The last few days have been some of the most important days of the year for many teams around the state as some achieved their years-long dream of making the state meet, while others fell just short of the ultimate goal.
As is usual with the regional meets, we've been left with a lot to unpack and discuss as we've got our last look at the best teams in the state before they all go head to head in Round Rock on November 3rd and 4th.
Some of our regional meets went largely as expected with the predicted contenders qualifying where they should've while other meets saw some surprise teams make the jump with state qualifications.
Nonetheless, it was an action-packed few days of racing that left us with a lot of questions that needed to be answered.
So with that being said, let's unpack what happened at the regional meets for the 6A boys and see what we can take as we head into the most important race of the year.
Photo Credit: Mylene T. Cannon -
Benjamin Montgomery presses to the finish line at the Region 2-6A Championships
A Changing Of The Guard In Region II
For nearly a decade The Woodlands boys have held a grip over Region II, with questions around their victories being how it would happen rather than if it would happen. However, heading into this season the Highlanders had a lot of questions surrounding whether or not they'd be able to sustain their dominance with several Region II teams seeing consistent improvement over the last few years.
Despite their historical prowess, The Woodlands fell short this year as the consistent and youthful Bridgeland proved to be too much for the Highlanders in this race.
While those who follow the sport more casually may not be as aware of Bridgeland as they should, the Bears are a team that's been on the cusp of this accomplishment for several years now. In just their seventh year of existence, Bridgeland has now qualified their third team to the state meet with this being their first time as Region II champions. However, while Bridgeland has had several talented teams, their main weapon is their culture.
One of the key aspects of the great Bridgeland teams we've seen is their ability to mix youth with experience. The Bears always have a diverse array of runners on their teams from experienced seniors down to talented freshmen.
This can be attributed to the team's emphasis on fostering its youth from the start and showing a true belief in the idea that those who remain consistent and work the hardest will be rewarded. This emphasis on cultivating a consistently diligent team dynamic regardless of age or experience has culminated in this year's Bridgeland team being comprised of five sophomores and just two upperclassmen.
However, just having a good culture doesn't win you races and this Bridgeland team evidently knows that as they turned in yet another consistent performance on Tuesday. Benjamin Montgomery was able to assert himself early on and take home the win while Bridgeland's depth did what needed to be done and held a strong presence near the front of the pack to bring home the victory.
It could be said that Bridgeland's victory is symbolic of a changing of the guard in Region II and when you look at the makeup of this team it makes sense. The Bears return six of their top seven runners next season and all five point scorers meaning this team isn't going anywhere. Overall, this victory is symbolic for both Region II and Bridgeland as the Bears now have a Region II championship that represents seven years of defining culture and consistent hard work.
Photo Credit: Gabriel Nieland -
Region 1-6A boys compete
Region I Remains The Tightest Race
Anyone familiar with the makeup of Texas cross-country and the 6A Boys division, in particular, will tell you that the amount of talent in Region I is almost unfair. With the top spot on the podium seemingly a sure thing each year, the battle for the other three qualifying spots is anything but easy. As expected, this year remained the same as it could be argued there were six to seven teams that probably deserved to be state qualifiers however they unfortunately fell victim to the Region I gauntlet.
As expected, Southlake Carroll didn't face much competition as the Dragons took care of business, scoring fifty points for the win and finishing with the fastest team average by twelve seconds.
However, the battle for the final three podium spots was as tight as one could ever hope it to be as six teams battled to take three spots.
McKinney Boyd who've had nothing short of a dream season took second place by a fairly large margin, scoring eighty-six points and not facing much adversity. Boyd remain a perfect example of the idea that rankings don't define a team and also don't tell us everything as this is a team that came into the season unranked.
Despite this, they've pushed hard and now have a strong case for being a top-five team in the state through their continued production. Much of Boyd's success can be attributed to the outstanding work of Caleb Millard and Joaquin De La Cruz who've led from the front for the Broncos the entire season and given them a chance to win every race.
Millard and De La Cruz finished fourth and fifth respectively at the regional meet and look out for them to potentially lead a surprise push onto the podium next Saturday.
Coming in third were the ever-consistent El Paso Franklin who've rode a hot start to the year all the way to the state meet. Franklin have been led by outstanding senior Matthew Engle all year who finished seventh on Monday in a time of 15:22 and gave Franklin the low stick they needed to qualify. Engle was also closely followed by fellow senior Juan Leal who finished twelfth in a time of 15:31.
Ultimately, Franklin was able to qualify thanks to their two low sticks producing as expected and their depth doing their job when it came down to it. They've had a consistently solid season and have survived what will likely be their toughest race of the year.
The battle for the fourth and final qualifying spot was anything but easy to predict as Northwest Nelson, El Paso Eastwood, Coppell, and Prosper all had a legitimate shot. However, when it came down to it, El Paso Eastwood was able to put together the right race at the right time and come out on top for the final qualifying spot.
