Socorro’s boys’ track program is a rose ready to bloom just in time to win the county fair’s top prize. With ever-improving numbers, the Warriors can make a serious run at the boys’ state team title this year.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility, considering the Warriors have had two consecutive third-place finishes under coach Cody Lee, who is in his fourth year heading the Warriors program. He’s headed the program before, but it coincided with Braden Mounyo’s freshman season this time.

Mounyo is a senior this year and has transformed from that skinny kid who wanted to run the hurdles into a defending state champion who has qualified for the state meet in nine events. Mounyo’s got choices to make, and with athletes only allowed to compete in five events at the state meet, they are going to be serious ones.
“Braden will make his own decisions on what events he will do at state. He’s a senior. He’s worked hard his entire career and deserves the right to make his own choices,” Lee said.

That’s not to say Lee won’t offer his advice, and Mounyo’s teammates will also apply some positive peer pressure to get him into a relay event.

It’s a lock that Socorro’s top track and field athlete will be running the 110 and 300-meter hurdles. Mounyo’s the defending state champion in the 300 and won silver in the 110.

From there, Mounyo’s choices include both hurdle events, the 200 meters, pole vault, triple jump, and three relay events, and he’s going for a 10th state qualification in the long jump at Magdalena’s Steer Relays.

Mounyo’s unique, but he’s not alone in having choices to make.

Junior Isiah Ocampo has been having a spectacular season, and he’s punched his ticket in the 100 and 200 meters, discus, three relay events, and he’s flirting with a shot-put qualification. He’s the heir apparent to Mounyo’s crown as the Warriors’ top track athlete.

There are plenty of choices in the Lee household, with Cody Lee looking across the breakfast table at yet a third multiple qualifiers in his son Jay. Jay Lee’s a sophomore and the defending state champion in the pole vault. He’s also got chances in the long jump and three relay events and is likely to qualify in his first-year event, the javelin, where he’s two feet away from qualification.

Building a competitive track team is more about having the number of athletes needed to score points over 20 events, and Socorro has a shot at its best-ever season as a team.

“Our kids are driven when it comes to improving. We’ve been third the past couple of years, third three times in school history. We can improve and get second place or even first. That’s what drives the kids. They’re all about being a team this year.”
The team includes: Braden Mounyo, Jay Lee, Isaiah Ocampo, Jeremiah Garza, Cenyon Scarborough, Ivan Giron, Nazario Silva, Diego Chavez, Jaxon Griffith, Chad Aldridge, Vinnie Sanchez, Zach Holk, Paul Arndt, Kyle Berger, Ruben Gonzales, Adriano Munguia, Kaden Dow, Jordan Scharle, Ben Watkins, Keoni Pargas, Josiah Barba, David Gaytan, Liam Demorest, Timur Aitbayev, Riley Sewell, Antonio Chavez, Ezra Ocampo, Drizzten Chavis, Aiden Wheeler, Aiden York, Daryus Ortega and manager Felipe Valles.

Russell Huffman, El Defensor Chieftain Asst. Editor