LAKEWOOD – The San Luis Valley had one individual state champion at the Class 2A State Meet this past weekend at Jefferson County Stadium, as Del Norte High School’s Damon Ledford-Vigil won the boys pole vault competition on Friday.

“The nerves got me going pretty fast, so I was able to use me a nice pole and that shot me up good,” Ledford-Vigil said. “It was speed and nerves but I pulled through.”

Ledford-Vigil started the competition at 12-feet, 9-inches. He came up short on his first attempt at that height, but cleared the bar on his second. He then went up to 13-3 and got over the bar on his first try. He finally won the event at the 13-6 mark.

Ledford-Vigil also placed at last year’s state meet finishing in fifth place. He said that gave him the motivation to win this year.

“Especially knowing there were all four seniors ahead of me last year,” Ledford-Vigil said. “Being a junior then was a good confidence booster.”

The 2026 season was an outstanding one for Ledford-Vigil. Not only did he win the state championship, he also set a new state record on the Class 2A boys pole vault. Even more special, the record came in the Tigers’ home meet on April 11.

“That was crazy being at home, with everybody watching,” Ledford-Vigil said. “It was great.”

Ledford-Vigil has decided where he will continue his academic and athletic careers as he has signed a national letter of intent to go to Western Colorado University.

“I’m going to go to Western and pole vault for them,” he said. “I’m just there to do my best and compete.”

Ledford-Vigil competed in three other events at the state meet. On Thursday, he finished 14^th in the 400-meter dash in 52.28. He was also in the high jump but did not record a height.

Also on Friday, he teamed with Cruz Matta, Mads Kreutzer and Brendan Hemmerling finished 10^th in the 4x400-meter relay in 3:33.61.

Also on Thursday for the Del Norte boys, Hemmerling placed 15^th in the 200 in 23.29, while Matta, Jaxtin Lester, Corbin Horrocks and Kreutzer finished sixth in the 4x800 in 8:30.35.

Two other Tigers competed in the pole vault on Friday. Horrocks tied for 11^th at 11-3, and Kife Mashburn tied for 14^th at 10-9.

Also on Friday, Kreutzer was fifth in the 3,200-meter run in 10:08.76, and Calvin Quintana was 17^th in the shot put at 38-1 ¼.

On Saturday, Kreutzer was 10th in the 1,600 meters in 4:38.10.

For the Tiger girls on Thursday, Indie Howe was 14^th in the 100-meter high hurdles in 17.60, while Scarlett Maxwell, Howe, Faith Crowder and Madeline Mitchell finished ninth in the 4x800 in 10:20.15.

On Friday, Maxwell was 11^th in the 3,200 in 12:06.92, Makenzie Consaul tied for 18^th in the pole vault at 7-4, and Mitchell also competed in the pole vault but recorded no height.

On Saturday, Taylor Off tied for 11^th in the high jump at 4-10, and Maxwell was 12^th in the 1,600 in 5:34.27.

Del Norte scored 19 points in the boys meet, while the girls scored one.

Center

Competing for the Center girls on Thursday were Becklynn Bogner, Oceana Garcia, Alyciana Lujan and Landry Neufeld who placed 11^th in the 4x200 in 1:50.45.

On Friday, Bogner was 10^th in the 300 hurdles in 49.20, and Emiliana Valdez was 10^th in the discus at 99-11.

The team of Bogner, Garcia, Maya Swanson and Neufeld competed in the 4x100, but was disqualified.

Monte Vista

For the Monte Vista boys on Thursday, Nehemias Sarianana-Sandoval placed 16^th in the 100 in 11.61, while Jeremiah McComas, Sarianana-Sandoval, Blain Mondragon and Bryson Paulson were 17^th in the 4x200 in 1:36.16.

On Friday, Saranina-Sandoval, Mondragon, Cristian Hernandez and McComas were 12^th in the 4x100 in 45.57, and on Saturday, John Jake Naranjo was 11^th in the discus, at 126-9.

For the Pirate girls on Thursday, Shae Romero was fifth in the 400 prelims in 58.98 seconds, however, she false started in the 200. Romero was third in the 400 finals in 58.25 on Saturday.

Also on Thursday, Olyvia Wofford was 17^th in the 100-meter high hurdles in 17.72. Reminee Mascarenas, Elena Baumgardner, Jessamy Pacheco and Romero were sixth in the 4x200 in 1:48.84 to qualify for the finals on Friday where they finished in sixth place in 1:50.10.

Also on Friday, Romero was second in the 800 in 2:17.77.

The Monte Vista girls scored 19 points.

Sanford

The Mustangs’ sole representative, Kaulen Miller, tied for seventh in the high jump at 5-10 on Thursday.

The Sanford boys scored 1 ½ points.

Boys team scores

Peyton 70 ½, Sedgwick County 59, Dayspring Christian Academy 54, Crowley County 37 ½, Forge Christian 37, Wiggins 36, North Fork 35, Wray 34 ½, Lyons 28, Thomas MacLAren 28, Lake County 27 ½, Limon 27 ½, Custer County 26, Byers 25, Heritage Christian 25, Del Norte 19, Holyoke 28 ½, The Vanguard 18, Telluride 17, SkyView Academy 16, Dolores 14, Liberty Tree 14, Cedaredge 14, Rangely 13 ½, Mancos 13, West Grand 13, Twin Peaks Charter 12, Trinidad 12, St. Mary’s 11, Platte Canyon 10 ½, Ignacio 10, Calhan 10, Meeker 6, Grand Valley 5 ½, Olathe 4, Soroco 4, Yuma 4, Rye 4, Burlington 2, Rocky Ford 2, Highland 2, Sanford 1 ½, Golden View Classical 1, Caprock Academy 1, Crested Butte 1.

Girls team scores

Lyons 55, Thomas MacLaren 46, Ridgway 46, Rangely 46, Wray 41 ½, Wiggins 38, Golden View Classical 35, Sedgwick County 34, North Fork 33, Telluride 31, Soroco 28 ½, Yuma 26, Hoehne 25, Limon 23, Hayden 21, Calhan 20, Monte Vista 19, Meeker 18 ½, West Grand 18, Denver Christian 18, Colorado Springs Christian 18, Caprock Academy 17, Heritage Christian 16, Cedaredge 16, Peyton 15, Swallows Charter Academy 14 ½, Burlington 14, Nederland 13, Mancos 11 ½, Buena Vista 10, Dayspring Christian Academy 9, Byers 9, Rye 8, Grand Valley 7, Platte Canyon 7, Lake County 6, Liberty Tree 4, South Park 2, Rocky Ford 2 ½, Las Animas 2, Del Norte 1.