The Sedona Red Rock High School track and field team’s 2024 season ended at the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s Division V Championships at Red Mountain High School in Mesa over the two day event Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4.

At the meet the SRRHS boys’ team placed 12th out of 30 with 20 team points, and the girls team placed 20th out of 27 with 10 points.

Some of the highlights from the state meet were:

◼ Ramon Betancourt, placed second in the 400 meters with a time of 49.80 seconds breaking the school record.

“I think the biggest surprise of the year was our relay teams,” Betancourt said. “Because I went into the year not thinking we were going to even qualify for state in our relays and then we ended up getting second so that was a pretty good feeling. And then we had a lot of people break records this year. Compared to last year as in we didn’t really break any records”

◼ The boys 4×400 meter relay team of Ramon Betancourt, Carlos Gonzalez Montes, Ben Metzger and Chokyi Carstens placed second out of eight with a time of 3:29.68 narrowly lagging behind Arete Preparatory Academy by .01 seconds.

◼ The boys 4×100 relay team of Luis Beltran, Betancourt, Gonzalez Montes and Metzger placed fifth out of eight with a time of 44.77 seconds.

◼ Nia Trujillo placed seventh in the 300 meter hurdles at 50.62 seconds.

“Now, I’m going to Yavapai [College] So I’m going to take my courses and then hopefully work at the hospital sooner or later,” Trujillo said explaining that she is thinking about following her mother into nursing. “And for running on to try and keep it going [to] stay in shape, probably swimming as well.”

◼ Joan Diaz placed 12th out of 23 in the shot put with a distance of 11.20 meters.

◼ Stone Sturgeon, a team captain placed 11th and Vincent Smith-Shayawatt placed 18th out of 25 in the discus throw with 35.0 and 32.39 meters, respectively.

“I want to probably go to the Navy and try to get to the Navy SEALs, that’s the goal,” said Sturgeon, a senior explaining his post-high school plans. “If I’m gonna go to the military, I’m gonna go to the highest, the most elite. I’m going to be the best of the best. …The thing I want in the future for my job is I don’t really want it to be repetitive. … Something that’s different every day. I’m more of a hands-on physical guy.”

◼ Leila Bradley placed 14th in the javelin with 30.30 meters and 16th out of 22 in the discus with 22.81 meters.

“I’m looking forward to getting my EMT certification and moving on from high school and being able to grow in the fire department. That’s what I’m excited for,” Bradley said.

“[Bradley] she had an off year last year she was having some shoulder problems,” Assistant Coach Victoria Lindsey said. “So she didn’t really throw  too much last year. So wekind of actually held back a little bit on her throwing through practice. … She threw a 99.5 [foot] again [personal besting] another foot and breaking her school record twice in a row in one year.”

◼ Arabella Licher placed 15th and Sierra Williams 16th out of 23 in the long jump with 4.50 and 4.49 meters, respectively, Licher also placed sixth in the triple jump out of 24 with 9.93 meters.

◼ Aubrie Doyle placed 21st in the 1,600 meters with a time of 6:02.05.

The team capped the season off with its awards dinner at the school on Monday, May 13. During the ceremony Head Coach Sean Eicher and Lindsey awarded Leila Bradley and Ramon Betancourt as Outstanding Athletes, Luis Beltran and Nia Trujillo with Most Valuable Player, Avery Raczynski and Carlos Gonzalez with Most Improved, Sunny Flores and Sasha Barrera with Freshman Athlete of the Year, Arabella Licher and Chokyi Carstens with Hardest Worker.

“[Betancourt] came out for track just because I told him that would help him with soccer little did he know that he would tap into the potential of being a great athlete for this sport,” Eicher said.

Lindsey added that her first year as a track coach from being the head coach for middle school basketball in 2022 and the assistant coach for girls varsity basketball last year exceeded her expectations with 17 of the 42 Scorpions competing at state.

“The coaching staff were great. Sean and I have coached together before and I feel like we have a great balance to each other,” Lindsey said, adding her goals for the team for next year is to “further expand the program, get more kids involved. … So I’m hoping to get more kids that are freshmen and sophomores out so they understand what it’s like and want to do it all four years.”