Who: Dalhart, Decatur, Kaufman, La Feria, Fairfield, Bandera
Why: The team battle may be tough to predict with several teams in the mix. Kaufman and Decatur went head to head in the Region 2-4A meet with Kaufman coming out the victor with 49 points by only having a 31 second split. Don't count Decatur out as they do have some fire power and their top 3 runners are usually finishing within seconds of each other. Dalhart won the Region 1-4A meet and the key to their success will be their 5th runner. Their 1-2 runners finished within reasonable time and distance as did their 3-4 runners. As always, at a high level meet like the State meet, having everyone clicking on all cylinders is key to success and Dalhart will be looking to do just that. Fairfield is the Region 3-4A champ and the come in with a young squad but a little more seasoned than they were last year. They are led by a 1-2 punch of sophomores that always finishes close. Their team split is 46 seconds and if they can get their 5 runner closer to the 3-4 runner reducing their split they could have a good day on Saturday? Don't sleep on La Feria. They went head to head with Bandera at the Region 4-4A race and held their own. They were led with a tough 1-2 finish at the Regional meet and they look poised to get a trophy in Round Rock. The whole pack will be chasing the 2-time 4A champs Bandera. They won the Region 4-4A meet and are on a path to win their third championship in a row unless one of the teams can take them down. The key to taking down Bandera for these teams will be to get the best performances that they can get from their number 5 runners and try to get Bandera over 100 overall points. Bandera accumulated 94 and 90 points in their back to back victories and the second place teams were well over the century mark.
Individuals: Emily Garcia, Christina Hernandez, Kylie Purifoy
Emily Garcia of Alvarado is only a freshman and she jumped onto the scene early this year. Garcia won the Region 1-4A race in 11:58 and placed second at McNeil in the 1A-4A race with an 11:24. She has an 18:25 5K PR, so she can run with the big girls. Christina Hernandez is looking for her first Cross Country championship. She won State in the 1600 and 3200 back in May, and adding the Cross Country title would make her career even sweeter. Hernandez has had tons of XC success at State and is just missing the title. Kylie Purifoy of Crandall is another serious contender. She placed second in the 1600 behind Hernandez in May and has a season best of 11:30 when she won the Region 2-4A race. This should shape up to be a good race at the front.
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