A celebration as good as gold: Raiders hold medal ceremony after Track and Field District Chip

After winning 15 of 22 track events and sweeping all six relays, it was time for the Raiders to celebrate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - The Cibola Raiders made every second count — and by the end of the day on Monday, they were the ones collecting the hardware on Tuesday.

Cibola delivered a dominant performance at the Yuma Union High School District Track and Field Championship, then celebrated the moment at their medal ceremony after securing both team titles.

The Raiders controlled the meet from start to finish, winning 15 of 22 track events and all six relays. The boys finished with a 106-point margin of victory, while the girls won by 72 points.

At the center of the performance was Caius Lastra, who crossed the finish line first, four separate times.

“Yes!” Lastra shouted, capturing the emotion of the moment after reflecting on his medal count.

But he wasn’t alone.

Kat Martinez turned in one of the top performances on the girls side, medaling in four events.

“I medaled in second for girls long jump,” Martinez said. “And then I medaled in first for the girls 400 meter, 100 meter and 200 meter.”

The depth of the Raiders’ roster showed throughout the meet, with contributions across events helping fuel the lopsided team victories.

Adan Alvarez said the success was a reflection of the group as a whole.

“If it was just me, I wouldn't be able to win the district for everyone,” Alvarez said. “I feel like this is dominance between the entire team. You know, it shows how we all came together as a team and worked hard together to accomplish both the girls and boys trophies.”

He added that the sport demands both physical and mental strength.

“For the people that I see show up the most is where I see they have the most improvement,” Alvarez said. “Especially since it's a mental aspect, I feel like that plays like a hard role into this, because it's not just physically draining, but mentally.”

Martinez pointed to the coaching staff as a key factor in the team’s success.

“I would say something special I took away from this is like the power of…having a coach that believes in,” she said. “Just having that kind of support system, it really helps you. It makes you think, okay, I'm not alone in this.”

Cibola's coach Kevin McLean turned the praise around, crediting the athletes for carrying the program.

“You’re only as good of a coache as the athletes you have out there,” McLean said. “These kids are the ones doing it. You surround yourself with good coaches and good athletes and let them do their thing.”

Despite the level of success they have reached, the coaching staff didn’t necessarily think they would be this great.

“We thought we had a really loaded boys team last year, and we thought it might be a rebuilding year,” McLean said. “Within a few weeks, we kind of looked at each other as coaches, like, 'you know what, rebuilding? This might be a stronger team.'”

He said the program’s culture continues to build from one group to the next.

“You already see the impact that they’re having on the younger kids,” McLean said. “They’re bringing them along and showing them how it’s done. Those things just kind of snowball.”

For the athletes, the bond built through that process is just as important as the results.

“I've known most of these boys my entire high school career,” Lastra said. “Some of them have grown on me like brothers, so it’s really fun doing it with them.”

Martinez, in her first year with the program, said the experience has pushed her to improve.

“Practices were brutal,” she said. “But having that drive to want to get better — to fight for a new PR — you have to have that within yourself. And it helps having coaches who push you to that point.”

Even in a meet defined by dominance, McLean said the atmosphere extended beyond competition.

“There's a lot of camaraderie amongst the schools,” he said. “Our athletes were cheering for other athletes. It's really fun to see the kids for all the schools, even though they're competing, they want to beat each other, but they root for each other to do well. It's a little bit different than a lot of other sports.”

While this year is coming to a close, and state is quickly approaching, Alvarez knows he can continue to improve as a runner his senior year.

"I have to lead even more next year,” Alvarez said. "It's just going to be what more can I do? What more can I bring on the field, and getting ready for hopefully recruitment and taking it on to the next level.”

For Cibola, the results spoke for themselves — but the celebration afterward made it clear the Raiders are building something that goes beyond the stopwatch.

Next up is state competition during the first weekends of May.