Photo by Snyder boys’ track coach Desmond Ayala.

 The Snyder boys’ Big Country-leading 1600-meter relay suffered its first loss Saturday in five track meets this spring, finishing second to Lubbock Coronado’s 3:23 at the Lubbock Invitational. But veteran track coach Desmond Ayala accomplished a key goal with the Tigers’ runner-up finish in 3 minutes, 26.27 seconds.

“We wanted to run against some tough competition that would push us,” Ayala said of his Class 4A Tigers. “We had to run for our lives today. We were in fourth place at one point. Jeremiah Rodriguez (the third leg) got us back in the race. Then on the anchor leg, Jay Castillo got hit on his heel and stumbled and almost fell.