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Clovis track confident pieces will fit

CLOVIS - The Clovis boys track and field team should be strong, deep and built for success this spring.

The only questions are who will emerge where.

The Wildcats are bursting with talent, most of it young, all over their roster. And in the nice-problem-to-have category, new head coach Mark Sena and his staff are waiting to see who will fit in best at which events.

"We've got a lot of underclassmen that are very talented and may make their presence known sometime during this track season, so they're all right there," Sena said. "I lost my best jumper last year, but I have four kids who are sophomores who might be able make their presence felt as this year progresses.

"I'm really excited because we have such depth at every area. We hope that a few will begin to stand out a little more as the year goes on."

Not that every position will be unclear as Clovis opens its season at today's Wildcat Relays in Lovington. Senior Burgin Foster is a two-time defending state pole vault champion and the Clovis school record-holder in that event. He will also run hurdles and relays.

Seniors Austin Fuentes and Seth Lopez are sprinters. Foster, Fuentes and Lopez will all be four-year lettermen after they complete this season.

"I'm asking them to do a lot as far as the events that they do and through leadership," Sena said.

The throwing events will be led by seniors Josiah Thomas and Rheal Kuchta. Sena expects Thomas to contend for a state discus title. Kuchta is a top-notch javelin thrower, returning from last season.

"We've got a lot of throwers," Sena said. "We have a lot of inexperienced (throwers) that are making really good progress."

The class of 2019 will do some representing on this season's team, as juniors Montez Wright and Jacob Moon play significant roles. Wright, a reliable punter and dynamic running option on last autumn's football team, will handle sprints and jumps for Sena's team. Moon, a member of the Clovis boys basketball rotation throughout the winter, will compete in sprints and relays.

"They're also being asked to fill a leadership role," Sena said.

Distance should be a Clovis strength as well. Sena says junior Jon Fuentes is his fastest distance runner, and Fuentes did qualify for states last year. T.J. Gregg, a state qualifier as a freshman last season, returns for another go at it.

"We're very deep in the distance area because of the quality cross country team," Sena said. "We have some older kids and younger kids. We'll see how things shake down as the season progresses, but that's going to be a very strong part of our team."

Sena hopes that he himself is a strong part, too. Though he spent five seasons as a Fort Sumner assistant coach and three prior seasons in that role with Clovis, this is his first head-coaching job.

"It's a little different," he said. "People are asking me questions, and it's up to me to have those answers. For example, who won this race and that race. So it's a little different. But the guys that I coach with have a lot of experience and are making it a lot easier as I transition to this new role."

Charles Jordan, Jeff Gillespie, Drew Hatley, Mark Bussen, Tim King and Hector Lopez round out Sena's coaching staff.

"They've been very helpful," Sena said. "I don't have to watch everything because I know I have quality people everywhere on the field."

There's a collection of talent on the coaching staff and the roster. When it all comes together, Clovis could be in for a fun spring.

"Absolutely," Sena said. "I've got a lot of kids who are excited about being in track. They were very excited (Thursday) in practice, they could hardly contain themselves. They were ready to get their uniforms and ready to go."

STILL TAKING FORM

Like Sena, Keith Durham is making his head-coaching debut today in Lovington. And like Sena, Durham's team is very much a work in progress.

Durham, the new Clovis girls track and field coach, says that spring break has had an effect on the team's preparations this week. He and his staff were still trying to evaluate the team without a full roster available.

Therefore, they'll go into today's Wildcat Relays with a mish-mash of talent and hope for the best.

"We're taking some younger kids because they worked out with us," Durham said. "We're just anxious to get started and see where some of these girls are at."

Because Durham's team is still taking shape, he didn't want to single out any one or two athletes that might be standouts this season, though there will be several.

"The ones that are here, I'd like to see what happens and see them compete, see our conditioning," Durham said. "My main thing is to see how these young ladies compete (Friday)."

Durham, who has spent much of his adult life as a basketball coach, gets his first meet action to see his track-and-field coaching skills in play. He says the hardest part, the preparation, is behind him.

"You put kids in events," he said. "Coaching's over and it's time to see when the gun goes off. That's the thing that I'm going to be looking at, to see how these ladies compete (Friday). At practice you can tell they're working hard, but I'm anxious to see how they go when it's for real.

"It's hard not to do your best when that gun goes off because you could catch yourself embarrassed. You can have a conception of how these young ladies are going, but we're going to get a true picture (Friday) and next week."

Durham did have one request for today's competition. "No wind, please," he said.

But he realized that was inevitable, according to the weather forecast.

"I guess we'll eat a little dirt, then," he said.