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The Gobblers won the Class 3A team title in 2005 and 2006 and finished second last year. Cuero will return to Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin on Friday with an air of uncertainty and thoughts of what might have been.
The Gobblers will compete in three field events and two relays, but will have to do well in every event to bring home some hardware.
“Of all the years I thought we had a chance, this is probably slim-and-none chance,” Cuero coach Victor Mathis said. “Everything has to fall in place. We’ve got to get on the winner’s stand in the field events. I really believe that’s going to be the key.”
Cuero seemed in good position to make a run at another team title coming into the season, but injuries and academic problems have put a severe crimp in those hopes.
“It’s been a real unusual year,”Mathis said. “The kids, surprisingly, they’ve kept their heads up, stayed focused and pulled everything through. This is probably the worst year injuries have hit us.”
Cuero won the District 29-3A championship without sprinters Stefon Hargrove and Steve Francis, who were sidelined with hamstring problems. Hargrove came back to run on the 400- and 800-meter relay teams at the Region IV-3A meet, but Francis won’t return until next year.
“I’m not near as confident as years before because of the injuries,” Mathis said. “We ran a 42.3 (seconds in the 400 relay) at the first meet and I was like ‘Wow, where did that come from?’ I thought these guys are fast, which is unusual for so early in the year. We hadn’t done that since (Brandon) James’ junior or senior year when we ran a 41.7 at El Campo. But you know, James is in a different class.”
The Gobblers won their fourth consecutive regional title thanks to Hargrove, who helped the 400 and 800 relay teams to first-place finishes, Kaeron Johnson, the team’s other senior, who won the discus, junior Brent Johnson, who won the long jump, and junior Isaiah Glover, who won the triple jump. Junior Desmond Patton finished second in the discus.
“Hargrove’s been hurt all year,”Mathis said. “For four years, I’ve had him and he’s been a key person. Not having Hargrove next year is going to seem unusual. You don’t find too many freshmen who are going to be on the sprint relay.”
Injuries have allowed freshman Monte Green to join Brent Johnson, Glover and Hargrove on the 400 and 800 relays, which are seeded second and fourth, respectively.
“I think we’ve changed the relay five or six times, which is remarkable and we’re still able to get the stick around without putting it on the ground,” Mathis said. “Coach (Terrance) Fryer has done a great job of building confidence and I always tell the kids the main thing you’ve got to do is stay focused and work hard in practice.”
The Gobblers will find out whether their hard work is enough to earn another trophy. If that’s not the case, it won’t be from lack of effort.
“This is my last chance to win it so I’ve got to go out there and do my best,” Hargrove said. “I’m not running an individual event so I’ve just got to give it all in the two relays and help my team win.”
“Everybody’s got to contribute,”Kaeron Johnson said. “We’ve got to get points from each event that we compete in and I guess it starts with me at 9 o’clock Friday.”
Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.