For nearly the entirety of the 2025 prep track and field season, one name has stood atop the leaderboard, that being Elma sophomore sensation Ricardo “Richie” Guadarrama.

In just his second year competing on the track, Guadarrama had established himself as one of the premiere sprinters in both the 100 and especially the 200 meters, where he consistently posted top times in the state throughout the season, mostly by following a simple philosophy: Work hard and turn left.

But running at the state meet is a whole other level, where even those with the best times going into the meet often leave the state championships empty handed.

“A good quote my coaches always say is, ‘It’s not about who the best is, it’s about who the best is that day,’” said Guadarrama, eluding to that very thought. “That really helps a lot.”

Those words kept the fastest Eagle grounded as he flew across the finish line to win the 1A-class boys 200-meter race, becoming the first Elma athlete to win a state track title in 11 seasons.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Elma sophomore Ricardo Guadarrama stands atop the podium after winning the 1A State Championship in the boys 200 meters on Saturday in Yakima.

Guadarrama, who placed sixth in the 200 in his freshman year, was focused on the task at hand upon entering Eisenhower High School’s Zaepfel Stadium.

“My initial thoughts were who was the best guy? What does he run? Is he consistent? How does he get out of the blocks? What are the weather conditions and how do I adapt to all that?” Guadarrama said.

But the state meet had other tricks up its sleeve for competitors to deal with, most notably the weather. Contrast to the cooler weather most Twin Harbors track athletes deal with throughout the bulk of the regular season, temperatures in Yakima last weekend were hot enough to were potential dehydration became a factor.

That could have caused problems for an athlete such as Guadarrama, who had been busy running a total of six races over the three-day meet before the 200 final.

“It was really hot, so I had to stay cool,” Guadarrama said. “So I had a wet rag, an umbrella and a fan with spray everywhere I went.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO Elma’s Ricardo Guadarrama seeks some relief from the heat during the 1A State Championships on Saturday in Yakima.

Guadarrama ran a solid 22.03 in Friday’s prelim to qualify for Saturday’s final, and he felt good going into the last race of his sophomore season.

But as if dealing with the heat wasn’t enough, the meet threw Guadarrama another twist, both literally and figuratively.

While running the anchor leg of Elma’s 4×100-meter relay earlier that Saturday, Guadarrama felt something unusual, and not in a good way.

“During that (race), I tweaked one of my hips and my ankle was acting up,” said Guadarrama, who added he was in pain ahead of the 200 final. “So I really had to pay attention to that and ice it.”

Guadarrama was also facing off against speedy junior Jeshua Singletary of King’s High School, who had bested the Elma sophomore by a mere 0.03 to win the 100 final earlier in the day.

With the two set to race in what was to be another fast, competitive race in the 200, Guadarrama prepped himself for the moment.

“My strategy was to always be the first one out of the corner and just give it all you got and don’t let the other guy pass you,” he said.

Guadarrama got off to a good start, but trailed Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) junior Brody Duran by a shoulder-length with Singletary on Guadarrama’s hip as they rounded the corner.

Guadarrama then drained the fuel tank, overtaking Doran and staving off Singletary’s late charge to outpace the field, winning the state title with a time of 21.38.

Singletary placed second at 21.42 with Doran (21.52) and Bush’s Xander Timmons (21.86) finishing third and fourth, respectively, in a blazing-fast 200 final.

“At first, I didn’t know I won it. I thought the other guy had me again. But as I looked back, I saw the big screen saying I won and I jumped up for joy,” Guadarrama said. “My heart was racing. I jumped for joy and was really ecstatic. I wanted to talk to the other guys I ran with and shake their hands and say, ‘Good job.’ I wanted to share my joy with them.”

“After barely missing the state title in the 100, we all saw a fire spark in Richie’s eyes. We all knew there was no way he was going to let that happen again in the 200,” Elma head coach Tim Lazelle said. “It was like lightning was shooting out of his feet with every step, with a stoic, determined expression across his face.”

Guadarrama, who said it was his “best 200 of the season,” had to wait until after he was presented with his first-place state medal to celebrate with his family.

“I know they were all chanting my name and I’m pretty sure my aunt was crying,” he said. “It was thrilling to celebrate with them. To be honest, I was really dehydrated and not all there at that moment, mentally.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO Elma’s Ricardo Guadarrama (1) beat the field to win the 1A State Championship in the boys 200 meters on Saturday in Yakima.

Guadarrama’s run would have been a 1A State meet record, but the wind gusts of 4.3 meters per second were over the 2.0 m/s limit, meaning the Elma sophomore’s run was considered wind-aided.

No matter as Guadarrama’s dash gave Elma its first state track and field title since Ray Stark won the boys 110 and 300 hurdles and Tyson Nauman claimed the triple-jump crown, all in 2014.

“It’s all settling in still. It was 11 years ago when Elma won a state championship at track, so it’s really cool to be part of history in Elma. I’m just glad that it happened,” Guadarrama said. “I’d like to say thank you to Rick Boyer – who got me into track last year – and my family and anyone who came to the track meets to support me.”

“He worked very hard all season for this,” Lazelle said. “And he gave a performance worthy of being Elma’s first state champion in over 10 years.”