Madison Peters competes at the 2021 Southlake Carroll Inv.
Class 6A
Madison Peters (Pearland)is the runner to beat in Region 3-6A. She has three sub 18-minute 5K races this season and other than the Southlake Carroll XC Invite (7th place), her first 5K of the season, she has won every race of the year.
Peters' biggest challenge should come from Isabella Rubio (Katy) who ran a 18:09 PR at McNeil and sophomore Summer Call (Atascocita) who has a 18:32 PR.
The team favorite is Kingwood, who has been one of the best in the region the last couple of years. The Mustangs are back to their pack running with their 0:27 second split capability and their 19:12 average puts them in slim company.
Katy can also run a 19:12ish team average, but they have a 1:43 split, which gives Kingwood the edge.
Stratford, Clear Falls, and Cinco Ranch should also battle it out for the team qualifying positions.
The boys individual race should be completely opposite from the girls race. The winner could be anyone of five or more boys who could capture the title.
Stratford senior Emanuel Galdino won the regional title last year going 15:07 on a historically slow course. He is once again in contention for the win.
Reese Vannerson (Houston Strake Jesuit) comes in with the fastest time of 15:03 followed by Galdino. The two have had competitive races throughout their careers including several back and forth battles this season.
Ruben Rojas Betanzos (Katy Seven Lakes), Noah Haileab (Pearland Dawson), and Oliver Maldonado (Atascocita) are all-state caliber runners and capable of taking the win on Monday.
Stratford, Atascocita, and Strake Jesuit are the top three teams by far this year. According to the data, they all have sub 16-minute team averages and Stratford and Atascocita can run within 30-40 second compressions.
Katy Tompkins, Clear Lake, Seven Lakes, and Cinco Ranch are all quality teams and should contend for state meet qualifying positions.