The 4A and 2A UIL Cross Country State Championships took place on Nov. 1 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, Texas, and Hockley County had 11 runners compete with two athletes earning All-State honors.
Smyer senior Ismael Pizano was the highest finishing Hockley County athlete, placing third out of 152 runners in the 2A Boy’s 5K race.
Pizano ran a 16:33.10 to earn All-State honors, which Smyer Cross Country Head Coach Shelby Binion spoke on.
“Ismael performed exceptionally well at the state meet. He started strong, taking the lead early on. In the middle of the race, he took one of the turns a bit too sharply and hit his arm on a pole, but he pushed through the pain and finished in third place,” Coach Binion said. “His experience and knowledge of the course really showed. We are all extremely proud of him.”
What a gutsy performance by Pizano to push through adversity, and the same thing can be said about Sundown junior Kaytlin Clausen’s performance.
Clausen ran a 12:03.30 in the 2A Girl’s Two-Mile race, which was more than a 37-second improvement from her previous personal best.
She finished 10th out of 150 runners, a performance that earned her All-State honors.
Ropes sophomore Chase Schumm also had a good performance, breaking into the top 50 in the 2 A Boy’s 5K, finishing 44th with a time 18:08.90.
Schumm’s performance didn’t earn him any honors or a personal record, but Ropes Cross Country Head Coach Marianne Wolfe was still super proud of him and the season he’s had.
“As just a sophomore, he is the first male crosscountry runner from Ropes High School to advance to the state meet, and he has set a new standard for our program. He finished third at both the district and regional meets respectively, and though he had hoped for a better finish at state, he left it all on the course and is hungry to start training for next season already,” Coach Wolfe said. “What I’m most proud of is not the medals he’s accumulated, but how he represents Ropes and the outstanding young man he is. You’ll find him shaking hands, giving high fives and praying with his opponents before and after every race. He is the ultimate inspiration to his teammates and our junior high runners. A true sportsman with a very bright future.”
Great job by Schumm making an impact both on and off the course and raising the standard for Ropes cross countiy.
And rounding out the Hockley County competitors in 2A was the Sundown boys’ team, who placed 12th out of 16 teams with an average time of 18:57 across their runners.
Finishes in boy’s 5K for the Roughnecks included senior Jaydith Shelton in 18:29.10 for 64th, senior Rolando Rivera in 18:30.10 for 66th, junior Lincoln Keesler in 18:38.60 for 73rd, freshman Jaxon Reynolds in 19:28 for 108th, senior Daniel Mauldin in 19:38.30 for 114th, junior Ryder Stanley in 20:24 for 134th and junior Corey Goodman in 21:01.80 for 143rd.
In the 4A Boy’s 5K race, Levelland junior Saul Hernandez earned a 19th place finish out of 152 runners with a time of 16:11.50.
Hernandez was only a second and a half off his personal best, a performance that still made Levelland Cross Country Coach Justin Turner proud.
“Saul ran really well. His goal was to finish top 20, and he accomplished that by placing 19th out of 152. The goal is always to win the race but sometimes things just don’t go our way,” Coach Turner said. “Overall, it was a great year for Saul. He set out to accomplish many goals this year, and he was able to do that. His hard work and dedication to the sport paid off and I cannot wait to see what track season holds for him.”
As the lone Levelland athlete competing, Hernandez made the school and community proud with a great performance on the biggest stage.
The same can be said for the performances by Pizano and Clausen, and even the other eight Hockley County competitors as well.
Congratulations to all the athletes, coaches and schools on a great cross-country season.