Meet Recap: Lovejoy XC Fall Festival

The 2025 Lovejoy XC Fall Festival at Myers Park delivered precisely what it promised: deep fields, decisive moves, and team scores that will echo into October. The girls' race belonged to Savanah Moya (New Braunfels), who looked every bit the breakout star of September. After two runner-up finishes to open the year, Moya pressed from the gun (5:31 at the mile), matched the front group through two miles (11:35), and then sealed it with a measured final loop to win in 17:43.80-a new 5K personal best that improves on her previous 17:55 and validates the speed she sharpened last spring (2:10/4:53 on the track). Rowen Skinner (A&M Consolidated) kept it honest throughout (5:30/11:35), closing for second in 17:55.80 and reinforcing her status as one of 5A's most reliable low sticks. Host senior Camryn Benson (Lovejoy) earned a hard-run third (18:16.70), with Kylie Acuna (Denton Braswell) and Emily Armstrong (Lovejoy) in close attendance at 18:20.60 and 18:21.40. Depth defined the rest of the top ten: Paisley Bassett (Highland Park) sixth in 18:24.80, Bess Davis (Timber Creek) seventh in 18:27.20, Bridget Bernal (Lovejoy) eighth in 18:37.60, Reagan Noel (Plano East) ninth in 18:39.30, and Taylor Peck (Prosper) tenth in 18:42.90.

The girls' team race was a showcase of Texas 5A powers, and the hosts delivered. Lovejoy stacked three in the top eight (Benson-3, Armstrong-5, Bernal-8) and finished the job with Talia Orshalick (13th) and Sofia Dominguez (15th) to post a clinical 42 points and the day's best scoring geometry; Lily Fogle (17th) and Cailee Horinek (18th) were quality displacers that kept pressure on everyone's fourth and fifth. Highland Park answered with Bassett up front and tight support from Ryan Sontag, Finley Heckler, Stella Pruett, and Presley Pate to secure second with 74, the kind of pack that will travel well to regionals. A&M Consolidated rode Skinner's silver and a steady pack to third (124), while Prosper (127) and New Braunfels (137) rounded out a deep top five. With Plano East (176), Frisco Reedy, and Melissa also scoring well, Myers Park offered a clear read: Lovejoy has regained a decisive edge, Highland Park's compression keeps them within striking distance, and A&M Consolidated owns the single-digit ace that can swing big-meet math if the back end trims another 15-20 seconds.

Noah Cooper wins the Elite Boys race

Elite Boys

The boys' race produced fireworks and a statement win for reigning 4A juggernaut Canyon. Rhett Hulin (McKinney North) made the early running with a 4:43 opening mile, but by midway the Canyon tandem of Noah Cooper and Domenic San Miguel had taken command, splitting 9:48 at two miles (5:03 second mile) and never looking back. Cooper's last mile fractionally out-kicked his teammate (5:21 to 5:22) for a razor-thin victory in 15:10.40 to 15:11.10. The podium was rounded out by Andrew Malan (Frisco Lebanon Trail) in 15:15.70, while Hayden Gaunt (Dallas Wilson) surged late for fourth in 15:28.10. Hulin's aggression held for fifth (15:32.20) ahead of a wave of guys like Michael McCart (Prosper, 15:35.20), Jacob Marquez (Big Spring, 15:38.70), Tristan Arceneau (Lovejoy, 15:43.80), James Ellison (A&M Consolidated, 15:47.40), and Noah Johnson (Prosper, 15:51.10)-that kept the chute crowded and the team scores tight.

On the boys' team side, Canyon's one-two punch was the difference. With Cooper and San Miguel setting the tone and the Cougars' next three holding their nerve in the mid-16s, the three-time 4A state champions claimed a decisive team win (125) against a loaded 6A/5A field. Prosper's balance and front-end punch landed runner-up (142), McKinney North parlayed Hulin's low single and a sturdy pack into third (152), and Lovejoy-paced by Arceneau with Joseph Reid and Arjun Sharma close behind-finished fourth (153) in a margin that underscores how valuable fourth and fifth scorers will be in October. Big Spring's strong top three powered a fifth (175) ahead of a deep second tier that included Boerne, Frisco Wakeland, A&M Consolidated, Dallas Wilson, and New Braunfels. The lesson was blunt: Canyon is already race-sharp, Prosper is trending, McKinney North's pack is coming, and Lovejoy's depth remains very real.

Sylvie Harper wins the Varsity Girls' race

Varsity Girls

Myers Park served up a tale of two more varsity races at the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival. In the varsity girls race, sophomore Sylvie Harper (Bishop McGuinness) took control late and pulled away for the win in 18:20.30, with Farah Hughey (Sanger) next in 19:12.50. The podium then turned Kelly-green and red: The Woodlands' freshman trio-Marta Linde (19:30.50), Isabella Hallas (19:50.30), and Elise Hurst (20:16.40)-stacked 3-4-5, and that surge essentially decided the team title. The Highlanders closed the door with depth (scoring 3-4-5-19-26 for 57 points) to edge host Lovejoy (65), whose trademark compression (8-9-14-16-18) kept the pressure on through the final kilometer. Frisco Wakeland's balanced middle pack delivered third (121), while Bishop McGuinness-buoyed by Harper's individual win-finished fourth (155) after a steeper falloff to the fourth and fifth scorers. The result reads like a blueprint for November: The Woodlands has immediate impact freshmen and a scoring five that could look to join their top seven real soon. Lovejoy remains the state's metronome, built to steal places in crowded chutes; Wakeland is one back-end jump from joining that tier.

Luke Worthington wins the Varsity Boys race

Photo Credit:  Stuart Kantor

Varsity Boys

The varsity boys' race mimmicked the varsity girls race with another Bishop Mac win from Luke Worthington (Bishop McGuinness) set the tone up front in 16:06.20, then teammate Luke Bryan the Bishop Mac runner, not the coutnry music singer sealed the team's edge by claiming third (16:29.20). Sanger countered with brute front-half force-Daniel Martinez (16:08.20) in second, then David Martinez (4th), Bryden Meade (5th), and Travis Martinez (6th)-but the fifth-man differential swung the meet: Sanger's No. 5 crossed 18th, while Bishop McGuinness landed its fifth at 12th, delivering a razor-thin 34-35 victory (scoring 1-3-8-10-12 vs. 2-4-5-6-18). Dallas St. Mark's packed tightly for third (95), and The Woodlands took fourth (148) ahead of McKinney North (178). The lesson is stark for championship season: front-loaded teams can own the early scoreboard, but titles hinge on the fifth runner-Bishop McGuinness just proved it.