BMS runners finish in top four of each race

“This was the first meet that we ran in four divisions, and I was very pleased with the way all our team members competed,” coach Keri Waide said. 

Team standings for the eighth-grade boys were the closest of all the races, she said. Only 14 points separated first place from fourth place, she added.  

However, that did not matter to the Bullpups as they won the district title by a point.

Burnet edged Fredericksburg, 54-55, while Llano (65) was third and Liberty Hill (68) finished fourth.  

Burnet’s Cutter Sims edged out Sammy Garcia of Fredericksburg by only a half second to claim the individual district champion medal with a time of 12 minutes 30.22 seconds.

Burnet’s Colby Walker was fourth and Aaron Johns finished fifth. Other members were Kyle Myers at 18th place and Ty Johnson at 33rd place.  “Cutter and Kyle were the only two runners I had returning from last year’s team,” Waide said. “They did a great job all year long stepping up and being leaders for our program.  Colby, Aaron and Ty did a great job for us, and I am so excited that they decided to come out and run this year.”  

The seventh-grade boys finished as the district runner-up behind Liberty Hill.  

Joe Parker received a medal for his third-place overall finish. Other members receiving ribbons for top 15 finishes were Derek Kiser at eighth place, Shane Williams at ninth and Trenton Hafley at 13th.  

Seth Timmons finished 19th, while Price Carpenter was 21st, Brian Bullock was 23rd, Blayne Parisher finished 28th, Cody Williams was 35th, Trey Smith finished 36th and Colt Fox was 41st.

“I was very excited for these kids and the way they have competed all year long,” Waide said. “A large number of them are also members of the football team, and I know it’s hard to do both sports at the same time, but I think they have done a great job of balancing the two.” 

The Burnet eighth-grade girls finished third behind Liberty Hill and Fredericksburg. 

Riana Bond was the Lady Pups top finisher at fourth place, followed by Kadie Jones at eighth place, Kathryn Drake at 10th, and Mariah Qualls at 11th place.  

Other members of the team include  Makayla Adair at 22nd, Jalee Hill at 23rd, Madeline Parker at 27th, Alex Perez at 37th, Ariella Horner at 39th and Shaylan Edwards at 44th.  

“This group of eighth-grade girls has been the backbone of our team this year,” the coach said. “Most of them ran last year as seventh-graders and really stepped up and were great leaders for us throughout the season. I look forward to their continued success as they enter high school.”

In the seventh-grade girls division, Burnet finished fourth behind Liberty Hill, Fredericksburg and Wimberley. 

Haley Frank (10th), Alli Styron (14th) and Jimena Lopez (15th) received ribbons for finishing in the top 15.  

Also scoring for the team were Brittney Barksdale at 20th place and Alli Doucet at 21st place. Other team members competing were Tyler Hinson at 41st, Emily Justus at 44th place and Mandi Cockrell, who has been battling a knee injury all season and was unable to finish the race.  

“These girls have done an outstanding job all season long, pushing each other every day in practice and in meets,” Waide said. 

The success of the season is because of many people who helped, Waide said, especially assistant coach Glen Hafley.