Midland High track and field products Austin Watson and Ruben Guerra each garnered their share of success during the academic year.
But when the two harriers toed Ratliff Stadium on Friday night at the annual USATF West Texas Track and Field Championships, they were neophytes in their summer events.
Watson, who recently signed a letter of intent with NCAA Division II Angelo State, found himself in the long jump pit. And when Midland High’s regional qualifier in the 1,600- and 800- meter runs leaped 20 feet, 1.75 inches in his first-ever try, it was enough for second place in the ages 17-18 division.
The spring-heeled Watson, who lettered on the Midland High basketball team as a sophomore and junior, plans to pursue the decathlon at Angelo State, where leaping will part of the equation.
He figured to use this weekend’s meet to test his raw ability.
“I’ve practiced it a couple times, just to get an idea of what it was like,” said Watson, who also placed third at the District 2-5A cross country meet last fall. “But this was my first-time ever doing it in a meet.”
Midland club coach Tony De La Rosa has been cognizant of Watson’s leaping ability and encouraged his pursuit of the decathlon.
“He’s just an all-around athlete,” De La Rosa said. “It wasn’t until this past year when he really started to focus on (distance running). He’s a former basketball player and has the perfect body for the decathlon.”
For his teammate, Guerra, it was a matter of running a longer race.
Guerra, a junior-to-be at Midland High, is one of the school’s premier cross country and 1,600 runners. The Bulldogs were hit hard by graduation this spring in the two-mile run, though, and Guerra will be sliding into the open spot.
His first-ever 3,000-meter run — a single race that was a consolidation of eight different age groups — was a success.
Guerra breezed past the varying age groups with a time of 10 minutes, 5.74 seconds.
“I didn’t know what to expect, really,” Guerra said. “I didn’t even know what an ideal time would be.”
Guerra, 16, finished well ahead of second-place Exalander Magallen (10:29.49).
De La Rosa figured Guerra would make a swift transition to the lengthier race.
“It wasn’t a surprise for us,” De La Rosa said.
“Considering what he’s done in cross country and on the track, we knew he’d do well in the (3,000)
The 3,000-meter run was juxtaposition with ages ranging from 11 to 42.
The lone Legends Division (30-and-over) participant was Ron Appling of Plainview, who finished well behind the rest of the pack.
But Appling, 42, wasn’t hell-bent on earning one of the 12 berths to the USATF regional meet in San Marcos.
Five years ago Appling weighed over 300 pounds and wanted a life change. A former high school runner, Appling began running again and shed roughly 100 pounds.
The health and wellness director at Wayland Baptist University, Appling wanted to practice what he preached.
“With that job, I better be in shape,” Appling joked. “It makes you feel old (going against the younger runners), but how many other 40-something are out here running?”
Appling, one of just four 30-and-over competitors, will be competing in the 1500, 800 and 400 today.
The two-day meet concludes today with events beginning at 8 a.m. back at Ratliff Stadium.
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