The Central Catholic Track team has once again made a statement for themselves in the postseason by producing yet another handful of individual appearances on the award podium and a team effort of 2nd place overall at Antonian on Monday, April 15th. Additionally, several top 4 finishes by 17 athletes also sealed them spots at the upcoming Regional meet on Thursday, April 25, in Cedar Creek, Tx. Surging into the end of the 2019 season with such an impressive performance, the Buttons are on track to finish off this season stronger than ever.

The level of competitiveness Central faced this Monday at the Antonian meet was above the bar. Not only are the Buttons challenged by the home-fielded northtown rivals in sprinting and field events, they are also joined with El Paso Cathedral whose distances program is one of a kind in TAPPS 6A. However, none of that is new to the experienced athletes of Central Catholic, especially all state runners Nathaniel Zapata and Michael Galvan, who both qualified for Regionals. Additionally, for the fifth consecutive time, Coach Brimmer’s distance program led by Zapata and Galvan had runners placing top 5 in every distance event.

Central’s greatest show on turf continued that afternoon with a gold-earning performance by Senior pole vaulter Colton Townsend. Not only did his season best of 12 feet and 6 inches ensure the Senior a another opportunity to perform at regionals, but it also sums up Townsend’s superior dedication over the years. “It really gets down to doing things on your own,” commented Townsend, who no longer has the legendary Coach Walker instructing him this year. Shades of the great Austin Vargas began to shadow Townsend’s breakout performance as his season comes to an end. “I won this time, but I still need two more of this,” Townsend added.

The afternoon was also unforgettable for Senior Hilario Gomez, who finished second in the long jump with an impressive distance of 20’11’’. His breakout was rather “expected” according to the Incarnate Word football commit. Going into Regionals as the third best jumper number wise, Gomez said he will aim to “get another medal” and “set another PR”. “We haven’t had a jumper qualifying for state in a while, and I want to make it happen this time,” commented Gomez.

Despite the typical top-finishes by these these mentioned seniors, it was Junior Matthew Perez who stepped up and added more flame to the conflagration of track & field. “It feels great to qualify for regionals,” commented Perez, who medaled in both the 800m and 400m events. “I need to get my mindset right, go out on the track, set more records, and place a couple more times,” Perez added. As the only junior qualifier in multiple events, Perez will maintain the momentum and steady state on his road to regionals and state.

Here is a list of all athletes qualified for regionals:

Field Events: Colton Townsend, Hilario Gomez

Sprints: Chris Easterday, Gibby Garza, Garrett Davidsmeyer, Matthew Torres, Nathan Palomera, Matthew Perez, Arnold McKesson, Julian Dehoyos, Andrew Briseno

Hurdlers: Marvin Barnes, Zachary Davidsmeyer, Raul Vallejo, Zach Yount

Long distance: Nathaniel Zapata, Michael Galvan