UIL 5A Boys Recap: Colby Huntress And Grapevine Get Wins

Colby Huntress crosses the finish line as the UIL 5A boys winner

The race for the highest championship of the day on the boys' side kicked off at 10 this morning with much warmer weather at 56 degrees. 

Similar to the girls' race that preceded it, the battle for the team title was expected to be difficult, with multiple teams in contention. Grapevine looked elite all season, but several other contenders, including Aledo, Dallas Wilson, Lovejoy, and Frisco Wakeland, were all expected to contend for the title or the podium. 

Similarly, on the individual side, there was a mountain of contenders heading into the weekend, including several key guys whose individual performances were poised to have critical ramifications for their team's title hopes. 

Just like the girls' race, the boys' race broke out more in the style of a collegiate championship rather than a high school one. Through the mile marker, 21 boys came through between 4:45 and 4:50, meaning we saw little separation or indication of who would come away with the title at this point in the race. 

2025 UIL 5A Boys Cross Country State Championship race

On the team side, McAllen held a 22-point advantage over Grapevine, who sat in second with 124 points, while Weslaco East held third just two points behind. Aledo and Dallas Wilson rounded out the top five with 175 and 177 points, respectively. 

Through the 3200m split, Aiden Fitzgerald held the lead, albeit by a similarly minimal margin of 0.3 seconds. By this point, a pack of seven guys had broken away from the rest, with all seven coming through 3200m between 9:36 and 9:37. 

The team race at the 3200m mark was flipped on its head as Grapevine overturned a sizable McAllen lead to take the lead with just 82 points compared to McAllen, who held 97. Weslaco East held onto third with 140 points while McKinney North vaulted into fourth, up from sixth at the previous split. 

The final mile saw no definitive breakaway to begin with, as much of the leading pack of seven remained intact. However, as the finish line drew nearer, Colby Huntress was able to pull away and secure the state championship in a time of 15:06.70 after coming through the 3200m split in fourth. 

The race for the silver medal came down to the line, but Dayton senior Jaxon Asbill ultimately came away with the second spot on the podium in a time of 15:10.20 while Tyler Connelly of Aledo finished third just half a second behind in 15:10.70. 

Rounding out the team race, Grapevine turned what was a close race at the mile mark into an absolute blowout. They scored just 63 points to come away with a massive 51-point victory over second-place McAllen. Grapevine put two runners in the top ten and backed that up with insane depth, with their remaining scorers finishing 26th, 29th, and 46th. 

While the race ending at the mile mark would've been ideal, McAllen still held onto silver comfortably with 114 points backed by a strong performance in the top forty. Weslaco East held the order strong and finished a comfortable third with 129 points to secure the final spot on the podium. 

Whereas the previous morning's races and the 5A Girls came down to the wire and were decided by tight margins, this race was a blowout. Grapevine maintained their elite form and maximized their performance on the most important day of the year, and for that were rewarded with another state title.