MARFA — Marfa ISD will host its first track meet in decades and honor five alumni of a 2012 state qualifying relay team this coming Wednesday, March 20, at Martin Field.
A ceremony for the “Great Comeback,” an effort to recognize significant athletic achievements of Shorthorn alumni by Marfa ISD Athletic Director Linda Ojeda, will take place at 3 p.m. followed by a middle school track meet featuring area schools — the first the district has held in 30-plus years, Ojeda said, and the inaugural meet for the recently-renovated track.
The first Great Comeback took place in August 2022 and commemorated Lady Horns volleyball players that placed second in state championships in 1980-81.
Members of the Marfa High School track team that made it to the state meet in 2012, the year they graduated. From left, Eli Castillo, Daniel Martinez, Jarett Lujan and Zach Madrid. Photo courtesy of Marfa ISD Athletics. 
Jarett Lujan shows off a first place finish in an 800-meter run, one of the events he competed in as a Marfa High School athlete around 10 years ago. Lujan is now working in higher education at Texas Tech in Lubbock and is one of five relay members being honored by Marfa’s Athletics department next week. Photo courtesy of Marfa ISD Athletics.
Marfa High School alumni Zach Madrid, Andrew Ontiveros, Daniel Martinez, Jarett Lujan and Eli Castillo — a relay squad that advanced to state competitions in their senior year under Coach Richard Hibbits in 2012 — will be celebrated for their achievement during the upcoming Great Comeback ceremony.
The five-man relay team also helped the entire track team win the area championship in 2012, which Marfa ISD has not done since, Ojeda said.
Athletic abilities aside, the young men, now in their early thirties, were also chosen for the honor because they were academically strong, determined students who act as positive role models for current high schoolers, Ojeda said. “Each of these guys touch a little bit on everything that we want our kids to really embody moving forward,” she said.
At the time, Marfa was classified as a 2A, rather than a 1A, district, meaning they competed against bigger schools. The facilities were also much different than today, having not yet undergone the $1 million track and field overhaul the school board voted to approve in 2022.
“That’s what’s impressive, they did this stuff without a track,” Ojeda said. “I think it is going to be nice that for the first time we’re gonna have a track meet. I hope our kids are inspired by what they hear and what they see.”
A number of the honorees — who are living across Texas with many maintaining family ties to Marfa — plan on attending the ceremony next week, said Ojeda.
Jarett Lujan, whose parents Johnny and Tina Lujan remain residents of Marfa, will not be able to make it back for the Great Comeback ceremony due to work engagements, but said being recognized by Marfa ISD is a “huge honor.”
“I’m glad that they’re honoring us and recognizing us for our hard work because it did take a lot to be able to get to the state track meet,” Lujan said. “We fought that whole season. We fought tooth and nail from district to area to regionals. It was a big experience for us.”
Lujan largely attributes the relay team’s success to Coach Hibbits, who coached in Marfa for 35 years and was extremely knowledgeable about track and field and old school in his approach, he said. “He would always push us really hard, not only at the meets but also in practice,” Lujan said.
Arriving on the state stage in 2012 was overwhelming for the small-town runners, Lujan said, but deeply meaningful because of how hard they had worked to get to that point despite the “not ideal” track they were brought up on at home.
“If anything, our track team and us as individuals are examples of how we may not be the most resourced school or in the most ideal environment, but we made it, we made it out and we’re all successful and we were able to compete on the state stage,” Lujan said.
Lujan attended Angelo State University after graduating from Marfa High School, where he ran track and field for all four years of college while obtaining his undergraduate degree. “I attribute that to the success of the track program at Marfa High School. That really prepared me for college and running competitively there,” Lujan said.
He went on to obtain a masters from Angelo State and a doctorate from Texas Tech in higher education and is now working as the director for Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiatives for Texas Tech in Lubbock.
He hopes the younger generation is inspired by his team’s past achievements to carry on the tradition of Shorthorn excellence. “Especially now that they have the resources and in an awesome track and field now, to take advantage of that and to really utilize this as an opportunity to succeed,” Lujan said.
Following the Great Comeback ceremony, the middle school track meet — featuring standard events including shot put, discus, high jump, pole vault, long-distance races, hurdles and relays — will kick off at 4 p.m. Participating districts include Marfa, Fort Davis, Sierra Blanca, Terlingua, Marathon, Valentine and Alpine Christian Academy.
The Marfa Athletic Booster Club will be selling concessions. Alpine residents Wayne and June Schroader as well as trainer Lori Hubbell are volunteering to help put on the event. For now, track meets will be simply called “Marfa Shorthorn Relays” and will not commemorate a specific individual, Ojeda said.