Ellison boys cross country head coach Jesse San Miguel was in the middle of describing the work that runners Aiden Hill and Andy Harper put forth this season, saying that it traces back to mid-July.
Hill, politely, of course, intervened.
“Uh, Coach. It actually goes back longer than July,” Hill noted.
Either way, the training led the two juniors to the Class 5A UIL State Cross Country Championships on a sun-splashed Friday morning at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock where the Eagles basked in their accomplishment of qualifying and also learned some lessons for what they hope is a return trip next fall.
“We worked so hard and we kept telling ourselves that we were going to make it, and look where we are today,” Hill said. “It’s beautiful.”
Hill, who won the District 16-5A championship and was 14th two weeks ago in the Region II race to secure his spot on the starting line Friday, finished 69th in his state debut with a time of 16 minutes, 39.90 seconds.
Harper, the 16-5A runner-up who was 17th at the regional, crossed in 17:51.20 for 136th in his debut.
“I’m really proud of them. They represented not only their school but the entire district quite well,” San Miguel said. “Getting here and rubbing elbows with other elites, there’s a lot to be said for that.”
Austin Anderson’s Colby Huntress won the individual gold in 15:06.80 while Grapevine claimed the team title. McAllen was second and Welasco East third.
Hill and Harper’s appearance marked the fifth consecutive season in which the Ellison boys team was represented at the state meet. They followed two-time qualifiers Aaron Crittenden and Ethan Carranza.
“It’s not always going to be your day,” Harper said. “I’m just glad to be here and I appreciated seeing my teammates around the course the whole time. It helped me having them here.”
While the two runners are familiar with the 3.2-mile course that takes runners on a large loop with plenty of turns and elevation changes, there’s no getting around the difficulty level –– especially with more than 150 runners packed together.
“Whenever you think of cross country, you definitely think of this course. You’ve got hills. You’ve got mud. You’ve got all types of terrain. It’s a tough course but it is fun,” Harper said.
As far as their lasting impressions of their first state meet, both said they are determined to return and now have a few notes to study as they embark on that quest.
“It set the standard for where I need to be and what I can do,” Hill said.
Added Harper: “The whole goal was to get here but I didn’t really have a plan for the race. Next year, I’m going to plan what I’m going to do at state.”