The season-opening cross country meet hosted by Temple High at Lions Park was renamed this year to the Coach Melvin Conquer the Hill Cross Country Classic.
Fittingly, on the ever-present hill –– a demanding portion of the landscape all-too familiar to those who’ve experienced its challenge –– was where Killeen High’s Emiliano Quintero changed the complexion of the race and tracked down Harker Heights’ Blake Zimmerman, who got off to a scintillating start.
Embarking on a two-lap, 3-mile course at what was previously known as the Temple Wildcat Invitational in sauna-like conditions, Quintero took the lead about a half-mile from the grassy finish line to nab first place in a time of 16 minutes, 14.42 seconds while Zimmerman clocked a 16:28.98 to give KISD a 1-2 result to jump-start 2026.
“To be honest, today, I went out there to have fun –– not worry about anything and just go out there and run,” said Quintero, his uniform sopping wet as though he just dived into a pool. “The goal was to be patient. I knew these kids would go out really hard. Once we got to the hill, I knew it was my go-time. Once I got closer to Zimmerman, I was like ‘Go, go, go.’”
The gold and silver haul highlighted a strong overall performance from KISD’s contingent in the boys Class 6A/5A race, which also featured five more top-20 finishes.
Shoemaker’s Matthew Patterson (17:01.21) finished seventh to join Quintero and Zimmerman in the top 10, and Harker Heights’ Kealin Sandifer (ninth), Shoemaker’s Blessed Enow (12th) and Ja’styce Reed-Williams (15th), and Chaparral’s Jayden Brown (19th) were the other medalists.
“It was an amazing race. Everyone runs great in this, even though it’s the hardest course all season –– the biggest hill,” said Zimmerman, a junior who also was second a year ago. “I had a big lead and (Quintero) caught me in the woods. I’m not sure where he came from but it was a great race by him.”
Pflugerville Hendrickson claimed the team gold followed by Lake Belton in second and the Knights, who were the District 12-6A champions in 2025, in third. The Roos were sixth and Bobcats seventh.
“I started heating up in the middle of the race. I dropped six places on the hill and couldn’t quite get my cadence back after that,” said Patterson, who had mixed feelings about his performance yet saw plenty of positives at meet No. 1. “I fell short of that sub-17 (time), but I’m just going to keep improving my stamina and work on my speed.”
In the girls 6A/5A race, Killeen High’s Deja Brooks paced the KISD crew with a 15th-place showing out of 78 runners in 21:27.63. The Lady Grey Wolves’ Brianna Hill also earned a medal by placing 20th in 21:46.
More photos can be viewed at www.killeenisd.org/photos.
The Lady Bobcats’ top finisher was Kylie Gridy-Terrell (28th), while Pauloma Patino (33rd) crossed first for the Lady Knights.
“The big hill and the humidity –– my legs felt done,” said Brooks, who shook off some of that fatigue with a sprinting finish. “Coach told me that I had 200 meters left. I saw the girl in front of me and I knew that I had to try to push to catch her. I pushed with all that I had left.”
Lake Belton won the team crown with Hendrickson taking second and Austin Anderson third. Chaparral was sixth, Harker Heights seventh and Shoemaker ninth.
To view the full results, click the links below.
Boys: https://tinyurl.com/4a49jka9
Girls: https://tinyurl.com/4u35uamj
Ellison will begin its season Saturday at the Waxahachie Woodhouse Invite.