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Bridgeland used District 16-6A as a launch pad. With Region II in Arlington only 10 days away, both the Bears and Lady Bears looked every bit like state-title contenders.
The girls' race opened with a reminder that this district still features individual star power beyond the blue and orange: Cypress Woods senior Laney Barnes hammered a 17:14.80, one of the fastest marks in Texas this fall. That was before a Bridgeland 2-8 wall (Hope Smith, Rowan Saacke, Susana Rawls, Alexandra Montgomery, Kate Garrison, Haley Hill, and Marianna Salazar) shut down the team scoring.
Smith has been the quiet revelation of the season for Bridgeland, and Saacke/Rawls gave the Bears a devastating 1-4 punch that mirrors their 2024 state runner-up DNA.
The girls' team story was straightforward and emphatic: Bridgeland 20 points with a 1:03 1-5 spread and an 18:50 avg, the sort of compression that wins in November.
Cypress Ranch (82) earned the runner-up plaque by packing five in a 42-second window, and Cypress Springs (94) grabbed the last ticket with a gritty top-10 from Elizabeth Alquicira and Kaitlyn Barnes and enough depth in the 3-5 spots to hold off late charges.
Cypress Woods finished fourth despite Laney's win; that underscores just how airtight the qualifying standard is when a top program like Bridgeland fills the top eight.
Girls - Top 10 Individual Qualifiers Not On the Top-3 Teams
(Top three teams were Bridgeland, Cy Ranch, and Cy Springs.)
| O'all Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laney Barnes | Cypress Woods | 17:14.80 |
| 11 | Addison Rose | Cypress Woods | 20:51.99 |
| 14 | Zuri Zarate | Langham Creek | 21:06.74 |
| 15 | Teegan Foerster | Langham Creek | 21:17.69 |
| 16 | Annabelle Zaraket | Cy Lakes | 21:25.20 |
| 17 | Aliyah Britt | Cy Lakes | 21:27.63 |
| 23 | Clarisa Brunelle | Cy Lakes | 21:59.88 |
| 26 | Christine Holmquist | Waller | 22:07.60 |
| 27 | Alison Monfil | Langham Creek | 22:23.85 |
| 28 | Aven Dehoyos | Langham Creek | 22:24.23 |
Girls - Team Results
| Pl | Team | Pts | Scorers | Team Time Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgeland | 20 | 2-3-4-5-6 (7-8) | 18:50 avg • 1:03 spread |
| 2 | Cy Ranch | 82 | 12-13-18-19-20 (21-25) | 21:19 avg • 0:42 spread |
| 3 | Cy Springs | 94 | 9-10-22-24-29 (34-44) | 21:29 avg • 2:11 spread |
| 4 | Cypress Woods | 113 | 1-11-30-35-36 (37) | 21:32 avg • 6:12 spread |
| 5 | Langham Creek | 116 | 14-15-27-28-32 (38-40) | 22:01 avg • 1:46 spread |
| 6 | Cy Lakes | 120 | 16-17-23-31-33 (39-41) | 22:09 avg • 1:38 spread |
| 7 | Waller | 202 | 26-42-43-45-46 | 26:15 avg • 6:55 spread |
On the boys' side, Bridgeland flexed depth that borders on absurd.
Ranked No. 1 in the latest CCCAT 6A poll and third at state last year, the Bears rested their top six (Griffen Saacke, Layton Carlisle, Maddox McCallister, Dean Rosales, Kyle Pawlak, Patricio Navarro) and still won with 23 points, a 16:34 team average, and a 27-second 1-5.
Sophomore Ilyes Benguedda (16:21.74) and senior Braden Greenaway (16:23.58) set the tone, while underclassmen Cale Huff, Mark Jeffrey, and Braxton Ramirez stacked the scoreboard. That's not just a district win, it's a program statement about how many ways this roster can beat you.
Cy Springs (77) and Cy Ranch (81) earned the other two tickets with tight packs and veteran presence; both teams' spreads (1:11-1:12) are regionally sound and should translate in a big field at Region 2-6A in Arlington.
Boys - Top 10 Individual Qualifiers Not On the Top-3 Teams
(Top three teams were Bridgeland, Cy Springs, and Cy Ranch.)
| O'all Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Aden Ortega | Cy Lakes | 16:41.11 |
| 10 | LeDaniel Harrison | Cypress Park | 16:55.21 |
| 11 | Ryan Speedie | Cypress Woods | 16:57.84 |
| 14 | Landon Deas | Cypress Woods | 17:13.06 |
| 17 | Daniel Payan | Langham Creek | 17:29.28 |
| 18 | Evin Williams | Cypress Park | 17:30.63 |
| 22 | Joram Barajas | Langham Creek | 17:33.69 |
| 23 | Jacob Hope | Langham Creek | 17:38.24 |
| 24 | Prashad Wadhwa | Cypress Woods | 17:39.67 |
| 26 | Daniel Tapia | Langham Creek | 17:47.03 |
Boys - Team Results
| Pl | Team | Pts | Scorers | Team Time Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgeland | 23 | 1-2-4-7-9 (12-16) | 16:34 avg • 0:27 spread |
| 2 | Cy Springs | 77 | 3-8-20-21-25 (27-30) | 17:13 avg • 1:11 spread |
| 3 | Cy Ranch | 81 | 5-13-15-19-29 (33) | 17:17 avg • 1:12 spread |
| 4 | Cypress Woods | 109 | 11-14-24-28-32 (34-37) | 17:32 avg • 1:05 spread |
| 5 | Langham Creek | 126 | 17-22-23-26-38 (40-41) | 17:51 avg • 1:20 spread |
| 6 | Cypress Park | 140 | 10-18-31-35-46 (50-52) | 18:20 avg • 3:58 spread |
| 7 | Cy Lakes | 176 | 6-39-42-44-45 (47-49) | 19:09 avg • 3:55 spread |
| 8 | Waller | 231 | 36-43-48-51-53 | 20:55 avg • 4:13 spread |
Takeaways:
Bridgeland's girls look sharper and deeper than even last fall's state-runner-up group; their 2-8 sweep behind Barnes' solo win says everything about championship readiness.
The boys showed they can win multiple ways, a trait that tends to matter most when the calendar flips to November. Cy Ranch and Cy Springs punched through with disciplined packs, while Cypress Woods, Langham Creek, Cy Lakes, Cypress Park, and Waller sent individuals who could absolutely extend their seasons to Round Rock with the right moves at Region II.