Twice is Nice at Moscow

Being a state champion in a small town is a good place to be. As they walked into a Moscow convenience store Wednesday, they were greeted with congratulations from workers and customers in the store. In what was a rebuilding year for Moscow athletics with young teams, there couldn’t be a better finish to the athleic year for the 1A school. Junior Raymund Garcia, sophomores Breck Roop, Jonatan Manriquez, and Osvaldo Granillo combined to win the 4×800 and 4×400 relays in Wichita Saturday. Granillo also placed fourth in the 100. The relays were both nailbiters. Moscow began the final leg of the 4×400 in fourth and in third at the 100 meter mark before winning the race by .46 seconds. Garcia held off Ness City’s McNish to win the 4×800 by .34 seconds. Roop says now maybe people will get the name right. “It feels great. Nobody really knew who we were. They pronounced Moscow incorrectly.” Garcia who had that final leg of the 4×400 says winning was unforgettable. “It felt exciting just hearing the crowd roar and looking to the podium and knowing we were going to be up there.” The four gold medalists are also football and basketball players at Moscow meaning the future looks bright for MHS athletics. Manriquez says this is just the beginning. “I think it’s going to give us a lot of confidence that we can achieve more in every other sport.” The four boys and coach Aaron Roop will be featured during the Sportsguys Thursday morning between 7:37 and 9 a.m. on Talkradio 1270 and kscbnews.net.