#10
#10
Girls Individual: Laredo Nixon senior Alexa Rodriguez is one of the top girls in South Texas. She was undefeated on the year until the FEAST Patriot Invitational where she took second place. In that race, she didn't have 100% health, but she needed to get a run in with a top competitor and she got that with Emma Heslop of San Antonio FEAST. Rodriguez has a season best of 18:18 and with a better ankle, she should be looking to run fast this weekend.
Boys Individual: Nathan Perez from San Antonio Warren is a stud. He has the track speed, which he uses periodically in his 5K. His 1:56, 4:18, and 9:18 come in pretty handy when trying to keep up with the established distance runners. He is never out of the race, so the best bet is to not be in his range in the last 800m of the race. If he can see you with 200m to, it's just about over, because the dude can kick!
Girls Team: They're not a UIL 5A or 6A team. They're not TAPPS team. They're not even in the SPC. San Antonio FEAST is a home school team, but don't make a mistake, they are one of the best teams in Texas. They are dealing with some injuries and some top girls not returning from last year, but they could be a top 10 team at this weekend's McNeil race.
Boys Team: Smithson Valley hasn't had the season many expected them to have. They were potentially a top team nationally and definitely in the state at the beginning of the season. They even got beat in the first meet of the year pretty handily by Round Rock. However, it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish. The Rangers finished very strong last year and it all started right around this time of year. Last week, at the Chile Pepper Festival, they had their best performance of the season. Did they totally just disregard the beginning of the season? Is their fitness taking off and are they ready now? Was this their plan all along? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, watch out for Smithson Valley!