CALDWELL – Thrall High School and Granger High School had their cross country programs make the trip on Aug. 19 to Top Tier Training Camp near Caldwell to compete in the Mud, Sweat and Cheers relay to open the 2023 season.
Entries for boys and girls divisions were also divided into large (5A6A) and small (1A-4A) school groups as Thrall and Granger competed as four-member relay teams with each varsity athlete racing one 1.5 mile loop. Runners had to charge over small obstacles such as log jumps, whoop-t-do’s, large hay bales and shallow mud pits.
THRALL TIGERS AND TIGERETTES The Thrall boys took the course first as the quartet of senior Steven Fournoy-Walker, senior Ben Schmidt, sophomore Alejandro Estrada and senior Ethan Dahl placed eighth in their division with a time of 44:50.00. The Tigerettes’ first group also competed hard with senior Avery Koonce, freshman Gracie Webb, freshman Kayla Pouncey and junior Sarah Laurence placed ninth with a mark of 55:58.00, while the B team of freshman Carolyna Neiheser, sophomore Addison Ward, sophomore Cynthia Flournoy-Walker and senior Ashlyn Jarosed were right behind them in 10th with a time of 56:01.00.
This rigorous meet was much more about the Tiger and Tigerette student-athletes having a great time than results for Thrall cross country head coach James Cavender.
“I also told them I didn’t care about times or places. I just wanted them to have fun,” Cavender said in an interview with Casey Georg. “I saw Avery stop and help a competitor with a rolled ankle get over hay bales safely, CeeCee and Pouncey got to a hay bale and went backward for more speed. They just enjoyed themselves. That was the goal. So, we met that. I’ll have a better idea after this weekend once we run. It’s a 3k course, but it’s a true XC course. Considering practice times and the info available, I think we’re in a good spot for the season.”
Thrall will compete next in the Unicorn Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 26 hosted by New Braunfels High School.
GRANGER LIONS AND LADY LIONS The Lions and Lady Lions also had a blast at the relay as firstyear head coach Shelby Johnson brought her runners out to compete at the strenuous six-mile course. The Granger girls’ squad did very well as the freshman quartet of Eva Ramirez, Keeleigh Peace, Carli Cadena and Brooklyn Gaswint placed sixth in the 1A-4A group with a mark of 52:24.00.
As for the Lions, the Granger boys’ team also ran hard as junior Isaac Campos, sophomore Evan Youngblood, freshman Wyatt Sanchez and freshman Adrian Lizardo placed 12th with a time of 48:45.00.
Granger will compete next in the Belton Cross Country Invitational on Friday, Aug. 25 hosted by Belton High School.
