everybody for us to win. We want to win district and to do that; we’d like to get our numbers up where we can have at least two athletes per event,” Guerro said.

9th- Tilial Secatero, Sharayah Secatero, Mandy Pino, Japheth Padilla, Kasee Ganadonegro, Deja Apachito, Matt Apache, Elias Apachito.
10th – Scotty Guerro, Zephaniah Guerro, Andy Pino, Moraes Herrera, Lalah Lee, Neldrex Firmanes.
11th – Mclane Guerro, Dreyvis Ganadongero, Alexandra Jake, Zandrick Padilla, Sapphira Sandoval, Colien Mexicano.
12th – Katelyn Stockham, Claire Apachito, D’Xavier Mexicano, Aldriano Abeyta

Russell Huffman, El Defensor Chieftain Asst. Editor