The Bruin track and field team kicked off the 2019 season officially over the weekend, on the road in Manteca, at the Sierra Relays.

Coach Monte Wood said he had 20 athletes venturing out into the cold, rain and wind on Saturday, with both boys and girls suiting up for the competition.

“The best part about this meet was the kid’s attitudes. They wanted to compete in the rain, so they got in and battled. Many of them were competing in their first track meet ever,” Wood noted.

The Bruins also had a scrimmage race scheduled for Tuesday, March 5 – after The News went to press – against Amador and Big Valley Christian. Despite the prediction of more rain, Wood said they were hoping to make the meet happen, as the kids want to compete.

As far as the Saturday results, Wood reported that “Isaac Andalon continues to improve as a decathlete. He was the first boy in RHS history to compete in the decathlon when he entered at the regional AAU meet this past summer. On Saturday he won the discus, finished seventh in hurdles, and took sixth in a tight 800 meter race. Not many kids can do that.”

Also on the boys side, Wood said that the freshmen and sophomores were very impressive.

“Against mostly D-I and D-II schools, the sprint medley relay team of Fredy Anderson, Fabian Garcia, Rito Capetillo, and Alex Rios took second overall. They would have probably won the 4x100 if they had not narrowly missed the third exchange,” Wood explained.

Also, sophomore Jose Nuno took third in the triple jump while freshman Anthony Leon took fifth in the 110 hurdles and seventh in both the long jump and triple jump.

For the Lady Bruins, senior Jenise Perryman finished fifth in the hurdles, third in the high jump, and seventh in the triple jump.

“The frosh/soph girls 4x100 relay team and sprint medley relay team, consisting of Kaitlyn Hansen, Kayci Blevins, Ainsley Wood, and Kylee Rhodehouse, took fifth in both relays. All four are freshmen,” the coach pointed out. “Sophomore Cecelia Leon took second in the discus and 4fourh in the shot put.”

The Bruins are next scheduled to compete in the Stanislaus County Meet on Saturday, March 9 in Turlock. They’ll host the Trans-Valley League Relays on Tuesday, March 12.