Matching his father’s season-opening victory Saturday, Hilario Chavez led his girls to not quite as many first-place finishes but the same amount of points, 123.

The Rams girls team won their seven-team, garnering 48 more points than runner-up Eldorado and 65 more points than third-place Sandia. Albuquerque High (35) was fourth, followed by Gallup (26), Del Norte (16) and Grants (7).

Like the boys meet, the girls meet lacked a number of athletes on each team because of the Round of 16 basketball tournament being contested the previous evening. One such absentee for the Rams is Kelsea Hawkins, whom Chavez said is a top-notch discus-thrower and shot-putter; he’s hopeful of attracting Ashley Rhoades from hoops as a high jumper. The Rams had seven first-place finishes and qualified two girls, Katrina Trout and Pilar Saiz, for the state meet after they finished 1-2 in the pole vault, respectively, after clearing the bar at 10-0 and 8-9.ith leaps

Also finishing first for the Rams were Aisha Curry in the 200 (27.13), Nicole Smith in the 300-hurdles (52.13), Brittany Hood in the shot put (30-10), Laura Norero in the high jump (4-8), plus three relay teams: 4x200 (Tabitha Fischer, Tatiana Lucero, Chelsea Lopez and Curry/1:51.62), the medley (Allison Majewski, Lucero, Breannah Schall and Amy Salinas/4:35.19) and the 4x400 relay (Smith, Heather Totschek, Schall and Lucero/4:19.5).

Chavez said he thinks it’s a preview of things to come.

“We’re, hopefully, at a point where field events, sprints, jumps and longer distances (have depth),” he said.

He expects his Rams to battle Cibola for the district title, if not for a trophy at state, where La Cueva, Clovis, Hobbs and Alamogordo will battle to finish 1-2-3.

Chavez said sprinter Azure Dorsey is serving as a team manager this season, after tearing an ACL during her club-soccer season. That’s a loss; Dorsey’s speed helped the Rams win a state soccer title in the fall and she’ll be missed, no doubt, on the track.

Chavez is assisted by the dual efforts (also helping the boys team) of Camilo Tafur (pole vault), Nate Pino (javelin), Carol Williams (high jump and sprints), Harlan Smith (throwers) and Justine Miller (distance runners).

He said his team would be at Milne Stadium Saturday for its second meet.

“It’s a young team and, hopefully, if we keep everybody healthy, we’ll compete for a trophy at state and win another district championship.”