Mustang runners taking on district
Marble Falls High School cross-country runner Whitney Pittard and the rest of the squad compete in the District 25-4A meet Monday at Lampasas High School.
The Mustang runners are looking for a berth in the regional cross-country meet Nov. 8 in San Antonio. Photo by Daniel Clifton
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School boys’ and girls’ cross-country squads tackle the 25-4A District Cross-Country Meet Monday in Lampasas.
And the teams and coaches are going into the meet with high expectations.
“Everybody is excited,” coach Stephen Sanders said. “The kids have really been watching what they eat. They’ve been working hard and on Monday I think we’ll see some good success.”
The top three teams and top 10 individuals advance to the regional meet.
The district meet starts at 10 a.m. with the varsity girls followed by varsity boys at 10:20 a.m. “I believe we have a good chance to get to the regional meet,” Sanders said.
The boys team is led by Jesus Manzano and Anjel Guerrero. But the success of the team might just depend on the next three runners — Rene Perez, Robert Vidal and his brother Isaiah Vidal.
On the girls’ side, Sarah Holden leads the Mustangs. But she has help from Whitney Pittard, Marissa Williams, Katie Mosher and Katy Cooke.
“What will determine whether we get out is how well our No. 4 and No. 5 runners compete,” Sanders said. “The closer all our runners group together at the end, the better for us.”
Cross-country team scores are determined by a squad’s No. 1-No. 5 finishers. Those rankings are totaled up and give the team score. The No. 6 and even No. 7 runners can play big roles in the meet in case of ties.
This will be the second time the Mustang runners have raced on the Lampasas course. On Oct. 10, Marble Falls competed in the Badger Invitational. The boys finished fourth in the team standings behind district competitors Killeen and Lampasas. But in the Lometa meet, the Marble Falls’ boys dominated the Badgers.
Having experience on the course helps the runners, Sanders said.
“It’s very important,” he said. “Now they know where they are on the course in relation to the finish.”
On Monday, the Mustang cross-country teams will arrive well ahead of the start time so assistant cross-country coach Jonathan Jarrett can walk it with the runners.
“Coach Jarrett will tell them what to look for and what they need to be doing on each part of the course,” Stephens said. “Those pre-race walks are really an advantage to us.”
The Mustang runners have also been getting attention from the collegiate level.
Sanders said college coaches have already contacted him about several Marble Falls cross-country team members.
“I think that’s a big plus for our kids and for our program. It means we’re getting to the level where colleges like what our kids are doing. And it’s great for our athletes’ confidence,” Sanders said. “For a lot of the kids who run cross country for us, they don’t think they can go to college because of the cost. But cross country is opening some doors to them so they can become successful after high school.”
The district meet will be held at Lampasas High School, 902 S. Broad Street, and at the Hancock Park Golf Course, 700 Naruna Road, both in Lampasas.
“We’re definitely going to challenge for the district championship,” Sanders said.
daniel@thepicayune.com