Senior leader Elkins sets high goals for Stony Point
For the past three years, the current seniors on the Stony Point boys cross-coun- try team have been working to fulfill a sort of prophecy.
Labeled “the future” of the program as freshmen, the Class of 2018 has stayed together and impr o ved steadily. Heading into this weekend, the Tigers were undefeated through their first four meets of the season.
To hear the Tigers’ top runner, Dereck Elkins, tell it, the
fast start is only the begin- ning of what could be a historic season.
“We really want to not only get to state, we want to place in the top-three teams at state,” Elkins said. “I think we can do it. We’ve been together
and worked together all summer, no one has a problem with anyone and we’re all friends and teammates for four years now.”
An appearance at the UIL state meet would be a first for the Tigers, who are ranked No. 10 in the latest Class 6A state poll compiled by the Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas.
Individually, Elkins also remains unbeaten during the 2017 season. Last weekend at the Pflugerville ISD Invitational, he covered the 5,000-
meter course in a personal-record time of 15 minutes, 4 seconds — 18 seconds faster than his 5K result at the Austin ISD Invitational on Sept. 1.
Like the rest of his team- mates, Elkins has come a long way since his freshman year when he set a 5K PR of 18:33. Yet even then, the bar was set high. Tigers coach Alli Coburn recalled watching Elkins at a track meet that spring, when he marveled at the results of then-Round Rock stand- out and future University of Texas runner Caleb Hollifield.
“You really can be that good, Dereck,” she remem- bered telling him. “You just have to put in the time and the effort.”
Now it is Elkins who is setting the pace and an exam- ple for many runners around the area.
“I totally did not believe her,” he said, thinking back to Coburn’s encouraging com- ments.
On Saturday, Elkins and the Tigers will get their first real test when they race at the Cedar Park Invitational, which will feature some of the top talent from around the area. Elkins said he is excited to put his training to the test against the likes of Westlake’s Matthew Kearney — who set a 5K PR of 15:07 last week at the Southlake Carroll Invitational — Crayton Carrozza of St. Stephen’s and Buster Roberts of Luling.
“I can kind of start testing the waters for my big goals this season,” Elkins said. “I really want to go to nation- als and place top five at state. In order to do that, I’m going to have to face these bigger guys.”
Coburn said the Tigers also are excited to see what they can do as a team after one of their primary members returns from injury. Jason Larsen, a senior, will race for the first time this season.
In order, Denzel Vilsaint (15:55), Evan Delgado (16:06), Caleb Varnador (16:18) and Gordon Parkhurst (16:35) have posted the top times for the Tigers this season behind Elkins. Only Parkhurst is a junior, and two more seniors — Devin Pedraza and Marcus Arroyo — round out the group that was labeled as “the future” back in 2014.