The Dexter Demons and Lady Demons make their presence known

Going up against numbers like Artesia with around 160 athletes and Berrendo with 110 athletes, the Dexter Demons and Lady Demons showed up at the Wool Bowl for the Roswell junior high track meet Tuesday night.

Artesia had the overall win for the junior high track meet; however, Dexter gave them a run for their money.

“Going up against teams that have around 160 people, it shows the desire we have with just 24 athletes,” Dexter’s junior high head coach Tyrone Woods said. “It shows what we can do by putting points on the board. It shows the heart these athletes have, and opens the eyes of many competitors.”

The Dexter Demons placed first in the triple jump and 1600 race, and placed second in the open 200-meter dash, third in the triple jump and fourth in the four by 100 meter relay, to name a few.

The Dexter Demons and Lady Demons started off shaky for their first track meet. Many young track stars did not know where to go, what steps to mark or where to check in, but when the gun was shot, they took off.

Dexter had a small, but loud team with mostly seventh graders and three eight graders.

The long jump did not start until after the 110-meter hurdles were complete, and Karen Morales, Madison Bogle and Karina Pompa all took their marks on the track. Morales placed third for the Lady Demons.

Luis Carlos placed third, and Jessie Metcalf placed fifth for Dexter Middle School in the long jump.

Gabino Rodriguez jumped a high school mark with 34’-10 1/2'’ winning the triple jump and Ossiris Rodriguez close behind placing third.

“For an eighth grader to jump that jump is high school material,” Woods said. “That is an excellent jump, and many can’t compete with that in junior high.”

Not one Lady Demon jumped in the triple jump, and Sierra Middle School’s Danielle Banda placed first with a 25’8 jump.

Luis Carlos, Gabino Rodrigez, Hernan Gonzalez, and Jessie Metcalf won the four by 100 meter relay with a time of 49.720.

The Lady Demons placed fifth in the four by 100 meter relay with a time of 58.660.

Luis Carlos and Gabino Rodriguez will be a couple of threatening names at track meets. Carlos placed fourth and Rodriguez placed sixth in the 100-meter dash.

Rodriguez got the better of Carlos in the 200-meter dash, placing second and Carlos placing fifth.

“My standouts will be the four by 100, the two mile runners I have that placed first, and the open 100 and 200 meter dash,” Woods said. “Those events will put some points on the board for us in every meet.”

Kaitlyn Holl won the 400-meter dash for Sierra Middle School with a time of 1.07.930.

Karen Morales, Karina Pompa, Marlou Blankvort, and Madison Bogle placed third in the four by 200 meter relay with a time of 2.08.160.

Morales debuted her strength in the mile run placing first with a time of 6.14.160, after trailing Berrendo’s Wiggins for the first 800 meters. The Dexter Demon boys followed suit with 7^th grader Hernan Gonzalez winning the 1600-meter run with a time of 5.31.160, not far from the state qualifying mark of 4.40.

Gonzalez continued to dominate in long distance winning the 800-meter run for Dexter Middle School with a time of 2.22.810. Noe Landerverde was not far behind placing third in the run.

To end the night, Dexter Middle School boys placed fourth in the four by 400 meter relay with a time of 4:44:430.

“This meet showed a lot of perspective of what we have and what we can work on,” Woods said. “For the first track meet, it showed me a lot on what times some of my athletes can run.”

The Dexter Demons and Lady Demons will not have another track meet until Tuesday April 2, in Eunice for the Eunice Relays.