EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – 23 Borderland athletes qualified for the UIL State Track & Field meet next week at the University of Texas in Austin.
A pair of Riverside teammates are hoping to hit the podium together and close out what have been phenomenal high school careers for the Rangers across multiple sports.
Everyone has their own favorite dynamic duo, be it Batman and Robin, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade or Sonny and Cher.
But at Riverside High School, it would be hard to top the dynamic duo of seniors Angel ‘Speedy’ Munoz and Jose Guardado.
The pair have torn up the football gridiron for years, Munoz as the Rangers quarterback, Guardado at running back. They’ve competed together since seventh grade and next week, the dynamic duo will take the state track meet by storm.
“We’ve been competing against each other and against other teams for 6 years and counting now. To be able to go up to the big stage with my brother and a dude I’ve been competing with for 6 years now, it means the most,” said Munoz.
Guardado and Munoz finished first and second in the long jump respectively at the Class 4A regional meet last weekend, punching tickets to State.
“All the hard work that I’ve done is paying off slowly. We’ve both been talking about it too, like, ‘what if we both made it to state for long jump?'” said Guardado. “‘Let’s make it happen,’ and at the end of the day we did.”
It’s Guardado’s first trip to State; Munoz will go for the second time in the long jump and run the 300-meter hurdles for a third straight year. He fell on the second-to-last hurdle a year ago, so he’s looking for a measure of redemption.
The pair have competed together since middle school and the idea of finishing their Riverside careers on the state podium together makes both of them smile.
“Day in and day out we’re competing,” Munoz said. “It’s friendly competition at practice but at the end of the day it makes you better. Iron sharpens iron and we’re hoping to bring some gold medals back to the 915.”
Riverside’s dynamic duo will compete together in the long jump next Thursday morning (May 11) in Austin, then Guardado will cheer on Munoz in the 300-meter hurdles that night at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
“It’s our last chance to represent Riverside and the entire city at State,” said Guardado. “It’s a dream and it’s awesome.”
