When Killeen ISD’s cross country runners sprinted through the finish line at the District 12-6A meet Thursday morning, they were left with sweat-soaked shirts, mud-covered calves and sights set on someplace shady to catch their breath.
They also had plenty to celebrate after Harker Heights and Chaparral combined for 11 top 20 medalists and three regional-qualifying teams at the Heart of Texas Soccer Complex in Waco.
“It was a great district race. A little muddy, but everyone ran great. Proud of myself,” the Knights Blake Zimmerman said, glancing down at his spikes and the mess caused by the looping, 3.1-mile course.
The top three teams and top 10 individuals in the boys and girls varsity races earned at least an extra couple weeks of the season.
The Class 6A Region II meet is slated for Monday, Oct. 26, at Rolling Hills Soccer Complex in Fort Worth.
Full results can be viewed here.
More photos are here.
Zimmerman (16 minutes, 13.10 seconds) was third and teammate Kealin Sandifer cruised across in fourth (16:33.60) to help Harker Heights, last season’s district champion, secure runner-up and a berth into the regional race.
Bryan’s Diego Duran (15:44.06) claimed the individual gold and Lake Belton, new to Class 6A this season, used five runners in the top 15 to win the team title.
Also in its debut 6A district meet, Chaparral surged into the regional round with a third place showing buoyed by a top 10 performance from Damari Patterson (17:02.40), who was sixth.
The Bobcats edged Waco Midway by seven points for the final team spot.
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We’ve been pushing really hard in practice to accomplish this. It feels really good to come out here and compete,” said Patterson, who noted that the leading pack’s pace created what he deemed to be a fast race that takes runners twice through a tree-laden path. “I’m proud of my team.”
Harker Heights’ Ethan Hocking (12th) and Matthew Gruber (17th), and Chaparral’s Anthony Banda (15th) and Caleb Mendoza (19th) rounded out the KISD medalists in the boys race.
Aiming to continue their success as a 5A program, the Lady Bobcats met their mark by advancing through to regionals in third place.
Autumn Scotting (fourth, 20:17.50) and Kylie Girdy-Terrell (10th, 20:56.84) set the tone for CHS, which accumulated 72 points. Waco Midway (48) was first and Lake Belton (59) was second.
Bryan’s Ava Braden won it in 19:20.21.
“As a team, just looking at the rankings, we weren’t sure if we were going to make it, but we came out and pushed and we are really excited,” Scotting said. “Our whole team is just really close, so sharing these moments with these girls just means so much. It just grows the heart.”
Jazmin Walls (18th) and Joana Barcenas (19th) also medaled for the Lady Bobcats.