Pinon runner comes full circle - Joe ekes out the 3200 title

Posted by Quentin Jodie | May 12, 2016 | Track & Field |

MESA, Ariz.

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Pinon Eagle Adrian Joe (1872) maintains his pace Saturday at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz. Joe won the state title in the 3200 with a time of 9:52.57.

Pinon’s Adriano Joe knows it what it’s like to win a state championship.

In the fall of 2014, Joe won the Arizona Division IV state cross-country title. On Saturday the junior harrier added another state title, this time going for the gold medal in the boys 3200-meter run in the same division.

“This is a great feeling, something that I will always remember,” Joe said.

Of course, he had to work for it as he held off a strong showing from Red Valley/Cove senior Devin Howe late in the race.

With roughly 100 meters to go, Howe made a late push and challenged the Pinon runner in what turned out to be an exciting photo finish with Joe pulling out the win in 9 minutes, 52.57 seconds.

“When we got to the last 100 meters everyone was yelling his name,” Joe said of Howe. “I told myself that I had to go now and I just scraped by.”

His margin of victory was by a mere four-hundredths of a second and admittedly Joe said he was not sure if he got the win.

“It was hard to tell because we leaned in at the same time,” Joe said.

During the race, Joe said he let the other runners set the pace but he didn’t want to get behind. About three-quarters of the race, he established enough separatation to hold off Howe in the final lap.

“I thought I ran a smart race,” said Joe, who was seeded sixth overall with a previous best of 10:15.59.

Howe, meanwhile, headed the state list with a time of 10:07.50.

“Some of the other guys turned in faster times than I did but I used that as motivation,” Joe said.

Pinon coach Leroy Begay wasn’t expecting Joe to take the 3200 crown since he started out the track season slow while recovering from an injury he sustained in last fall’s cross-country season.

“It’s been a tough season for him,” Begay said of Joe. “He missed a lot of meets at the start of the season.”

The Pinon coach said along the way Joe got sick, which hindered his recovery. In fact, Begay said Joe barely got going a week before the state meet.

“It took him awhile to get back into it and when he did he came up with an answer,” the Pinon coach said.

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