State Bound: Eagles' relay team set to redeem itself at state

For the Mission High boys 1,600-meter relay team, the time is now.

For the last three years the team of Justin Garcia, Gilbert Gonzalez, J.P. Gonzalez and Mike Reynoso have flirted with every high school athlete’s greatest goal: a state title.

“The goal from day one was to qualify to state again,” Mission coach A.C. Deanda said. “They’ve been there before and we know what it takes to compete at that level and all of them want to get after it. These kids are winners and they’ve been winners.”

To say there’s a sense of urgency for the four seniors on the six-member team would be an understatement. The quartet know that they’ve had a fun ride as high school athletes, but there would be a sense of void if they hung up their spikes with heads full of memories yet empty of a title.

“These last years have been great,” J.P. said. “But looking at the back end of your senior year, you have the sense that there is no time left. And that is a strong feeling. I can’t imagine anyone one not wanting to do their absolute best when you know you are not going to get another shot.”

When not pranking each other on the team bus or on one of the many weekends the boys spend time together, they have been hard at work. At the RegionIV-4A meet, the Eagles placed second with a time of 3:22:05, besting their mark of 3:23:05 at the same meet last year and definitely fast enough to qualify despite Garcia’s absence.

Garcia, one of two juniors on a team full of seniors, was the spark that propelled the relay team last year, helping the Eagles qualify for state after joining the team as a sophomore. Garcia has been inactive for most of the season after suffering a broken leg in Week 10 of the football season.

“When you lose a kid that can clock a quarter mile in 48 seconds it’s tough to rebound,”  Deanda said. “But these kids don’t miss a beat when the drive to succeed is that high.”

And that same drive to succeed was put to the test in practice Tuesday night, when the boys, including a rehabbed Garcia, competed in a run-off to decide which four of the six will run at the state meet Friday in Austin.