Photo Credit Jessie McCabe
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The Kaufman boys captured team gold at the Gerald Richey Invitational in Grand Prairie on September 10 and placed six runners in the top 20 out of 120. The Lions followed that performance with a fourth-place team finish at the Pine Tree Mike Darby Invitational on September 16 in Longview.
"We won regionals (at Grand Prairie) last year and I would suggest our times were not very good. But we went to state and ran really well," said coach Denver Stone.
"Every race is independent of each other. Every course is different, days are different. It is the hardest thing to read as far as where you really stack up for a district, regional or state meet. Especially state because our state is so big. Every regional course is different. We control what we control."
Stone said they concentrate on making sure they show improvement each week and hit the benchmarks they have set. The focus is on competing.
The senior-heavy crew is led by Edwin Rivera. Edwin led the team to victory at Grand Prairie behind a time of 16 minutes, 32 seconds on the registered 5K course. He turned in a 16:45 the following week, good for a sixth-place individual finish. He finished 67th in the elite boys division at the Garmin MileSplit TX XC Invitational on September 24 with a time of 16:50. Consistently an elite performer, Edwin placed third overall at state last fall with a 15:48.
"He is an intelligent kid. He is awesome, great to work with. He comes out and takes care of his business in a good way. He is about getting it done, he is meticulous in his form and fashion," said Stone.
Edward Rivera, who turned in a 17:43 at Grand Prairie, and James Raya, who registered a 17:47 there, have been among the team's consistent top four.
"They were solid runners in junior high. They have made their way through the program, worked their way up. James and Edward were on JV early on in high school. Edwin went straight to varsity as a freshman and was on a really good team," said Stone.
Another senior, Pierce Drake ran an 18:01 at Gerald Richey. A late comer to competitive distance races, Drake entered the fray in his sophomore year.
"It has been neat to see him come from where he was to where he is now. It's pretty amazing. He is a good story for the younger kids in the program," said Stone.
Sophomores Edgar Lozano and Kedran Bowman have been running in the 18-minute range, and Beau Thompson had been consistently running in top two or three. Thompson was out at Richey due to injury but was back for Garmin last weekend.
The Kaufman teams have built a strong tradition. The boys placed seventh at state in 2021 after missing the big stage in 2020 for the first time in 12 seasons.
While top 10 finishes are a major component in success, it is common knowledge that state medals are won on the strength of outcomes for a team's fourth and fifth runners.
"We are fortunate to have some top runners. When you have those, in terms of scoring, they can only increase a limited amount. From first place to fifth place is four points. Generally, your bigger scoring opportunities are going to be your four and five runners," said Stone.
"You have to assume you are always losing when you are running cross country," said Stone.
Coming up October 10, Kaufman will line up for the District 14-4A meet on their home course.