One school record broken in Lakewood 

Enjoying some of the best weather for the spectacle in recent years, Ignacio’s qualified athletes may have had a little extra spring in their step at the 2024 CHSAA Track & Field Championships, May 16-18 inside Jeffco Stadium. 

Particularly sophomore Lincoln deKay. Unable to advance out of the preliminaries in the Class 2A Boys’ 300-meter hurdles – he clocked a 15th-place time of 43.93 seconds – he not only narrowly made the 110m hurdles’ final on Day 3, via his ninth-place heat time of 16.21, but in it broke IHS’ school record. Roughly one-tenth of a tick from a top-five result, his improved 15.97 upped him to seventh overall and bettered IHS’ previous best of 16.00, set in 1989 by then-junior Tim Mantey. 

Another long-standing Ignacio Track record – Joe Herrera’s 1:59.20 in the 800 meters, clocked back in 1966 – very nearly fell during the Day 2 lunch hour as Cayson Burcham not only competed in the 800 but threatened to win it. 

In command through the first of two laps, the freshman slowed just enough with roughly 200 meters remaining and was passed by Colorado Springs-based Banning Lewis Prep senior Paul Leeder – definitely a good track name – upon entering the third turn. Peyton junior Matthew Peery also overtook Burcham, and ultimately out-strode Leeder across the finish line in posting a Herrera-like 1 minute, 59.39 seconds. Leeder finished in 1:59.73, while Burcham clocked 2:01.43 and placed third (the following four runners finished roughly a second or less behind him; the top ten runners all finished in under 2:03). 

All told, PHS had the last laugh after three days of action, repeating as the classification’s State Champion after piling up 89 points. Banning Lewis (67.25) took second and Bailey Platte Canyon (56) third, followed by Cedaredge (44) and Limon (37). Ignacio, meanwhile, earned ten points and shared 28th place with Wiggins and Rye. 

But the Bobcats didn’t disappoint in the other event in which the team was represented. Entered in the 3,200m relay late on Day 1, IHS’ unique blend of senior Corey Gomez, sophomore Trace Crane, junior Kendrick Nossaman and Burcham continued improving upon the former school standard – a 9:37.00 recorded (by Jarad Lyons, Morris Moya, Matthew Turner and Gabe Richards) in 2002 – which had first fallen early in the ’24 campaign. 

And though unable to catch on-paper favorite Peyton (with not only Peery on the 4×8 but also sophomore Gabe Gatti, the 3,200m run winner), which put down an 8:08.42, Ignacio placed tenth in a re-set IHS-best 8:39.23. By comparison, Fort Collins Heritage Christian finished second in 8:09.71 and Banning Lewis (including Leeder) was third in 8:11.61. Ninth-place Evergreen Clear Creek registered an 8:34.30.