Yuma County athletes qualify for AIA state track and field meet

Caius Lastra gave Yuma County the clearest path to a headline at state, running a 4:21 mile and a two-mile just over 9:20 to lock up a spot in both distance races. The Cibola senior has already shown he can back that up on a bigger stage, with AZPreps365 listing him at 9:31.60 in the Division I boys 3200 meters from Chandler Rotary Day 2.

Lastra’s push is part of a broader Cibola surge that has made the Raiders the county’s most reliable postseason program. At the Yuma Union High School District track and field championship, Cibola’s boys won by 106 points and the girls by 72, sweeping all six relays and taking 15 of 22 events. The girls have now won five straight district championships, and the boys have won three in a row, giving coach Kevin McLean a roster built on depth and the kind of camaraderie that usually matters most when the season tightens.

Several other local athletes earned their trip to the Arizona Interscholastic Association state meet as well. Kofa’s Adeleigh Jensen advanced with a 114-foot discus throw, giving the Kings their lone qualifier in the report. Yuma High’s Legend Redmond moved on in the 100-meter hurdles with a 15.29, a mark that placed her 16th overall heading into state.

Gila Ridge also has a hurdler who could make noise in Mesa. Joshua Zanovitch finished second in the 300-meter hurdles and third in the 110-meter hurdles at divisionals, and AZPreps365 lists him at 14.65 in the 110s. That gives the Hawks one of the county’s fastest state-bound marks and a chance to measure up against Arizona’s top hurdle group.

The state championships are set for May 15-16 at Mesa Community College, and qualifying athletes are entered through MaxPreps under the AIA tournament procedures. For Yuma County, the list of qualifiers is about more than individual medals. It is another sign that Cibola, Kofa, Yuma High and Gila Ridge are still producing runners, throwers and hurdlers who can carry local pride onto one of the state’s biggest spring stages.