Hot, humid weather can't slow No. 5 Keller girls at UIL Champs

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Once more, extreme weather played havoc Saturday with the Texas UIL Cross Country Championships as heat and humidity at Old Settlers Park took its toll on the competition. 

The rain and mud from two years ago might have been preferable to the oppressive conditions this year.

Alex Maier of Flower Mound, the No. 2 runner in the country, dropped out of the Class 6A boys race and walked to a medical tent to seek treatment. The 6A races were still relatively early, but the mercury had already climbed into the 80s  by 10 a.m.

Maier's teammate, sophomore Jarrett Kirk, won the 6A boys race in 15:02.5.

The Keller girls demonstrated their strength in the 6A girls race, with a lead trio going 2-8-9 and all three going under 17:50. Team leader Julia Black sprinted from fifth to second in the final 50-100 meters. Keller scored 63 points.

Halena Rahmaan, a junior from Montgomery, won the 6A girls race in 17:16.3.

Kingwood, the school that was flooded by Hurricane Harvey's massive rains, qualified both of its cross country teams to the state meet. The boys finished sixth, the girls 15th.

In the 6A boys race, The Woodlands slipped past Southlake Carroll 88-94. El Paso Eastwood was third with 123.

Fortunately for the Class 5A entries, the races were contested before 9:30 a.m.

Sophomore London Culbreath of McKinney North ran a sensational time of 16:55.9 for her second state title. Likewise, sophomore Graydon Morris of Aledo ran 14:58.9, improving from third place in 2016. Morris' twin sister Gracie placed third behind Culbreath.

The Class 4A races came at the end of the schedule and were run with temperatures soaring past 90 degrees. Freshman Edwin Gomez showed courage and toughness to win the boys race in 15:36.1. He was further rewarded when his team put three more in the top 20 and won the team title. The shorter girls race (3,200 meters) went to Emily Garcia of Alvarado, who ran 11:28.6.  

Kevin Baez of Vanderbilt Industrial ran 15:39.5 to win the 3A boys title and Luling went 2-3-7 upfront to claim the team win. Jenna Brazeal of Little River Academy won the girls race in 11:36.9.

Class 2A belonged to Sundown, which swept the team titles. Sydney Reynolds of Valley View won the girls final in 12:03. Steven Quintanilla of Sundown got the race win in 15:56.5.

Nazareth put three in the top 14 to win the 1A girls title. Jorja Bessonett of Cumby Miller Grove won the final in 12:01.2. Austin Zirkel of Medina ran 15:34.8 to claim the boys win. Cumby Miller Grove put three in the top nine.

Team Champions

Class 6A Boys - The Woodlands 88 points

Class 6A Girls -Keller 63 points

Class 5A Boys - Lucas Lovejoy 69 points

Class 5A Girls - Frisco Liberty 122 points

Class 4A Boys - San Elizario 53 points

Class 4A Girls (3,200) - Bandera 73 points

Class 3A Boys - Luling 43 points

Class 3A Girls (3,200) - East Bernard 79 points

Class 2A Boys - Sundown 45 points

Class 2A Girls (3,200) - Sundown 76 points

Class 1A Boys - Cumby Miller Grove 32 points

Class 1A Girls (3,200) - Nazareth 47 points