Future Stars Edition II

Texas Future Stars Edition I

Freshman Class Girls 2-Mile Rankings For 2025 XC Season

Freshman Class Girls 5K Rankings For 2025 XC Season

Freshman Boys 5,000m Rankins For 2025 XC Season

This is the second edition of Future Stars for the 2025 cross-country season-our weekly spotlight on freshman girls and boys who are already making varsity-level noise. The aim is simple: to surface the ninth-graders whose times, consistency, and race savvy suggest they will become "impact runner" now and "state contenders" soon. We weigh verified results from meets across Texas (and beyond), factor in course difficulty and conditions, and look for trends-drops week-to-week, competitive finishes in elite sections, and composure against upperclass competition.

Last week's Texas Future Stars: Edition I profiled six athletes based on four to five months of data. This week, we're back with another six who've forced their way into the conversation with eye-opening debuts, big-time PRs, and clutch finishes on major stages. From tactical wins to fearless front-running, these freshmen are changing the tone of their teams and re-shaping postseason expectations. Check below for the six athletes we're highlighting this week.

Girls

Montgomery freshman Haylee Hughes just announced herself to the varsity scene the same way she closed out junior high-at the front. In 2024, she stacked three JH wins over two miles (12:24, 12:45.16, and a best of 12:17.05), showing both range and rhythm on rolling courses. The takeaway was then simple: she could control the pace early and still finish crisply.

Fast-forward to Nike South, and Hughes delivered a statement debut against elite upperclass competition. Racing the Elite Girls section on a course widely considered long, she went out confidently (5:27.5 at the mile), stayed composed through two miles (11:20.6), and closed to 18:05.3 for seventh overall. That's a massive first-month benchmark for a ninth-grader-front-pack speed, no fade, and proof she belongs in the conversation with some of Texas's best right now. If she keeps stacking efforts like this, Montgomery has just gained a true low stick for October and beyond.

Lovejoy freshman Emily Armstrong wasted no time turning middle-school promise into varsity impact. After sweeping her 2023 JH races (12:44 and 13:17 for 3200m), she opened 2025 by lopping more than a minute off that best with an 11:21 two-mile win at the Rock Hill XC Opener. Two weeks later, she proved it wasn't a soft opener-Armstrong jumped straight into Texas' brightest lights, clocking 18:18 for 7th at the Coach T - Marcus Invitational, then returning with an 18:21.40 for 5th at the stacked Lovejoy XC Fall Festival. Three races, three statement finishes, and a clear pattern: she handles pace, traffic, and pressure like an upperclassman.

For a program chasing another UIL 5A team title, Armstrong's value is enormous. She gives the No. 1-ranked Lovejoy lineup a freshman low-stick with week-to-week reliability and late-race bite-exactly the kind of scorer that tightens 1-5 spreads at regionals and state. If her trajectory from 11:21/18:18 form continues into October, Armstrong won't just be a future star; she'll be a present-tense difference-maker on the podium.

Dallas freshman Jenna Priest arrives on the high-school scene with a résumé that already reads like a varsity blueprint. She spent her middle-school years chasing fast fields at DFW distance festivals, then capped her eighth-grade spring with polished track marks: 5:17.30 for the full mile, 5:24.36 for 1600m, and a trio of ~11:41-11:42 3200s at marquee meets (Texas Distance Festival and Lovejoy's spring invite). That combination of efficient cadence, even splits, and comfort in crowded, high-stakes heats translates cleanly to 5K on grass.

Early returns say exactly that. Priest opened her high-school cross season with an 18:24.80 at the loaded Southlake 5K Invite, good for 12th in one of Texas' toughest September tests. Now folded into the always sharp Dallas Ursuline Academy program, she projects as an immediate scorer with upside: her 5K already aligns with a sub-11:30 3200 profile, and her mile speed gives her late-race pop when packs tighten. Keep an eye on Priest as courses cool-if she converts that 5:17/11:41 range into continued 5K drops, she could become one of TAPPS' most impactful freshmen and a postseason mover for the Bears.

Derrick Mendoza spent his middle-school years stacking wins and sharpening race craft, and the clock shows it. On the track he doubled brilliantly, cruising 5:09.36 for 1600m and 11:20.81-11:29.99 for 3200m at spring invitationals, often sweeping both events on the same weekend. Those marks hint at two things you don't always see in an eighth-grader: aerobic depth and the ability to repeat efforts under pressure. More than just times, Mendoza learned how to control races from the front-settling early, squeezing the pace, and finishing clean-habits that translate directly to 5K success.

That translation came fast. Now a freshman at McAllen High School, currently No. 2 in the CCCAT state rankings, Mendoza has stepped immediately into the program's top three and is already moving the needle. He opened with a 9:58.90 two-mile at a tri-meet, then climbed quickly to a 15:46.04 5K runner-up at the Vickey Llanes La Maquina Invite after a 16:11 at the Hays CISD Invitational. The progression-nearly half a minute in one week against escalating competition-signals that his middle-school durability and closing strength are scaling to high-school distance. For a McAllen squad with state-level ambitions, Mendoza's emergence gives them another dependable scorer with upside, tightening the 1-5 spread and raising the team's ceiling as the postseason approaches.

Jonah Harris has been building toward this moment since middle school. As an eighth grader, he won the Almost 5K XC Meet two-mile in 11:06.17, a sharp indicator of aerobic talent following an earlier 13:35 for 2400m at the SFA Lumberjack meet. That foundation-efficient cadence, even splits, and a knack for racing in traffic carried into his first high-school workouts and early rust-busters. He opened this fall with a 10:11.00 at the Klein Oak steeple race and 10:34.01 for 3200m at the Tate Symons event, then handled the jump to longer grass with a 13:29 over 4K at the College Park Invite. The pattern: every step up in distance or competition has been met with composure and an immediate response.

September is when the freshman leap became obvious. Harris placed 7th at the UIL Region III Preview in 16:03.20, a top-10 finish that put him in the mix against seasoned varsity fields. Two weeks later, he leveled up again at Nike South, claiming 23rd and, importantly, rolling his first sub-16-15:54.60 on a course known to be long. That's a statement run: closing speed plus strength over a demanding layout. For Montgomery, Harris' rapid progression tightens the scoring pack and raises the team's ceiling heading into championship season; for Jonah, it's proof that his middle-school promise is already translating into varsity impact.

The first big proof point arrived at the Southlake 5K XC Invite, where Brickler ripped a 16:03.20 to place among the top freshmen in Texas on one of the state's deepest stages. For Lake Highlands, that time tightens the scoring five and gives the Wildcats another late-race closer; for Matthew, it's a launchpad. With sub-16 already within reach and track speed to spare, he's positioned for steady drops as courses cool and championship reps pile up. Keep an eye on his pack presence and last-kilometer punch-two traits that should translate to October breakthroughs and a compelling debut track season in the spring.