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Walker leads Hayden track team

Questions aplenty for state-experienced team

Joel Reichenberger

Hayden track schedule

■ Today: 9 a.m. at Delta

■ April 3: 9 a.m. at West Grand

■ April 10: 9 a.m. at Eagle Valley

■ April 17: 9 a.m. at Glenwood Springs

■ April 23: Hayden Invitational at Craig

■ April 24: 9 a.m. at Rifle

■ April 30: 1 p.m. MoCo Invitational in Craig

■ May 8: Western Slope League at West Grand

■ May 12 to 13: Regionals at Grand Junction

■ May 20 to 21: State tournament

Hayden track schedule

■ Today: 9 a.m. at Delta

■ April 3: 9 a.m. at West Grand

■ April 10: 9 a.m. at Eagle Valley



■ April 17: 9 a.m. at Glenwood Springs

■ April 23: Hayden Invitational at Craig



■ April 24: 9 a.m. at Rifle

■ April 30: 1 p.m. MoCo Invitational in Craig

■ May 8: Western Slope League at West Grand

■ May 12 to 13: Regionals at Grand Junction

■ May 20 to 21: State tournament

Eager to find out what to expect from this spring’s Hay­den High School track and field team?

Get in line. It starts right behind head coach Barbara Manzanares.

“We’ve had a really good spring so far, but we won’t have everyone out and be at full force until after spring break,” said Manzanares, who starts the season with her team at 9 a.m. today at a meet in Delta.

Hayden will miss next week because of spring break before returning to action in early April.

For the second consecutive year, a state tournament appearance by a Hayden basketball team has pushed back the start of track season for many of the team’s athletes.

Factor in a rash of injuries and the typical indecision of teenagers, and the details are understandably sketchy.

Still, much of the big picture is certain.

The Tigers return a number of state-experienced, talented athletes. They will be without the services of senior Murphy Smartt, one of the team’s top seniors who tore his anterior cruciate ligament late in the basketball season. And they will be counting on a few first-time tracksters — under- and upperclassmen — to approach last year’s success.

A year ago, Smartt and Jake Walker led the way for the team.

Smartt was second in the Class 2A high jump competition. Walker placed in the 100-meter dash for the second consecutive season, adding a fourth-place finish to his fourth from his sophomore season. He also was fourth in the 400 meters and sixth in the 200 meters.

“Jake had his knee worked on. That was giving him fits last year, so it’s feeling good now,” Manzanares said. “He’s anxious and came out with a great attitude. He’s excited about this year.”

Walker is as close as this team gets to a sure thing, but the Tigers also return other state-experienced athletes. Senior Maddison Kopsa competed in the triple jump while Calla Manzanares, Delanie VeDepo and Aspen Zabel return from a medal-winning 3,200-meter relay team.

Calla Manzanares also will pick up some of the sprint events, and VeDepo will run the middle distances.

“(Delanie) is poised to have pretty good runs this year,” Barbara Manzanares said.

Hayden should get plenty of help from athletes who didn’t make state last year. Hayden junior Chris Zirkle starred on the Moffat County High School cross-country team, placing sixth as an individual at fall’s state meet. He will run distance events for the Tigers this spring. Meanwhile, senior Rene Valdez, fresh off the basketball season, will lead the way in the jumping events, where he excelled last season.

It all has the makings of another strong team, but until some of the athletes get a few competitions under their belt, Barbara Manzanares isn’t really sure what to expect.

“We are kind of in that rebuilding year, looking for some of the boys to fill in for seniors that graduated last year,” Barbara Manzanares said. “I’m feeling pretty good about the season. We are looking forward to this weekend, which should be a fun meet. Then, when everyone is back from spring break, we will hit it hard.”


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