Pueblo Central sprinter Bobby Aragon is in a precarious position.

He knows earning his third consecutive title in the 400 meters will be more difficult than winning the first two. Aragon also knows he must be better if he hopes to repeat in the 200.

Aragon, a senior who won the 400 last season with a time of 47.95 seconds, nipped Matt Butcher of Longmont (48.07) and Jesse Fassler of Centaurus (48.42) at the wire. Butcher and Fassler return, and making it more interesting is that five of the top six finishers in the 400 also are back.

Aragon beat Mullen's John Gaye to win the 200 with a time of 21.54 to Gaye's 22.04. The win denied Gaye, who also returns, a second title; the Mustangs speedster had started the day winning the 100. Aragon also finished sixth in the 100.

Perhaps making the repeat feat a bit more difficult for Aragon: He injured his knee playing football for the Wildcats in the fall.

"There is little doubt in my mind those guys are going to be right there again," Aragon said. "I've been doing a lot of rehab this winter, and I'm training hard right now. The key will be staying healthy for the season.

"My knee is feeling pretty good right now, gaining some lost weight back, and I'm confident of a good season."

Aragon, who weighs 155 pounds after dropping to 145 after his injury, said the expectations are running high for the team this season.

Pueblo Central's sprint corps was bolstered by Drake Castro, who transferred from rival Pueblo South. The two will be joined by Ryan Campbell, Damian Trujillo and talented sophomore Tony Ama- ya.

"We can all mix and match well," said Aragon, who has not selected a college. "I think we can definitely be in the top 10 this season, and I think have an opportunity to win league. We've got some good distance runners, too, which should put us in the hunt."

NOTEBOOK

• Mullen, which has won 10 championships in the past 13 seasons, is not lacking for talent again. With 15 returning state qualifiers, the Mustangs, runners-up last season, are seeking to return to the championship throne. Leading the way for the sprint crew will be junior John Gaye, who won the 100 meters and was second in the 200, Phil Morelli and Colby Riggins. Sophomore Andrew Berberick, fifth in the 800, Casey Braun and Andy Dryden once again will bolster the distance runners.

• Thompson Valley finished seventh at state, but the Eagles could make a huge jump in May. Seniors Rob Anderson (100 and 200), Damon Austin (800, 1,600) and Tyler Short (400) all have the talent to finish in the top three in their respective events. And good things are expected from Matt Myers, Brian Stimpson and Adam Hedrich in the field events. Freshmen Payden Mielke and Ricardo Apolonio, varsity members of the cross country team, will bolster a talented field of distance runners.

• Pueblo South had a stranglehold on the shot put last season, and the Colts could own the event for the next three years. Senior Brian Griffin won the event with a throw of 53 feet, 2 1/2 inches and was followed by his sophomore teammate Ken Harriman (52-1 3/4). Harriman placed sixth at the recent Simplot Games with a throw of 52-10.

• When it comes to individual champions, there will be little room at the top of the podium if the season goes as expected. In eight of the 14 individual events, the 2006 champion returns. Joining Gaye and Griffin are Pueblo Central's Bobby Aragon, Marcel Giggons of Mesa Ridge (triple jump), Bobby Potrykus of Conifer (800) and Kevin Williams of D'Evelyn (3,200). Potrykus also was the runner-up in the 1,600.

• Longmont, which finished third at state, was hit hard by graduation. The Trojans do return a top sprinter in Matt Butcher and weight man Sean Conlin. Butcher finished second in the 400 and sixth in the 200, and Conlin was second in the discus. The program always has been strong, and this still could be a banner season for the Trojans.

• Among the distance events, Falcon's Nick White is the lone returnee who participated in all three last season. He was fourth in the 800, sixth in the 1,600 and 12th in the 3,200. He could be primed for a breakout spring. He also is coming off a sixth-place finish in the 800 at the Simplot Games.

• It will be a battle of inches in the high jump competition this spring. Liberty's Nolan Tuck, Widefield's Alex Clark and Eagle Valley's Mike Smith, who finished 3-4-5 at state, should contend for the title. All three have gone at least 6-6 once in their careers.

• The 300 hurdles should be loaded this season. Liberty's D.J. Miller (sixth at state), Ranum's Phillip Lewis (seventh) and Fountain-Fort Carson's Marcus Rosenthal (ninth) return. There are five other underclassmen ready to challenge who finished less than a second off the pace in the state preliminaries.

• Cherokee Trail appears ready to have a breakout year. The Cougars finished eighth last season and nearly everyone returns. Leading the way will be sprinters Josh Corbin, fourth in the 400, and Steve Habel. Corbin and Habel also were members of the state champion 1,600 relay team. Junior Scott Ingram, who was all-state in cross country, will lead a vastly improved distance crew.

• The oldest records in the classification were set by Tracy

Heiman of Liberty with a 6-10 high jump in 1991 and Monte Fry of Sterling in the long jump (23-11). Four records still are on the books from 1998: Corky Strak (21.1 in the 200), Matt Queen of Steamboat Springs (47.06, 400), Ricardo Moody of Harrison (13.68, 110 hurdles) and Derek Applewhite of Brighton (36.82, 300 hurdles).