SMALL-SCHOOL TRACK: Calvillo-Tatum tops teammate, helps Desert Pines to team lead

CARSON CITY — When Desert Pines senior Amari Calvillo-Tatum lost twice to Artis McCoy last week at the Division I-A Southern Region track and field meet, Calvillo-Tatum had a message for his teammate.

“Wait till state,” he told McCoy.

Calvillo-Tatum got his revenge Friday at frigid Carson High, topping McCoy in the boys 200- and 400-meter runs to help the Jaguars surge into first place after the opening day of the Division I-A state meet.

Desert Pines also won the boys 800 relay and scored 55 points to lead Elko (43 points). The Division I-A, III and IV meets conclude Saturday at Carson High with the track events starting at 8 a.m. and the field events scheduled to begin at 9.

“Our coach, he told us from the jump we had to go 1-2 because we were shooting for a state title more than just individual events,” Calvillo-Tatum said. “That was the game plan going in, going 1-2. It’s definitely a challenge with Artis because it’s always a battle with us. But it’s all love.”

Despite running into a stiff headwind that gusted up to 30 mph and temperatures that dipped low enough for a few snowflakes to fall late in the afternoon, Calvillo-Tatum held off McCoy in the final 50 meters to win the 400 in 49.35 seconds.

In the 200, Chaparral’s Casey Acosta got off to a fast start and led coming out of the turn before Calvillo-Tatum ran him down. Calvillo-Tatum, who is headed to Southern University in the fall, crossed the line in 22.58 seconds, followed closely by McCoy (22.65) and Acosta (22.81).

“We’re trying to get a state title, the first in Desert Pines’ history, and everything else coming along is bonuses really,” Calvillo-Tatum said. “We pushed each other to each other’s limits. I couldn’t be here without him, so just love to my teammates.”

Boulder City’s Samuel Gomez won the boys discus with the top throw of the meet, regardless of division. Gomez had a best of 189 feet, 11 inches and smashed the I-A state meet record by more than 14 feet.

Faith Lutheran’s Chase Wood captured his third straight state title in the 1,600 (4:29.78) , and R.J. Hubert of Moapa Valley successfully defended his title in the boys 110 hurdles (14.62) and also won the long jump (22-10) to go along with a second-place finish in the high jump.

In girls I-A, Cheyenne’s Ariel Washington (37-8¼) and Koreyl Godbolt (36-8) finished 1-2 in the girls shot put as the Desert Shields sit in third place in the team standings. Cheyenne also took first in the 400 relay and have 36 points, behind only Spring Creek (59) and Truckee (50). Faith Lutheran is fourth with 35 points.

Also, Kalijah Williams became the first girl from Del Sol to win a state title as she edged Sierra Vista’s Courtney O’Neal by four-hundreths of a second to win the 100 in 12.68.

Samuel Anderson of Lincoln County won the Division III boys long jump (21-4¾) to lead the Lynx into second place with 55 points. Yerington is first in the Division III boys standings with 61 points.

Agassi Prep’s Zeivaun Ned was first in the 200 (22.73), and the Stars won the boys 800 relay as they scored 28 points and are tied for fourth with White Pine.

The Meadows is third in the Division III girls standings with 36 points thanks to first-place showings from Ellen Hirsberg in the 800 (2:20.56) and the Mustangs’ 1,600 relay.

Calvary Chapel won the girls 400 relay, and Shelbi Byrnes took first in the girls 300 hurdles (47.77) for the Lions, who are fourth with 32 points. White Pine holds a decisive lead with 97 points.

In Division IV boys, Spring Mountain got a win from O’Shea Jones in the 110 hurdles (16.22) and scored 72 points to sit atop the standings. In addition, Word of Life’s Gregory Gilbert swept the boys 200 (23.61) and 400 (50.59) races.