We still had two meets left before we entered the state qualifying part of the season. I found a poster that said, "BELIEVING IS THE BEGINNING OF A DREAM COMING TRUE" and I thought it was a really appropriate slogan for our team to use the rest of the year. With all the people asking questions about our not winning meets the last thing I wanted was for the girls to start doubting themselves. In our Tucumcari premeet newsletter I shared the slogan and the poster and it went with us on the bus the rest of the season.
Tucumcari was an important meet for us for two reasons. First was the fact that we were coming off a tough weekend where we finished 2nd in two meets and we found ourselves answering a lot of doubters. Second was that Tucumcari was a school in our District and we had dominated district opponents in recent years including being District champions ever year but one. Once again we found ourselves finishing second in a meet as Tucumcari beat us 80 - 70 in a 9 team invitational. So despite the fact that we beat 7 teams, it was still a loss in the eyes of people who were spoiled by our two year winning streak against New Mexico teams. We had enough good performances and enough who came up just short that I knew we had a good chance to beat them when we saw them again. I told the girls, "You've got nothing to be ashamed of with a second place finish, we were beaten by a very good track team and we'll get two more shots at them (3 counting state)."
Our final meet before state qualifying meets started was the Roswell invitational where we finished 3rd behind AAAA Roswell and AAAA Hobbs while beating 7 other teams. A point of emphasis after this meet once again was the importance of every point and every place. "To again show you the importance of every point and every place, we beat Goddard by only 3 points and we got 5 points from 5 fifth place finishes. They're all important ladies and they get more so every week."
STATE QUALIFYING - "Second Season"
There were two ways to qualify for state. First you could run, jump or throw and meet or beat a standard; if you did it in a designated state qualifier meet, usually the last two meets before district, then you would qualify for state. The second way was to meet or beat the standard in the District meet or by placing in the top three at the District meet. In 1985 we were allowed unlimited entries at district so people were assured of at least one chance to qualify. I always considered the state qualifying meets the start of a second season because of the added importance of qualifying and also because that was when our freshmen athletes completed their junior high season and we always invited them to finish the season as part of the high school team. And those freshmen are where we finally got the depth we needed to be a complete track team.
Prior to the meet I told Billy Dallas the Lovington Daily Leader sportswriter, "Our top priority this week is to qualify everyone we can for state, including our relay teams," says Anstey, who is assisted by Patti Ann Fort and Paul Payne. "We want to do well in the team scoring, but our main concern is qualifying our athletes for the state meet."
Dallas wrote, "The Lady Wildcats have been strengthened by the addition of eight girls from Lovington's ninth grade Border Conference championship team. The most outstanding newcomer is LJ, undefeated in every race from 100 to the 800 during the junior high track season. LJ, who has times of 12.61 in the 100 and 26.0 in the 200, is expected to be a big help in the relays. CC, 105'4" in the discus, is another ninth grader with a lot of potential."
Mission Accomplished! I'll let Billy Dallas tell it. "Lovington's girls turned in their strongest performances of the season with a convincing 116 - 50 victory over Goddard. Bolstered by the addition of a talented group of ninth graders, the Lady Wildcats qualified for state in 11 of 16 events.
"The ninth graders coming up sort of inspired the whole team," said Lady Wildcat coach Dana Anstey at the conclusion. "We had more depth and we were more competitive. I was especially pleased with the performances by AB, BM and LJ and with the way our relay teams ran."
Our home invitational was up next with another chance to run against Tucumcari. Before the meet though Pancho Morris wrote the following in his "Around the Track" column for the Hobbs News Sun:
LHS Losing Its Coaches
Help Wanted!
Lovington High School will need a couple of head track and cross country coaches next season.
Scottie Watkins, currently the Wildcats' head coach, turned in his letter of resignation last week to Lovington Superintendent Ross Black. Watkins decision to retire at the conclusion of the 1984-85 school year was the second coaching vacancy to open this year at LHS.
Early in the fall Lady Wildcat head coach Dana Anstey informed Black and the Lovington School Board that he was also planning to leave when the school year ended.
"I turned in my letter of resignation last week," confirmed Watkins who has spent 25 years teaching and another four years in the service.
Of that quarter of a century teaching, Watkins has been in and out of coaching for all but five years. He is currently in his 10th year as the Wildcat head coach.
In the nine previous seasons, Watkins' teams have won six state track championships, finished as the runner-up two other times and placed third one year.
"All things must come to an end sometime or another," said Watkins, who plans on remaining in Lovington. "You never know where the good Lord is going to take you. I've reached most of my goals. The hardest part is being away from the kids."
Anstey concurred.
"There's no doubt I'm going to miss it," said Anstey. "I wouldn't trade my last eight years here for anything else in the world. However, it's time to move on. I feel I've accomplished all I can here in Lovington."
Anstey has coached the Lady Wildcats to two back-to-back state championships during his four-year reign as the boss. The LHS girls are currently the two-time defending state champions and could make it three-for-three in another three weeks.
And, as the Lady Wildcat cross country coach, Anstey has guided his teams to top finishes in the state over the past four seasons.
"I came into a great program," said Anstey. "We have a good junior high program and a lot of tradition. Plus, I've been fortunate to have some excellent assistant coaches."
Though Anstey won't take any credit for Lovington's track dynasty, there is no doubt that his influence is the reason for the Lady Wildcats' cross country success.
In four seasons Lovington's girls have run 6th, 3rd, 2nd and 4th in the state cross country meet.
Whoever takes over will have some fast shoes to keep up with.
Anstey concurred.
"There's no doubt I'm going to miss it," said Anstey. "I wouldn't trade my last eight years here for anything else in the world. However, it's time to move on. I feel I've accomplished all I can here in Lovington."
Anstey has coached the Lady Wildcats to two back-to-back state championships during his four-year reign as the boss. The LHS girls are currently the two-time defending state champions and could make it three-for-three in another three weeks.
And, as the Lady Wildcat cross country coach, Anstey has guided his teams to top finishes in the state over the past four seasons.
"I came into a great program," said Anstey. "We have a good junior high program and a lot of tradition. Plus, I've been fortunate to have some excellent assistant coaches."
Though Anstey won't take any credit for Lovington's track dynasty, there is no doubt that his influence is the reason for the Lady Wildcats' cross country success.
In four seasons Lovington's girls have run 6th, 3rd, 2nd and 4th in the state cross country meet.
Whoever takes over will have some fast shoes to keep up with.
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