Saturday, May 26, 2007

Valencia High's Cheeks injured in ATV accident

News-Bulletin Reports

Albuquerque The best athlete in the short history of Valencia High School was listed in serious condition at the University of New Mexico Hospital on Friday, following an ATV accident.

Avery Cheeks, 14, the first Jaguar athlete to represent Valencia High at a state event, was injured when the ATV he was riding collided with a pickup truck in Peralta on Tuesday.

According to The Valencia County Sherrif's Department, Cheeks and another teenager, 15-year old Thomas Gurule, who is in critical condition at UNM-H, were riding the ATV on Peralta Boulevard and Escondida Lane when the accident occurred. Neither boy was wearing a helmet.

Cheeks competed in three events and scored five points for the Jaguars at the state track and field meet two weeks ago, placing fourth in the high jump and fifth in the long jump.

Cheeks also competed at the state meet last year. As an eighth-grader at Manzano Vista Middle School, he qualified as a Los Lunas Tiger athlete by winning the District 5-5A high jump title. He went on to place seventh at the Class 5A meet.

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