Hendrickson star pushes the pace
Viegra proving he could be contender for 6A state title.
Hendrickson’s Daniel Viegra has been winning races throughout this cross country season, but a second-place finish Saturday at the McNeil Invitational may be the best indicator he’s ready to compete for the Class 6A state title.
A junior who finished fourth in the Class 6A boys state meet as a sophomore, Viegra took second in the gold division at the McNeil Invitational. Facing a field that included a number of the state’s top runners, he posted a time of 14 minutes and 49 seconds that was four seconds slower than that of Sam Worley of New Braunfels Canyon. Worley, also a junior, placed 12th at the Class 6A state meet last season.
“It went like I expected it to,” Viegra said. “My plan was to stay with whomever was in the lead for the first three-fourths of the race and then make my move in that last (kilometer).”
The race across the 5,000-meter course at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock was mostly an instinctive one for Viegra, who said he hasn’t started training full-bore just yet. He said he hopes to be running closer to a 14:40 5K by the time Hendrickson competes at a regional meet on Oct. 26.
“It’s great to do this (well) early in the season,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting to see where we’re running this early and we really haven’t even started pushing the hard workouts yet.”
Hendrickson’s Justin Botello, a junior, finished 13th in the gold division at the McNeil Invitational, and the Hawks will be a favorite for the boys team title at the District 13-6A meet on Oct. 15.
Roughly a year ago, Viegra went from a relative unknown to the District 13-6A boys champion, topping the favored Caleb Hollifield of Round Rock by 14 seconds at Old Settlers Park. A senior, Hollifield led for most of the race, but with about 1,000 meters to go, Viegra started his kick and took control, finishing in 15:39.
Before his surprising victory, Viegra hadn’t broken the 16-minute barrier all season. Because of an injured toe, he had missed much of the season, forced to stay fit through workouts in a pool.
After his victory at the 13-6A meet, Viegra qualified for state with a sixthplace finish at the Class 6A, Region II championships.