Preps: Cimarron captures track title

Matt O'Brien

Thursday, April 22, 1999 | 10:49 a.m.

The baton was passed, literally and figuratively, Wednesday afternoon at the Boys Freshman/Sophomore Track and Field Championships held at Las Vegas High.

Cheyenne, which has dominated the Southern Zone the past three years, finished out of the top 10 in the meet, while up-and-coming teams Cimarron-Memorial and Durango shined. After five and a half hours of competition, Cimarron won the team title with 68.5 points. Durango, despite being disqualified in two events (the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 meter relays), finished second with 63. Las Vegas (59.5), Clark (57) and Green Valley (57) rounded out the top five.

"It means a lot to our young athletes to win the meet," said Cimarron coach Harold Vaughn. "They've been going against juniors and seniors all year long, so beating the best in their own age group really makes it special."

While Cimarron used balance to collect points (the Spartans didn't place first in any of the 18 events), Durango was spurred by a spectacular individual performance. Sophomore Ransom Minyard, who was named Outstanding Athlete, set meet records in the 110 meter high hurdles (14.4) and the 300 meter intermediate hurdles (39.7), and ran a strong leg in the Trailblazers 4x400 meter victory (3:41).

"(Minyard's) an outstanding athlete," said Durango coach Mike O'Day. "Potentially, he's one of the best hurdlers in town. His times here should really give him some confidence going into zone."

Jack Morgan, James Sims and Billy Wilson also turned in impressive individual performances. Morgan, a sophomore from Meadows, won the 800 (2:03) and 1600 (4:40) and Sims, a sophomore from Valley, won the triple jump with a meet-record 46 feet, 5 inches. Wilson, a sophomore from Clark, cruised to victories in the 200 (22.5) and 400 (51.7) meter dashes.

"I was hoping to have a good jump coming into the meet," said Sims. "Slowly but surely my jumps have kept going up."

In the Girls Freshman/Sophomore Championships held Tuesday, Silverado captured the team title with 127.5 points. Bonanza and Mojave tied for second with 93.

Ronda Williams, who won the high jump and the long jump, was named Outstanding Athlete.