Torregrosa heads list of top male runners

Gabe Torregrosa still can't remember much about the 5A Division II state cross country meet in Phoenix.

He remembers cheers from the crowd for his Gila Valley Region rival, Cibola's Ryan Norton, who nipped him at the end in regionals. He remembers a sprint to the finish line with Kofa's Ricardo Valdez.

But for the most part, the last half mile is a little hazy in the Yuma High senior's mind.

"Out of nowhere Valdez came and just started booking it, so I went with him," said Torregrosa, the 2008 The Sun/Yuma Rotary Club's Boys Runner of the Year. "He pulled away from me with about 100 meters to go, and then I surged and we both passed at least two people on our way to the finish line. But I can't remember crossing the line at all."

In fact, what Torregrosa thought he remembered about the race at the time didn't coincide with the official results.

Torregrosa said he thought Valdez surged past him to the finish line, but the official results showed he edged Valdez for 10th place in a photo finish. Still, Torregrosa did what he thought was the right thing at the time and traded medals with Valdez.

"It just speaks a lot for who Gabe is," Yuma coach Tim Schwehr said. "With no questions asked he said, 'Congratulations,' and switched the medals, regardless of what the official results actually said. He's just that type of person, willing to give up something for what he felt was right in his mind. But now he realizes he probably did get 10th."

Torregrosa made his mark in only one season at Yuma High. His family moved to Yuma from Beaverton, Ore., prior to his senior year.
Schwehr said it didn't take Torregrosa long to fit in and gain the respect of his teammates.

"He was very quiet and reserved at first, and just kind of stood back and observed what was going on. But from the moment he started coming out of his shell he was a leader," Schwehr said. "He doesn't worry about the small things in life. He just wants to do as well as he can in everything he does, whether that's writing a paper in the classroom or helping the guys at practice."

In addition to his 10th place finish at state and second-place run at regionals, Torregrosa took fifth at the Cibola Invitational, third at the Lake Havasu Invitational, and 10th at the Padre Invitational, despite running with food poisoning.

Torregrosa set high expectations for himself at the beginning of the year. And although he didn't quite meet them, he still had his best season to date.

"I was running really fast at the beginning of the year. I was in way better shape than I've ever been," he said. "I was really hoping to run in the 15's, and get with those really elite guys in the state, but I never quite hit it."

Norton was the only local runner to beat Torregrosa. In five head-to-head races, Torregrosa beat Norton three times. Norton got the best of Torregrosa at the Gila Valley Region meet.

Immediately after coming in second to Norton at regionals, Torregrosa said he was upset with himself and decided to keep running. He ran about another four miles.

"I finished the race and I felt like I had a lot left in me. I didn't want to show any anger, so I just went out and ran," he said. "Running is a way to just leave it all out there and keep yourself happy. There are some days you hate it, and some days you go, 'Everything sucks right now. I need to go run.'"