Angel Sanchez prepares to capture the 2022 UIL 4A Cross Country State Championships
2022 UIL 4A Boys Cross Country State Championships
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As the season progressed, the UIL 4A boys individual title was full of challengers looking to duke it out for supremacy.
Heading into the season, Hudson Bennett (Burnet), Angel Sanchez (Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis), Hardy Swann (Athens), Carlo Martinez (Gatesville), Abel Solorio (Cumberland Academy), Alexander Niemiec (Canyon), Chris Moreno (San Elizario), Kenny Bibb (Anna), Miguel Arce (Canton), and more were just a handful of the many challengers.
Throughout the season, that list would grow and the state meet race would be evidence of that.
After a half mile, the front pack began to form and lead the race. Niemiec led a group of 20 boys through the first mile with another packed group of boys just second behind.
The second mile would see Martinez, Bennett, and Sanchez begin to make moves with Martinez and Sanchez take things a bit further with just over 1K to go.
Sanchez used his sub 4:10 mile abilities to speed home for the win. His winning time of 15:47 was the only sub 16:00 in the race with Martinez at 16:00 on the dot in second. Bennett, finished third in 16:13.
4A BOYS 5000 METER RUN FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT POINTS 1 Angel Sanchez 11 Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 15:47.50 0 2 Carlo Martinez 12 Gatesville 16:00.30 0 3 Hudson Bennett 12 Burnet 16:13.90 0 4 Alexander Niemiec 11 Canyon 16:15.50 1 5 Jacob Berryhill 12 Pittsburg 16:16.70 0 6 Chris Moreno 12 San Elizario 16:16.90 2 7 Lathan Lewter 10 Canyon 16:17.30 3 8 Emery Crayton 12 Tyler Chapel Hill 16:21.00 0 9 Miguel Arce 11 Canton High School 16:22.60 0 10 Abel Solorio 11 Cumberland Academy 16:24.20 0
The team race was even more exciting than the individual race. With many teams entering knowingly being strong, only the race would be able to decide the top teams.
Despite the parody, the Canyon boys were the prohibitive favorites. Thoughts were executed as they ran to only a 40 point total thanks to a 16:33 team average. That was over 30 second better than the next fastest team. Their 0.59 second split was good enough to seal the deal.
Canyon's Alexander Niemiec and Lahan Lewter push for the finish line
TEAM SCORES PLACE TEAM POINTS SCORERS TIMES 1 Canyon 40 1+3+5+7+24 (33+61) 0:59 1-5 Split | 16:33 Avg 2 La Feria 107 8+9+20+34+36 (82+109) 1:00 1-5 Split | 17:09 Avg 3 San Elizario 147 2+17+25+47+56 (70+87) 1:56 1-5 Split | 17:21 Avg
The La Feria Lions were the unknown for most of the teams. The RGV boys showed how strong they were by executing a complete race. Their 17:09 team average and one minute split helped introduce them to the rest of the teams.
All of the rest of the hopes for a podium finish would come down to the fifth runner of San Elizario, Big Spring, and Giddings. San Elizario finished third with 147 points, Big Spring was in fourth just seven point back with 154.
Huffman-Hargrave, Kaufman, and Sanger were all there in sixth seventh and eighth place with 194 and 199 points.