CROSS COUNTRY: Burnet, Marble Falls and Llano compete at Burnet Relay
Llano High School junior Dane Black turns to begin his run.
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
BURNET — Area high school cross-country teams competed at the Burnet Relay meet Aug. 22.
Organizers divided the divisions into Classes 5A and 6A and private schools through Class 4A.
“The meet is unique because it is in conducted in a three-person relay format versus a traditional cross-country race where each runner runs a certain distance and is scored upon their placement and the team with the lowest score wins,” Burnet head coach Stuart Dixon said. “In this race, the medals went to the top three fastest teams.”
In the Classes 5A-6A girls varsity division, the Marble Falls A team of junior Sydney Gibson and freshmen Gislea Mata and Natasha Villalobos took bronze, while the Marble Falls B team of freshmen Berkley Powell and Olivia Conrad and junior Kim Boni was sixth.
The Lady Mustangs were running second and third until the final leg. Leander High and Hays Consolidated finished first and second.
“They had some really fast girls,” Gibson said.
She was the first Lady Mustang for the Marble Falls A team and finished her 1.3-mile run in 6 minutes 6 seconds. And though the race didn’t go their way Aug. 22, Gibson said Marble Falls has the ingredients to do well this season.
“We have so much potential this year,” she said. “Everyone is working really hard.”
Head coach Anthony Torns said his runners weren’t happy with the way the race ended.
“I like to see that,” he said. “They want to do better. They weren’t satisfied; they want more. Confidence will continue to instill in them. It’s a very good start.”
In the private school-Class 4A girls division, the Burnet A team of junior Jordan Boyles, freshman Trynadee Greenwell and junior Abby Bullock finished first. The Llano A team of freshman Meredith Zyetz and sophomores Olivia Lewis and Elaine Keeney was second, and the Burnet B team of senior Hailey Letterman and freshmen Kinley Beyer and Fatima Rodriguez came in third.
Llano head coach Joe Downey pointed out that Lewis was three minutes faster now than she was in August 2014 to illustrate how far the program has come.
“They’re way ahead of last year at this point,” he said.
Zyetz agreed.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting to beat everyone and lead everyone in the district. We did well competing against the big schools. I’m glad I had the opportunity to do this.”
In the private school-Class 4A junior varsity girls division, sophomores Crista Paik and Julyssa Silva competed as individuals and ran competitively, Dixon said.
In the Classes 5A-6A boys varsity division, the Marble Falls team of senior Ishmael Montoya, freshman Ty Gibson and sophomore Christian Ramirez was eighth.
“It’s a good starting point,” Torns said. “It shows them they have some work to do. Right now, we’re trying to get our young kids some experience and give them an opportunity to run and find out what they can do. We’ll keep building everyone else.”
In the private school-Class 4A varsity boys division, junior Jordan Killebrew and seniors Nick Menchaca and Trevor Turner placed second. Other Burnet teams included senior Slate Simpson and juniors Reid Burton and Jordin Belmarez. The third team consisted of junior Caden Farrell and sophomores Cole Younger and Tanner Abbott.
“I am excited about the runners and the efforts they put into the races,” Burnet head coach Stuart Dixon said. “I am also looking forward to seeing what these team are able to accomplish by season’s end.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com
RESULTS: Varsity Boys – (Classes 5A-6A; 10 teams): 8, Marble Falls (Ishmael Montoya, Ty Gibson, Christian Ramirez); (Private schools-Class 4A; 10 teams): 2, Burnet A (Jordan Killebrew, Nick Menchaca, Trevor Turner). Junior Varsity Boys – (Classes 5A-6A; 21 teams): 1, Marble Falls A (Benjamin Goad, Anthony Torns II, Devonte Torns), 2, Marble Falls B (Jose Jimeniz, Alex Castelan, Daniel Mata); 4, Marble Falls (Sammy Flores, Israel Gonzales, William Torns); (Private schools-Class 4A; 7 teams): 1, Llano A. Varsity Girls (Classes 5A-6A; 11 teams): 3, Marble Falls A (Sydney Gibson, Gislea Mata, Natasha Villalobos); 6, Marble Falls B (Berkley Powell, Kim Boni, Olivia Conrad); (Private schools-Class 4A; 7 teams): 1, Burnet A (Jordan Boyles, Trynadee Greenwell, Abby Bullock); 2, Llano A; 3, Burnet B (Hailey Letterman, Kinley Beyer, Fatima Rodriguez). Junior Varsity Girls (Classes 5A-6A; 11 teams): 2, Marble Falls (Tincia Ware, Allie Steward, Eloise Holder); 3, Marble Falls (Morgan Hagood, Natalie Schultz, Aspen Woerner); 4, Marble Falls (Emma Holcomb, Grace Dahl, Isabelle Martin); 6, Marble Falls (Taylor Wright, Tiffany Dunavant, Brenda Chavez)
UP NEXT: Marble Falls at the Lockhart Meet at Lockhart City Park, 504 E. City Park Road in Lockhart, at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 29. Burnet will compete in Run for your Oats at 8:03 a.m. Sept. 5 in Bertram.