Each year the state of Texas focuses its collective mind on the days that make up the UIL Regional Championships. These days are fraught with triumph and heartbreak as everyone fights for the right to be a state qualifier. This title means a lot, especially in a state as competitive and unforgiving as Texas. The competition is gritty and cruel however, for those who make it it's a feeling like no other.
However, qualifying for the state meet is one thing, but winning a regional meet as an individual is another. So much of our collective attention around this time of year is often aimed at which teams can win and qualify, however, it often feels as though we tend to forget about the individuals who take home the victory themselves.
So, with that being said, let's examine the seasons of our four 6A individual winners to see how they got to this point and what expectations we have of them going forward.
Caden Leonard at Region 1-6A
Photo Credit: Jan Smits
Region I: Caden Leonard
It'd be an understatement to say that Caden Leonard was the favorite coming into the UIL 1A-6A Region 1 Championship this weekend. The Southlake Carroll junior has been undefeated on the grass within the state for over a year now and has led a talented squad with another dominant season. In a state with so much competition, Leonard has been a cut above the rest and has rarely stumbled on his path to having two individual state titles and two team titles to his name.
As would be expected of someone with his accolades, Leonard came into the 2024 season as the favorite to defend his title. While he's slated to face some tough challengers next weekend, he's continually proven why he's the state's best in each of his racing appearances this season. He came into the season with outstanding personal bests of 4:02.46, 8:51.57, and 14:55.80, with the talented junior slated to improve the ladder much more which he's done to great effect.
Leonard once again started the year off at his home meet, the Southlake #1 XC Invite. This meet has become one of the state's best over the last two years as its combination of a fast course and elite competition make it a favorite for many. Leonard finished second last year, running 14:32.30 over a three-mile course, but looked slated to win this season and that's exactly what he did. Leonard dominated the now 5000m race in a time of 14:37.10, running a smooth and controlled race against some of DFW's best.
Next, Leonard jumped down to the three-mile distance at the famed Woodbridge Cross-Country Classic and found success against the nation's best. While the meet marked the first time Leonard hasn't won on the grass since NXN, he still came away with a monster 13:41.80 personal best and a fourth-place finish to his name. While he wouldn't race again for nearly a month, Leonard popped back up at the UIL 6A-District 4 meet where he won easily in a time of 14:33.50, a new personal best.
Over the weekend, Leonard defended his Region 1 title in Lubbock with yet another dominant performance. He controlled the race from the gun and pulled away to win easily in a time of 14:53.40. To say this race was dominant is an understatement considering he won by 14 seconds.
While the competition for the state title may be one of the deepest and most talented fields ever, it feels hard to pick against Leonard given what he's accomplished. He's dominated every race this season and always executes the right moves at the right time to get the job done. Time will tell, but Caden Leonard has executed yet another perfect season to put himself at the top of the pile in the race for the individual crown.
Benjamin Montgomery won Region 2-6A
Photo Credit: Olivia Martinez
Region II: Benjamin Montgomery
In an extremely similar fashion to his Region 1 counterpart, Benjamin Montgomery came into this weekend as the heavy favorite to win the UIL Region 2 & UIL 1A Region 3 Championship. The Bridgeland senior has had quite literally a perfect season, scoring four wins in four course record times across his non-championship appearances in 2024. He's yet to face any sort of challenge despite the strength of schedule taken on by his Bridgeland team and looked a force to be reckoned with heading into the weekend.
Montgomery came into the 2024 cross-country season with the unique distinction of being the only runner to take a state title over Caden Leonard in the last year. Montgomery, of course, did this in May over 3200m at the UIL State Championship, where he narrowly won in a time of 8:51.50. Outside of this victory, Montgomery also ended up on the podium at last year's state cross-country meet where he finished third in a time of 15:06.70 behind the aforementioned Leonard and Hudson Haley.
As has been mentioned numerous times, Montgomery's Bridgeland team usually prefers to run difficult courses instead of chasing fast times. This couldn't have been more evident after the Houston-based squad chose to open up their season at the Brenham Hillacious Invitational. Despite the difficult challenge presented by this race, Montgomery put on a dominant performance that saw him take the win and the course record in a time of 15:12.80. Next, Montgomery would continue his tour of southeast Texas at the Texas A&M Invitational where he again came away with a win and a course record in a time of 15:18.00.
In his final non-championship appearance, Montgomery and the Bears traveled to the OSU Cowboy Jamboree where he again took the victory and a course record in a time of 15:23.20. This victory was extremely impressive as this course is notorious for being difficult, as well as hosting the NCAA Championship several times.
Most recently, Montgomery defended his Region 2 title in Dallas this weekend with another dominant performance. Similar to Leonard, Montgomery took the race from the gun and never looked back. He won the race in a personal best time of 14:56.81, 20 seconds ahead of his teammate Griffen Saacke who finished second.
