LAKEWOOD • With only the 4×400-meter relay remaining, Fountain-Fort Carson knew it couldn’t afford a false start, dropped baton or any finish fewer than two spots ahead of leader Monarch.

So, you know, no pressure or anything.

The Trojans finished second in that final race, earning enough points to claim the program’s fifth 5A boys track and field state championship in eight years.“Pressure is a privilege,” said senior Sergio Cedano, a member of that final relay team. “There are 50 other teams out here that wish they could be just as nervous as we were.”

Every team ought to simply wish it was from the Colorado Springs area. The region produced four team titles on Sunday, with Vista Ridge (4A boys), Air Academy (4A girls) and The Classical Academy (3A girls) making their way along with Fountain-Fort Carson atop the podium.

Also, the boys programs at Air Academy and TCA finished second.“You don’t have to go very far to get your butt kicked in Colorado,” Kadets coach Chuck Schwartz said. “You can save a lot on gas.”

The titles each came in their unique ways. Fountain-Fort Carson mixed its typical dominance in sprints (Donovan Williams won the 100 and 200 dashes; the team won the 4×100 relay and took second in the 4×200) with breakthrough performance from jumper Jequan Hogan (wins in the triple jump and high jump, third place in the long jump, fifth in the 110 hurdles.The Trojans built a sizeable lead, then watched as Monarch hit its top events and jumped ahead by three points going into the final relay.

“We’re always hopeful,” coach Ben Montoya said. “We always strive for the best we can. But we also knew Monarch would be very hard to beat.”Vista Ridge’s edge came from a group of basketball players who joined the team as jumpers. Behind that group – Raymon Harper, Micah Hitts, Hunter Maldonado and Tristan Pratt – the Wolves scored points from three people in the long, high and triple jumps and accounted for 45.5 of the team’s 93.5 points.

“Without them, we don’t do what we did,” coach Erik Stevens said. “They were an instrumental part of what we did. I think that just fueled the fire for everybody else.”

Vista Ridge also swept the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relays. After each race, runners claimed to not know where the team stood in the overall race.“Nobody’s saying anything yet,” sprinter Anthony Bellott said. “I don’t think we want to jinx it.”

Air Academy’s title was a first for the girls’ program and the boys’ runner-up finish was also the best in the school’s history.

Junior Olivia Whitaker won the 100 and senior Maria Mettler took the 800 and 3,200 to go with a runner-up finish in the 1,600.

The Kadets also racked up four runner-up finishes and found a surprise fourth-place finish in the shot from Katelin Gallegos, who was seeded ninth. Gallegos also placed second in the discus.

Finally, there was TCA; the perennial champs who were heavily favored after dropping from 4A to 3A.

The relays alone gave the Titans 43 points, which would have put them in seventh place. Add in Erika Willis’ victory in the pole vault and a pair of top-four finishes for Chantae Steele (fourth in the 400 and third in the 800) and TCA cruised to the title by 24 points.

“As a coach, you’re always nervous,” Titans coach Timothy Daggett said. “You get nervous of your own shadow. Every kid has something hurt, so you’re just never sure.”

One thing’s for sure, the Pikes Peak area is loaded in track and field.