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Catch Me If You Can

Severl MHS track athletes advance to state meet

By Mary Nichols

Under the hot summer sun, at Mission High School, several young men are helping to burn up the track. The runners practice sprints, run hurdles, stretch and cool down. The large Mission Eagle mascot looms over the track and offers temporary shade to each runner as he swiftly passes by. Dedication and discipline are reflected in their faces as their sweat splashes the maroon turf.

Mission High School has had a phenomenal 21 years in track and field. This year they won district for the fourth year in a row. This successful track program now has several athletes who have qualified for the state meet, taking place in Austin, June 5 -6.

MHS is entered in three events, the 300m hurdles, shot put and the 1600m relay. Head Track Coach A.C.  Deanda says they have been working towards this goal for the last six months and they are ready.

“I feel that in all three events we have a chance to medal. They are all in a bubble with their other competitors,” said Deanda. “There is no outstanding difference, everyone has about the same times etc. It’s going to simply come down to who’s on their game that day. We’re ready to go.”

Coach Deanda says these athletes have had one goal in mind every year – to reach state. They have been working hard and he is very proud of their ability to focus and stay disciplined.

“It’s a special group. They are a group of very hard workers. They have been doing this since junior high. They are all very close and always together,” said Deanda. “We have six or seven kids who are at the same caliber, athletic wise, and they push each other.”

Mike Reynoso, a 16-year-old, junior, has qualified for the 300m hurdles with an overall best of 38.92. He finished in second place at the regional meet. Reynoso has been working hard, but does not consider it work, because it’s something he is passionate about.

“I feel real positive. I feel I have gotten a lot faster and hopefully I can come out on top and not get hurt,” said Reynoso. “I ask God to give me speed in between each hurdle and hopefully I win.”

Reynoso looks up to two-time Olympic silver medalist and 110m hurdler, Terrence Trammell.  The constant quick step of leaping hurdles does not phase his fears. It’s a race that gets his adrenaline pumping.

“It’s a race where I have to have a lot of self confidence. It comes so natural now because I have been doing it for so long,” he said. “I can’t wait to go to state and see what I am capable of.”

Reynoso will also be tested, when he anchors the 1600m relay with his best of a 49.7 split. Completing the relay are first leg Gilbert Gonzales, sophomore (50.5 split), juniors Justin Garcia, second leg (48.6 split), and J.P.Gonzalez, third leg (49.6 split).

The “Stud Muffin Squad,” as Coach Deanada calls them, has an overall best of 3.21.52, and is a force to be reckoned with. The relay team also placed second at the regionals

“We’re proud we’re going to state, but we don’t want to just stop there. We want to try to get medals as well,” said Reynoso. It should be interesting and we’re going to be real strong.”

The baton passers say they are a team of brothers and are always looking out for each other.  Before every race they gather to say a prayer together and when the race is over they gather at Garcia’s house for some hot wings.

“It’s tradition. We go over to Chef Garcia’s house for wings,” said J.P. laughing. “It’s an after race ritual. We’re real close and work really hard together.”

They all agree it’s an honor to run for Mission High School, and a sport they love to compete in.

“Its fun, a lot of adrenaline, and it’s something you can feel, especially at the start of every race said,” Gilbert. “We just hope to represent Mission well and keep the tradition and speed alive.”

Another Mission athlete who has qualified for state is senior Jesus Alvarez. Alvarez advanced to state last year in shot put and placed eighth. This year he placed first at the regional meet and he is now ranked top three in the state with a best throw of 57.6 1/2.

Coach Deanda feels very confident that Alvarez will excel just as well as the other athletes.

“I wish them all luck and they have put in a lot of hard work in the last five months. We have had to slow down cause of the long season, an extra three weeks,” said Coach Deanda. “But, these kids have been tested mentally all year, and they have been successful. I’m very proud of them and they are a very special group.”

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Near miss highlights chase dangers

By Ricky Reynoso

A high-speed chase in Mission sent a police officer to the hospital with minor injuries late Tuesday, June 2.

Mission Police Spokesman Sgt. Jody Tittle said the U.S. Border Patrol notified them of a white Ford truck driving in the Mission area at a high rate of speed. They also said the occupants in the vehicle threw bundles of marijuana out of the truck. The police department dispatched officers to apprehend the suspects upon receiving the call.

“Patrol vehicles spotted the vehicle speeding up and down Griffin Parkway,” said Tittle.

Two patrol cars chased the truck down to the area near the NABA Butterfly Park in south Mission. Tittle said the lead car was creating a cloud of dust to the point that Officer Esteban Gonzalez had to lean to his left in order to see. Upon nearing a dirt road, Gonzalez failed to see a pipe laying in the ground and ran it over with his vehicle.

“I guess the pressure caused it to break and so part of it broke off, traveled through the engine compartment, broke through the firewall and struck the officer in the shoulder and into the headrest,” said Tittle.

Officers did manage to recover the Ford truck, which they believe was stolen out of the Pharr area. Police also recovered approximately 686 pounds of marijuana. The suspects escaped capture, absconding into Mexico.

Though Gonzalez escaped with only minor injuries and is currently recovering, high-speed chases have become all too common in the area, with smugglers becoming more desperate, as officials on both sides of the border crack down.

“We’re seeing stolen vehicles regularly, with the majority of them being Ford F 250 trucks,” Police Chief Leo Longoria said in a recent interview. “They’re taking them along the river, quickly loading those vehicles up and they’re making their runs to north Mission or north Edinburg to make a delivery.”

In a video obtained from the Mission Police Department, a helicopter caught one such chase on film. Longoria said many times the smugglers will occupy law enforcement while others set up an area along the river to receive the illegal drugs.

“They communicate with friends from Mexico and they’ll say that they’re already at the river with floats, so the driver will plunge the vehicle at a designated location,” said Longoria. “In the meantime we’re chasing them and when they set up, they work their way to that designated area. That’s what they’re doing to recover their loads; trying another way.”

To see the video of chase, visit www.progresstimes.net.

Readers of the Progress Times will have the chance to win $100 cash plus a four pack of mid-field seat tickets to see a RGV Dorados game at the Dodge Arena just in time for Father’s Day.

The tickets provide mid-field seating for the Dorados vs Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings on Saturday, June 20. Game time is 7:30 p.m. The ticket and cash package is a value of over $200.

Readers may register to win the game tickets and cash by filling out the contest entry form in today’s edition of the Progress Times and delivering the form to any of the contest sponsors listed in the ad in today’s newspaper. Entry forms will also be available at each of the locations listed in the ad. Or the form can be downloaded in PDF format and printed out by going to the Progress Times Web site www.progresstimes.net. Readers are allowed to register at all five sponsors, but only one entry is allowed per person per store location. For example, a reader is allowed to register at all three Walmart locations listed in the ad, as well as each of the locations listed for each sponsor, but only one entry per location. Must be 18 years of age or older to win. All entries must be received by Wednesday, June 10.

Participating stores where readers may register include Juancho’s Bar & Grill, Mission Plaza Pharmacy, IBC Bank, TLC Pharmacy, and Walmart.

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