While it may seem hard to pick against Caden Leonard, if you're going to do so then Montgomery looks like the guy to go with. He's done nothing but dominate races and break course records this year and it's going to be a tall task to keep him from realizing his ultimate goal of winning the state title. It'll by no means be easy, but Montgomery looks like the most serious threat to Leonard's state title defense next weekend.
Benjamin Pearce wins the 2024 McNeil Inv. 6A Boys race
Photo Credit: Christine Langford
Region III: Benjamin Pearce
While Stratford senior Benjamin Pearce hasn't typically been considered among the state's top cross-country talents, to call him anything other than elite would be wrong. The Rice University commit has quietly built himself into one of the Houston area's top all-around distance talents. He's been someone I've had my eye on since August of last year, and his success in 2024 only serves to further show his prowess as one of the state's most underrated runners.
Pearce came into this season as the slight favorite to win the UIL 2A-6A Region III championship. He'd qualified for the state meet in the previous two seasons but failed to finish inside the top 40 in both appearances. However, Pearce's continued evolution took a big step in the spring as he qualified for the UIL State Championship in the 1600m. While he'd eventually finish seventh in the race, Pearce's qualification for such a talented field signaled more success to come in the fall and that's exactly what happened.
Unlike the two runners above him, Pearce raced quite frequently this season as we saw him compete five times before the championship season. He opened up his season at the BFND 4K Invitational where he came away with an easy victory in a time of 12:54.40. Next, Pearce would open up his season over 5000m at the Seven Lakes Showcase Invitational where he came away with another victory in a time of 15:33.30. He'd keep up this winning theme to start the month of September as he won the Strake Jesuit XC Invitational in a time of 15:31.50.
Pearce would win the McNeil Invitational 6A race in a time of 15:57.90 before finally finishing second at the Nike South Invitational in a time of 15:28.40. He'd race one more time at the UIL 6A-District 17 meet where he'd once again win in a time of 16:01.30.
Most Recently, Pearce took his first Region 3 title on the grass after a hard-fought race with Katy's Ryder Darcey. Pearce displayed exceptional racing IQ as he pulled away over the last half of the race to take the victory in a new personal best of 15:08.40. While he had to work for it, Pearce's exceptional racing earned him a hard-fought victory and his third consecutive trip to the state meet.
While one may not consider Pearce in the top category of Texas running, I think he should be. He has every accolade one could ask for on a regional level and has an incredibly high win rate across the 2024 season. It'll be interesting to see if he capitalizes on his potential at the state meet, but Pearce has had an outstanding season and should continue to be a name to watch in the spring.
Gavin Chapa wins 2024 Region 4-6A Championships
Photo Credit: Christine Langford
Region IV: Gavin Chapa
While the battle for the team title in Region 4 may have been a foregone conclusion, the battle for the individual title certainly wasn't. Three me conceivably had a chance to take the title, but San Antonio Reagan senior Gavin Chapa came away with the victory over Austin Vandegrift duo Hudson Haley and Kai McCullough. Chapa is a guy who's been criminally underrated over the last year as his resume speaks to that of an elite all-around distance runner.
Chapa came into this season off an outstanding 2023 cross-country season and an even better track season. He finished 10th at last year's state meet and would carry that momentum into one of the most impressive track seasons I've seen in recent years. Chapa would qualify for the UIL State Championship in both the 1600m and the 3200m where he'd go on to finish 6th in the ladder and pick up a silver medal in the former. He finished the season with personal bests of 1:52.63, 4:09.11, and 9:06.94, times which easily made him one of the best runners in the state.
When compared to last season, Chapa cut back on his racing in the 2024 season as we only saw him four times before the championship season began. He opened up his season at the Antler Rust Buster where he'd break off the rust with a victory in a time of 15:39.00. Next, Chapa would continue to break off the rust at the SA Patriots Invitational where he picked up another win in a time of 15:22.62.
Chapa's first big meet of the season came at the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival where he put on a performance worthy of the meet's status. In a competitive field, Chapa came away with the victory in a new personal best time of 14:57.00 in an incredible performance. His final non-championship race came at the McNeil Invitational where he'd finish second behind regional rival Hudson Haley in a time of 15:11.00. Chapa would also go on to win the UIL 6A-District 27 meet in a time of 15:21.73.
Most recently, Chapa won a tight race to take his first UIL 1A-6A Region 4 title. He displayed incredible poise and an outstanding kick over the last quarter of the race to pull away from the talented Vandegrift duo. This race served to further show why Chapa has quietly become one of the state's best as he used his speed and experience in championship racing to overcome a formidable challenge.
Heading into the state meet next weekend, Chapa looks like a legitimate contender for the podium and a dark horse to win the race. His victory over last year's runner-up coupled with the elite form he's shown over the last year peg him as one of the state's best runners moving forward. Nothing is set in stone, but if Chapa can have a similar race in Round Rock then the possibilities are unlimited.