Scott defeats Eustace by 3 hundredths of a second

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Nov 8, 2021 | Track & Field |

ALBUQUERQUE

In a razor-thin finish, Tohatchi senior Melvin Scott Jr. captured the Class 3A state title at the New Mexico state cross-country meet on Saturday.

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
Tohatchi senior Melvin Scott Jr. captured the New Mexico Class 3A state title on Saturday in a razor-thin finish over Zuni’s Kameron Eustace. Scott finished the 5K-race in 16:35.54 while Eustace was clocked in at 16:35.57.

The Tohatchi harrier edged chief rival Kameron Eustace of Zuni for the state crown.

Scott won the 5K-race on the Albuquerque Academy campus in 16 minutes, 35.54 seconds while Eustace was clocked in at 16:35.57.

That triumph was Scott’s first time beating the Zuni runner.

“I just listened to my coach, and I gave it my all throughout the whole race,” Scott said. “I made myself hurt and I got it done.”

Before Saturday’s state meet, Scott said he finished behind Eustace in every race and the gap time ranged from 10 to 30 seconds.

“We were kind of going back and forth in that last mile,” Scott said. “He kind of picked it up on the track and we raced until the very end.”

Eustace, who graciously accepted his second-place medal, said he was proud of Scott for winning the state title. During the awards ceremony, he embraced the Tohatchi runner for a while.

“I just told him that it’s crazy how we went at it for four years but none of this should separate us,” Eustace said. “I love to compete and he loves to compete and that’s just what makes sports so beautiful.

“You compete with class, you make new friends and I’m just so proud of him for being a champ,” he added.

In the team standings, Zuni won the state title while Tohatchi took second.

The Thunderbirds finished with a team score 32 points to Tohatchi’s 45.

“I’m proud of this team,” Eustace said. “We worked really hard and we met our expectations and our goals that we set this season. We made our statement.”

For a more in-depth story and other state races, pick up Thursday’s Navajo Times.