Hearing some observant friends casually predicting who’d win the boys 100-meter dash Tuesday afternoon, at the 2025 San Juan Basin League Track and Field Championship, Ignacio junior Lincoln deKay advised them to pick Mancos’ Jonah Ritter in the third of three heats. deKay was fresh off a winning time of 16.20 seconds in the 110 hurdles, helping his team score 186 points and take the SJBL track and field team title in dominant fashion.
deKay was right; Ritter outsprinted Telluride sophomore Thomas Mahoney, 11.07 to 11.17 and posted the fastest time. But while Ritter and deKay both seemed like sure bets in their respective specialties (deKay also won the 300 hurdles, clocking 43.39 seconds), a less-heralded but fast-emerging Bobcat urged all to hear him roar at the IHS-hosted competition.
Improving in the discus for the third straight meet, Ignacio junior Evan Perkins threw 117 feet, two inches and captured one of the boys’ three field event titles. Junior Bobcat Zane Pontine cleared 11-09 to win the pole vault and fellow junior Trace Crane leaped 35-2-1/4 inches to take the triple jump.
Senior Kendrick Nossaman also finished second in the shot put (35-2 3/4) as IHS defeated closest challengers Dolores (133 points) and Mancos (76).
Aiding the Bobcats’ cause, junior Norman Hackett placed second in the triple jump (33-5 3/4) and junior Josh Kerrigan was second in the pole vault (8-07) with deKay (7-01) third. Fellow junior Dillon Brann also took second in the 300 hurdles in 45.39 and third in the high jump with a mark of 5-03.
On the track, sophomore Cayson Burcham won the 800 (2:10.58) and finished second in the 400 (52.96) with Crane (54.84) third. Junior James Martin took the 1,600 in 4:59.05.
As expected, IHS’ 4x800 relay of sophomore Thunder Windy Boy, sophomore Judah Ashley, Martin and Burcham took the victory in a time of 8:53.44. IHS’ 4x400 finished second in 3:49.28, three seconds behind Mancos.
The Ignacio girls scored 48 team points to rank sixth. Powered by a squad of young and talented runners, Ridgway eked out a 141-138 win over Dolores in the pursuit of first place, with Mancos (110) coming in third.
Closest to tasting victory for IHS was junior Juliann Avila, who took second in the 100- and 300 hurdles with an 18.89 and 54.43, respectively. Avila also placed third in the high jump with 4-05.
Ignacio’s 4x200 relay also finished third in 2:01.11.
2025 SJBL Championships, Boys Team Standings: 1. IGNACIO 186, 2. Dolores 133, 3. Mancos 76, 4. Nucla 65, 5. Dove Creek 60, 6. Telluride 47, 7. Ouray 39, 8. Ridgway 33.
Girls Team Standings: 1. Ridgway 141, 2. Dolores 138, 3. Mancos 110, 4. Nucla 75, 5. Telluride 60, 6. IGNACIO 48, 7. Dove Creek 36, 8. Ouray 10.
