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By Travis M. Smith | Ellis County Sports
WAXAHACHIE — Already dubbed a team to watch following a stellar pre-district season, the Waxahachie cross-country team will begin its race to Round Rock on Friday.
The District 11-6A championships begin Friday at 7:30 a.m. at historic Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie. No rain is predicted before the race, so the track should be fast — though it will be a little chilly (52 degrees) when the Indians and Lady Indians toe the starting line.
Both varsity teams will be eyeing an 11-6A crown, too. They certainly have the talent and times to make it happen.
Head coach Edward de la Cruz stated he expects both varsity teams to continue their strides toward excellence on Friday. He is equally proud of their efforts to bond as a team away from competition, such as volunteering with Worship Without Walls at First United Methodist Church.
INDIANS READY TO RUN
Waxahachie is the runaway favorite to win the 11-6A crown. The Indians’ top-5 times boast a split of just 42.60 seconds from the first to cross the finish line to the fifth. Their 1:19:10.70 total time is also five minutes better than second-seed Mansfield Legacy (1:24:30.47) and more than a full minute better in average time among the top five runners (15:50.14 – 16:54.09).
Those same times have Waxahachie currently projected to finish second behind Wylie in the 6A Region II championships later this month. Wylie boasts a 1-5 split of 42.48, total time of 1:19:00.63 and average time of 15:48.13.
MileSplitTX labeled the Indians as one of five “sleeper teams who could make noise in November.” The online publication that covers all things cross country and track went so far as to slate Waxahachie as the second-most likely varsity boys’ squad to make noise at the state meet.
The varsity boys climbed into the Cross County Coaches Association of Texas (CCCAT) 6A top-10 poll following a first-place finish in the UTA Region II preview on Sept. 10. The Indians were, unfortunately, replaced by Northwest Byron Nelson in the final CCCAT pre-district poll released this week — despite winning the Daniel Maberry Invitational hosted by Mansfield ISD on Sept. 29.
Junior standout Graham Scott will pace the Indian side. He is also the proud owner of two program records, both set this year.
Scott set the coveted 5K record with a 15:32 at the annual Waxahachie Woodhouse Invitational on Aug. 19. He then broke the 3-mile mark with a 15:14.20 the following week at the Southlake Invitational.
Scott currently sits with the 5th-best time in 6A Region II. Six-of-his-7 teammates are inside the top 40 and all seven are 11th or better in 11-6A, meaning Waxahachie has a real, real opportunity afoot.
As far as district standings go, Brock Morales (3rd, 15:47.50), Cooper Grady (4th, 15:48.00), Lucas Whitt (15:48.40), Jonathan Marsh (7th, 16:14.70), Lucas Acevedo (8th, 16:18.97) and Ezra Perez (11th, 16:41.50) represent the Indians. Those same runners rank 9th, 10th, 12, 33rd, 36th and 66th in 6A Region II.
LADY INDIANS POISED FOR RETURN
The Lady Indians are projected to finish third behind Mansfield Lake Ridge (1:42:32.10 total time, 2:18.00 split) and Mansfield Legacy (1:46:37.59 total, 2:32.24 split). Waxahachie will need to make up a little over a minute in its top 1-5 runner split times (3:25.50; 1:47:03.73 total) in order to move into the top two.
Junior runner Lyndsay Giles currently sits 9th in the 11-6A season-best times with a 20:47.20. The rest of the Lady Indians file in between 21st and 32nd in the pre-district times.
Those ladies include Sydney Garza (freshman, 21st, 22:07.20), Samantha Coronado (senior, 23rd, 22:29.63), MAlyah Reeves (sophomore, 24th, 22:32.60), Zoe Olvera (sophomore, 25th, 22:32.70), Mireille Camargo (junior, 26th, 22:37.20), Zakiyah Piper (junior, 29th, 22:45.23) and Whitley Blankenship (senior, 32nd, 23:04.12).
The Lady Indians most recently placed 5th in the Maberry Invitational hosted by Mansfield ISD. They also placed 6th in the UTA Region II preview on Sept. 10.
The Lady Indians will be without four-year letter winner and likely future Waxahachie ISD Athletics hall-of-famer Emilee Jones, who suffered a torn ACL. Jones would’ve entered with the fastest 2023 time amongst all district opponents. She clocked a 19.07:10 during the Woodhouse Invitational, just edging Meagan Meyers (19:08.40) of Mansfield Lake Ridge.
It’s honestly a little hard to believe that it was only three years ago that Jones and likely fellow future WISD Athletics hall-of-famers Emma Curry (Vanderbilt) and Alyson Moore (Kansas) finished 57th, 58th and 94th, respectively, in the 6A state championship meet. Jones finished that muddy run in 19:23.00.
The Lady Indians previously won their respective district titles from 2017-21, a feat not matched by any Waxahachie program in class 6A.
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Travis M. Smith, @Travis5mith
tsmith@elliscosports.com
