Weslaco East and Donna Athletes compete at the 2025 UIL 5A State Championships
The Rio Grande Valley, a culturally rich and geographically misunderstood region along the southern tip of Texas, has long stood as a fertile landscape in every sense of the word. Though it's not a true valley but a river delta, early settlers in the 20th century labeled it as such to market the area's agricultural promise. Today, however, its fertility is being redefined, not in crops, but in talent. Specifically, a new generation of runners is reshaping the narrative of Texas high school cross country, bringing the Rio Grande Valley back into the statewide spotlight after decades of relative silence.
In recent years, the myth persisted that South Texas, particularly the Valley, didn't produce elite distance talent. Yet history tells a different story. In the latter half of the 20th century, teams like Falfurrias, Edinburg, Santa Rosa, and Pharr Valley View brought home six UIL state cross country...