Rivas earns bronze, sets new Valley mark in 400

AUSTIN - It's been said time and time again.
NEVER count out Weslaco's Mishak Rivas.
And on Saturday during the UIL State Track and Field Championships, Rivas showed once again and for the last time in his illustrious athletic high school career why he's so special.
Falling to fifth place during the last 50 meters of the Class 5A 400-meter dash at Myers Stadium, Rivas dug deep.
Real deep.
There he found the will and the heart to win a bronze medal with a new personal best and break a 17-year-old record with a time of 47.29.
Rivas' previous personal best was a 47.77, which he ran here last year to win bronze as well.
Converted to hand time, Shak's time becomes a 47.15 giving him the Valley's record in the quarter mile. Edinburg's Rene Rodriguez held the previous record time with a 47.18 which he ran for the Bobcats in 1991.
"That's gut-check time right there," Rivas said of the final stretch. "You just have to leave it all in God's hands. There's nothing you can do about the outcome of a race. You just pray that he protects you. God blessed me with a great race and I'm very thankful for that."
Weslaco head coach David Fuentes said Rivas knew those last 50 meters were the last in his high school career. So he wasn't going to let up one bit.
"He sensed the urgency of the moment," Fuentes said. "He sensed it and he started picking up his knees more and he pushed himself. You could tell he wanted to place."
Garland Rowlett's Kyle Clemons won gold in a time of 47.08 and The Woodlands' Ben Skidmore won silver in 47.14.
Rivas ran alongside teammate Jerry Espinoza in the race. Unfortunately Espinoza didn't place finishing in seventh with a time of 48.31.
"Unfortunately he had no previous experience," Fuentes said of Espinoza. "But Jerry is an upbeat guy and he's always got a smile on his face. He really appreciated what he accomplished this season and ran his best. Coaching a kid like that is just very rewarding."
McAllen Memorial's Tricia Terry ran a solid race in the Class 5A 1,600-meter run but lost the lead late to capture silver in a time of 5:01.74.
The top two girls in the race hailed from Region IV. Smithson Valley's Julie Amthor won gold in a time of 4:58.36.
Earlier in the day, Terry finished fifth in the 3,200 with a time of 11:09.67. PSJA North's Starla Garcia was eighth in a time of 12:07.65.
La Joya's Oscar Garza won a bronze medal in the Class 5A 800-meter run in a time of 1:54.44. Houston Cypress Falls' Blake Shaw won gold in 1:52.17 and The Woodlands' Drew Butler won silver in 1:53.02.
Harlingen South's Kassandra Larios qualified for her first state meet a couple of weeks ago with a gold-medal effort at the regional meet.
But despite running a solid race most of the way, Larios clipped the second-to-last hurdle dropping her to seventh place in the Class 5A 100-meter hurdles in a time of 14.64.
Larios was in the middle of a pack fighting for third place before she bumped the hurdle.
"It was tough," Larios said. "But it was a great experience. At least I can say my last race was at state. And I have no regrets. I really don't. I stayed with them as much as I could but it was tough."
Rio Grande City sophomore Kathy Trevino finished sixth in the Class 5A 400-meter dash in a time of 56.19. Trevino qualified for state with a second-place finish and a time of 55.90 at regionals. Trevino's regional time broke a Valley record as well.
El Paso Hanks' Kendra Chambers won gold in a time of 53.81.
Brownsville Hanna's Brandon Broden finished eighth in the Class 5A 1,600-meter run in a time of 4:28.30.
Southlake Carroll's Colby Lowe won gold in a time of 4:06.87. Magnolia's Michael Cook was second (4:08.88) and The Woodlands' Reed Connor was third (4:13.28).
Notes: Rain forced a delay of one hour and 45 minutes following the boys' Class 5A 400-meter dash...Rivas' record-breaking time was the seventh new Valley record set this season.