Breakthrough: Veterans Memorial hurdler Temoc Zamora nabs UIL State Track Meet berth
SAN ANTONIO — Last season Veterans Memorial's Temoc Zamora missed the podium at the regional track meet by a few spots.
On Saturday, he missed gold by hundredths of a second.
Zamora led most of the race, but grazing the second-to-last hurdle provided enough of an opening for Alamo Heights' Max Bacon to edge the Veterans Memorial junior to the line.
Zamora, still earned his first UIL State Track & Field Championships berth via his second-place finish.
"Coming into finals after the way I ran in prelims, I was really hoping to get first, but it was a really close race," Zamora said.
Zamora had the fastest qualifying time, but the late clip will give him something to focus on over the next two weeks while he prepares to return to Mike A. Myers Stadium after competing in the Texas Relays there earlier this seaosn.
"I am way ahead of where I was at this time last year and I am going to keep going, heading into state," Zamora said. "I'm in a really good spot. I am going to work on my form. That second-to-last hurdle is really what cost me first place."
More: Gregory-Portland pole vaulters headline successful day at regional track meet
Flour Bluff overcomes challenges to win 1,600 relay
The Flour Bluff boys 1,600 relay wasn't at 100% on Saturday, but that did little to deter them.
Owen Aggus, who had medaled in the 400 earlier in the day, moved up three positions on the third leg of the relay. Zach DeWalt, who pulled out of the 100 finals earlier in the day, cruised on his anchor leg as the Hornets claimed the regional title, the lone gold won by Coastal Bend athletes on the meet's final day.
Several of the Hornets gutted out the race despite nursing injuries and with a lighter workload in Austin in two weeks, the quartet is hopeful of getting healthy and challenging for a medal at state.
With the relay title, the Hornets finished third in the boys team standings with 43 points.
G-P's Wade caps career with state berth
Sakara Wade knew the way she was running early in the season felt she had a chance to qualify for state. The G-P senior made good on that promise with a second-place finish in the 400 on Saturday, clocking in at 56.64 seconds, despite being confident and also having nerves simultaneously.
Wade joins four other Wildcats that qualified for state in field events on Friday.
Notable performances
King's senior duo of Jackson Lovvorn and Diego Canto wrapped their career with strong showings in the 1,600. Lovvorn, bound for Houston, finished third (4:21.80) and Canto clocked 4:24.41 to finish sixth.
Flour Bluff's Owen Aggus took third in the boys 400 in addition to his gold from the 1,600 relay. Elijah Gonzales and Austin Villanueva, the other two legs of the relay scored points in the 800 (Gonzalez, sixth) and 400 (Villanueva, fourth).
Hornet hurdler Carissa Hintz won bronze in the 100 hurdles (15.05) and teammate Lennyn Tosto finished fifth in the event. Tosto also added a sixth-place finish in the 300 hurdles.
Veterans Memorial's girls 800 relay team earned bronze in the event with a time of 1:42.06. The Carroll boys 1,600 relay finished sixth (3:23.51).
Gregory-Portland's Jacoby Vance surged to a sixth-place finish in the 200 (22.18).
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Veterans Memorial hurdler Temoc Zamora nabs UIL State berth
