Highlanders boys, girls back on podium
ROUND ROCK — The Woodlands remained the top program in the Greater Houston area after a solid performance for both the boys and girls programs at the UIL Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Old Settlers Park.
The boys team jumped up a spot from last year with a secondplace finish of 96 points, behind Southlake Carroll, which finished with 65 points for its seventh team title and third in a row. El Paso Eastwood finished third with 132,
just a point ahead of Atascocita, which finished fourth for the second straight year.
The Highlanders girls were third for the second straight year. They finished with 120 pounds. Lewisville Flower Mound won the team title with 41 points while Prosper was second with 109.
Kevin Sanchez of Vandegrift posted a sub-15 minute time of 14 minutes, 53.4 seconds to win the boys individual title while Natalie Cook Flower Mound won in 16 minutes, 32.4 seconds, nearly a minute before Prosper’s Aubrey O’Connell came across in 17 minutes, 28.5 seconds.
The Woodlands coach Juris Green was encouraged with how the boys performed.
“All credit to Southlake,” Green said. “They ran great. You have to run great here. Not that I think we didn’t. They just stepped up oneand-a-half steps. I’m really proud of our boys. I thought we could win today and it just didn’t happen.”
The Woodlands senior Kyle Easton finished in 11th place in 15:21.1. Pablo Lessari was 15th in 15:33.2, Ben Reyes was 35th in 15:54.1, Straton Miller was 55th (16:05.3) followed by Simon Gingras (16:06.7).
“He’s been fantastic,” Green said. “He had a tough run today but it’s great competition out there. Pablo had a great run. Simon was hanging on with Ben and Straton for that fourth and fifth spot. Just had a great team day.
Can’t say enough.”
Sophomore Penelope Gracey led the way for the Lady Highlanders with an eighth place finish in 18:07.1. Gracey won her first career varsity race three weeks back in the District 13-6A meet.
“What a blessing,” Green said.
“If me honestly if I saw this coming in August, I’d be lying if I said yes. She has grown in confidence. She’s pulled up alongside Natasja (Beijen) and they just work really well together.”
Beijen, a senior, didn’t finish the district meet. Green said the
senior who finished the state meet 10th as a junior has been struggling with illness this fall. She finished Saturday in 14th at 18:13.7.
Boys 6A highlights
Katy Seven Lakes senior Ruben Rojas had previously run in two state championship races in his career. But his senior year had a bigger meaning. And his best finish,
Rojas took the bronze medal in the boys 6A 5K with a time of 15:08.5, a huge improvement on his 15th place finish last year and his 93rd place finish as a sophomore.
“It was amazing,” Rojas said. “I just feel like this was a whole cumination of four years of work. I’m sort of in a disbelief. I was telling my coach this race just about having faith in the whole four years I’ve worked.”
Rojas, who is committed to run at Syracuse, ran with a heavy heart. His grandfather Luis Betanzos died a couple months ago.
“It’s a great feeling,” Rojas said of medaling. “Especially since my grandpa recently passed away. One of the last things he said to me was just to keep running. I dedicate this race to him and all my family that told me I could get to this level.”
Greater Houston had two other top-10 finishers in Stratford senior Emanuel Galdino (sixth place, 15:16.8) and Pearland Dawson senior Noah Haileab (ninth place, 15:18.4).
Atascocita’s top runner was Oliver Maldonado in 30th place (15:52.8).
Girls 6A highlights
Klein sophomore Kathryn Koonts led the way for Greater Houston in the girls 6A race with a fifth-place finish of 17:46.6.
Koonts was 20th last year as a freshman.
“It felt good,” Koonts said. “There were a lot of times when I wanted to give up. But I leaned on my training and pushed through everything I had.”
Koonts checked off two items on her goal list in the process.
“My goal originally to break top-10 and break 18 (minutes) in a 5K” Koonts said. “And I finally did that.”
Koonts was followed by Klein Oak senior Gabrielle Hoots in sixth place in 17:49.2.
Klein Cain sophomore Felicity Hamilton just missed the top-10 in 11th in 18:11.
Class 4A highlights
Huffman-Hargrave junior Jetzibe Trevino finished ninth in the girls 4A race Saturday morning. Trevino ran a time of 11:48.6 in the two-mile race. Th Falcons finished in 11th as a team.
Patrick Flowers of Liberty was the top Greater Houston runner in the boys 4A 5K race as he finished in 33rd (16:46.8).
Huffman-Hargrave finished 11th, led by Vincent Zuniga in 52nd
(17:04.1).