Eastwood was led by junior Aidan Torres who fought valiantly for the win but came up just short in a time of 15:16 which was good enough for second. Outside of Torres, Eastwood were largely able to mitigate their biggest concern coming into the race which was their large split as they ran much closer together than they had all year, particularly in the midfield.
When you combine Torres's valiant effort with this significant improvement, it's no wonder how Eastwood was able to put together a great race and secure the final qualifying spot out of Region I.
Region 3-6A Championship race
Tompkins Remains Dominant In Region III While Others Surprise
As with Region I, it felt like the team champion heading into the Region III championship was a forgone conclusion as Tompkins had been a beacon of consistency all year.
However, the battle for the other three qualifying spots was the most intriguing and surprising out of all the regions as we saw the biggest surprise team qualify while two other programs found their way back to the state meet for the first time in a long time.
As expected, Tompkins continued what's been an ideal season so far as they came away with yet another victory thanks to a strong and tight presence at the front of the race. Parker Wood led the way for the Falcons once again as he finished third in a time of 15:23, narrowly missing out on a personal best.
As with every Tompkins race this year, Wood was followed closely by Griffen Saacke who finished tenth in a time of 15:45, and senior Austin Garcia who finished sixteenth in a time of 15:57. Tompkins went on to score just seventy-eight points for a smooth victory.
Finishing behind Tompkins in the second spot out was Katy who more than maximized their predicted potential heading into this meet. Katy was a team that quietly got better and better throughout the year and it worked wonders for them when it mattered as the Tigers came in second by a relatively comfortable margin of twenty-eight points.
Katy was led by senior David Kalwahali who finished just outside the top ten in a time of 15:46. However, Katy's presence near the front of the race was also backed up by Ryder Darcey who finished eighteenth, and Joshua Perez who finished inside the top twenty-five.
Overall, Katy had the exact race they needed to in order to maximize their potential and have been rewarded with their first state qualification in several years as a result.
Sliding into the third qualifying spot was Clear Lake who's had a consistent year behind outstanding senior Sam Golla who nearly brought home the individual win. Golla has been the catalyst for Clear Lake's success this year as he's given this team a chance to contend in every race.
However, one man can't get your team to the state meet and this team knew that as they stepped up and did what they needed to do to qualify. The Falcons finished with a team average of 16:21 over a tight and difficult race and have a state qualification for their efforts.
Lastly, and perhaps the most surprising team to qualify for the state meet this year is Deer Park whom I have to admit I completely missed when making predictions last week.
Deer Park had what was a good season by and large however to understand their state qualification we have to understand how their race went. Deer Park were led by senior Julian Andrade who finished eighth in a personal best of 15:44, Andrade was then followed by Manuel Garza who finished fourteenth in a personal best of 15:49.
When looking at the makeup of their race it becomes evident that Deer Park simply did the best thing you can do at a regional meet, have a good day on the right day. Deer Park had a great day on the right day and their valiant effort has been rewarded with a state qualification.
Region 4-6A championship race
Vandegrift Remains The Class Of Region IV
For a few years now it feels like Austin Vandegrift have been the class of Region IV as their two-time state champion Kevin Sanchez led the way followed by an outstanding supporting cast. However, without Sanchez, some speculated as to how this team would react to losing quite literally the best runner in the state.
Looking back at the season they've had, it'd be safe to say that Vandegrift have been able to handle this change quite comfortably as they've had an impressive season as the clear number two team in the state.
Vandegrift was led by junior Hudson Haley who once again proved that he's been more than capable of leading this talented team as he came away with a comfortable victory in a time of 15:22. Haley was then followed by four of his teammates who finished within sixteen seconds of each other to easily secure the victory for the team.
However, while another regional victory is certainly nice, one has to wonder whether this Vandegrift team can mount a realistic challenge to Southlake Carroll at the state meet.
While taking down the Dragons doesn't appear to be likely as this has proven to be pretty much an impossible feat over the last few years, this Vandegrift team is certainly capable of making Carroll uncomfortable and the way in which they could do it isn't as complicated as one might think.
When you look at this team on paper, Haley is easily one of the top runners in the state as he's able to contend for the win in every race that he competes in. He gives Vandegrift a consistent low stick and can potentially challenge for the individual title at the state meet.
However, the real race happens behind Haley as in order for the Vipers to be able to mount a significant challenge, their depth is gonna have to step up. That being said, if Vandegrift's second through fifth runners can improve just a little bit, this team could really push Southlake Carroll to the line at the state meet.
For now, Vandegrift will surely be content with yet another Region IV title and will focus their next two weeks of training on getting as close as they can to the Dragons of Southlake in order to potentially take home a state title in Round Rock.