With the first Area championship in school history on the line, the Fort Stockton boys 1,600-meter relay team rose to the challenge.

The Panthers entered the final event of their respective area meet in Andrews on April 21 in third place behind the Mustangs and Riverside by less than four points each.

Andrews won the gold in the 1,600 relay at the District 2-4A meet over the Panthers, but Fort Stockton was able to return the favor on the Mustangs’ home track. Fort Stockton’s Aryan Hernandez darted out to a slight lead during the first leg of the race and the final three competitors maintained it through the finish line.

The Panthers won the race by less than five meters with a season-best time of 3 minutes 28.28 seconds – an average 400-meter time of 52.07 seconds per runner. Aryan Hernandez, Marco Garcia, Caleb Garcia, and Jesus Hernandez made up the team.

The thrilling end to the meet for the Panthers highlighted a well-rounded performance by the entire team in route to their first area championship in school history.

“It was a great effort by these young me to accomplish this goal,” Panthers head coach Vic Ivy said. “All day the other team members competed to set this up for the 4x400 relay to finish the deal.”

Zane Hodges won the Panthers lone individual gold with school-record time of 14.95 seconds in the 110 hurdles. Hodges entered the race coming off a third-place finish at districts and the upperclassman beat Seminole’s No. 1 hurdler and Andrews’ No. 1 110-meter hurdler for the first time in his career.

The junior added a silver medal in the triple jump with a personal record jump of 43 feet 8 1/2 inches and in the 300 hurdles (40.08).

The Panthers will have all three of their triple jumpers competing at regionals as the trio of Hodges, Aryan Hernandez, and Caleb Garcia all placed in the top four. Aryan placed third (42-8 1/4) and Caleb placed fourth (42-3 1/2) in the event.

Fabian Perez (3,200) and Jesus Hernandez (400) earned silver medals along with Hodges to put the individual silver medal count at four for the Panthers. The boy’s 400 relay team and 800 relay team, which consist of the same four runners – Miguel Trejo, Aryan Hernandez, Caleb Garcia, Marco Garcia – placed second in both races.

Fabian Perez turned on the jets on the last lap of the mile race to place third and qualify for regionals. Perez was in fifth place for about 1,100 meters of the race before making his move entering the final lap. The junior finished the race in 4:49.27.

Elijah Escajeda also earned a bronze medal, doing so in the shot put with a throw of 42-9.

Additional point earners at the meet were Perez (800, fifth place), Trejo (200, fifth place), Cruz Rojas (shot put, sixth place), and Connor Miller (pole vault, sixth place).

Prowlers send nine to regionals

Sophomore Ali Jackson became a three-time district champion two weeks ago.

Now the underclassman has area champion on her impressive resume.

Jackson won the 800-meter run convincingly in a time of 2:28.06 and added a runner-up finish in the 400 in a race with a photo finish. Jackson crossed the finish line of the 400 in 1:01.20. The sophomore will also compete in the 200 at regionals after finishing in fourth place in the event.

Jackson was one of six Prowlers that qualified for the area meet, which does not include three alternates for the 400 relay team.

The Prowlers 400 relay (Adriana Aguilar, Gabie Renteria, Rosa Hernandez, Aislynn Robledo) clocked a personal-best time of 50.72 to place third.

Freshman Yaneli Caballero will join fellow underclassman, Jackson, at regionals after she placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 15-9.

Senior Leslie Esquivel finished her career on the track with a sixth-place finish in the 1,600 in a time of 6:15.91.

“Our girls have done a very good job of going out and competing,” Prowlers head coach Andrew Fellows said. “This group continues to improve and it has shown. Our goals will stay the same, worry about our lane, run our race.”

Alternates for the 400 relay team at regionals are Estrella Aguilar, Priscilla Trevino, and Ruby Romero.

The Fort Stockton track and field teams will compete at the 4A Regionals 1 Championships April 29- 30 at Plains Capital Park/ Lowrey Field in Lubbock.