-Written by Angela Jones
The District of Doom lived up to its name Saturday knocking out one of Texas' powerhouse teams. Four of the state's top ten teams ran in the District 5-6A race and only three move on. Lewisville Hebron (Flo50 #7) and Flower Mound (Flo50 # 3) tied with 60 points each. The district title was then decided by the sixth runner with Hebron getting the win. Southlake Carroll (Flo50 # 2) was just one point behind (61 points) finishing in third for the final regional qualifying spot. This is the first time Southlake Girls did not win the District Championship in 10 years. Flower Mound Marcus (Flo50 #4) led by Quinn Owen, won the 6A state title two years ago and was considered one of the favorites going into today's race. However, 64 points was only good enough for a fourth place finish in this highly contested race and now the #4 team in the state will not be challenging for a state title.
Earlier this week, we ran a virtual meet for the district 5-6A (See below) and we told you that this would be a very competitive race. The virtual meet had the race coming down to the four expected teams and it was a 4.5 point difference. The virtual meet had the teams scoring in the low 60s and the tie was for third place with Marcus winning it on the sixth runner over Southlake. The actual race was also in the low 60s and the tie was for first place between Hebron and Flower Mound.
The performances of the athletes and coaches did not disappoint and the race was closer than we imagined. Four points separating the four teams is evidence of how hard the girls raced their hearts out. Everyone knew going into the race that one outstanding team would have their season ended today, but who could have expected it to be in such dramatic and historical proportion?
On the boys' side, there wasn't quite as much suspense as the girls, but still a very exciting race. Southlake Carroll had a solid win with 36 points. Four of Southlake's runners finished in the top ten. This is Southlake Boys' eighth straight District Title. Lewisville Flower Mound led by nationally ranked Alex Maier, took second with 45 points and Lewisville Hebron rounded out the top three qualifiers with 84 points.