Neighbors
Canyon and Canyon Randall once again dominated the UIL 4A Girls Cross Country
State championships in 2025. Combined, the two schools had fewer points than
third-place Salado. The two teams alternated the first four scoring runners,
but then Canyon clinched the title with the 9th, 10th and
12th place scoring runners. The 2026 season would appear to be headed
in the same direction as the two programs return 13-of-14 runners from last
year's State meet. In what has to be an anomaly, all 16 teams that competed at the
2025 State meet return at least five runners to 2026.
Top Teams
Canyon - What else can be
said about the 14x State champions? They have won the last two titles and only
graduated one runner from last year. Sophomore Presli Pool leads the way for a
top-5 that includes two seniors, a junior and one more sophomore.
Randall - Brooke French and
Rebel Rea might be the top 1-2 punch in the State. French has three podium
finishes in her career but would like to get that gold medal in 2026. If Nayomi Granados returns to past form they could have three of the top five runners in
the State. The big question is if they can match Canyon's #4 and #5 runners at
the big meets.
Salado - It is easy to predict
another 1-2-3 finish for Canyon, Randall and Salado in 2026. They have a State
title contender in McCall Boyd and an excellent roster to surround her. A
podium finish appears to be a good probability, but it will be difficult to
challenge for the title.
Stephenville - For most teams,
returning five runners from a state meet team would be outstanding, but for the
UIL 4A girls that is actually on the low end. Fortunately, they return their 1-5
starters, including Halle Rust who has a chance to compete for an individual
State title.
Best of the Rest
Andrews - The only team on
the list who did not make the State meet last year, but they should be able to
advance this season with a strong group returning.
Celina - They return a top-3
who were separated by 14 seconds at the State meet.
Davenport - Finished fourth
last year, but their top runner graduated leaving them in need of a true #1.
Fredericksburg - Read what I
wrote about Davenport. The only difference is that the Billies finished fifth
last year.
Huffman Hargrave - They will
be in the mix again this year with six returners including a strong first two
runners of Payton Miller and Brooklynn Lusk.
Top Returning Seniors
Bianca Bosquez, Robstown, 14th
in 2025, 29th in 2024
Abbi Brown, Fredericksburg, 37th
in 2025, 64th in 2024
Brooke French, Randall, 2nd
in 2025, 3rd in 2024, 3rd in 2023
Nayomi Granados, Randall, 20th
in 2025, 2nd in 2024, 2nd in 2023
Alexia Martinez, Fabens, 30th
in 2025, 7th in 2024, 66th in 2023
Ella Martinez, Canyon, 19th
in 2025, 82nd in 2024, 78th in 2023
Crickette Morris, Canyon, 15th
in 2025, 13th in 2024
Fabiola Prieto, Hillsboro, 17th
in 2025, 40th in 2024
Rebel Rea, Randall, 4th
in 2025, 20th in 2024, 18th in 2023
Eva Zabarcencu, Canyon Lake, 36th
in 2025, 41st in 2024
Top Returning Juniors
McCall Boyd, Salado, 5th
in 2025, 8th in 2024
Emily Gross, Dumas, 6th
in 2025, 6th in 2024
Halle Rust, Stephenville, 11th
in 2025, 51st in 2024
Michaela Sharber, Canyon, 13th
in 2025, 14th in 2024
Annie Stewart, Hudson, 9th
in 2025, 28th in 2024