Fielding a group of 90 or more students running in the early morning hours was a common sight last month for Hays Rebel head cross country coach Traci Hightower.

Those numbers, which have grown over the course of the past few seasons, can partially be attributed to the high volume of students on campus.

The biggest motivator stems from the success Hightower and the cross country program has had in recent years.

Four straight years of a girls cross country athlete reaching the state meet will generate a lot of interest.

For Hightower, seeing those students participate every morning speaks volumes about the commitment they are making to the program. She believes that commitment can translate to success as the program nears the district meet. 

“It’s a testament to the quality of kids in the program. It takes a unique set of skills, like grit, to want to get up and run,” Hightower said. “But they’re all buddies and they’re friends and they greet each other and cheer each other on.”

On the boys side, the Rebels are led by returning runners Jaden Tumale and Daniel Garraway, who have so far posted top-tier times in recent meets.

At last weekend’s Cedar Park invitational, where the Rebel boys team took 5th out of 23 teams, Tumale posted the ninth best time out of 187 runners at 10:33.6, while Garraway finished 15th at 10:46.1.

Joining Tumale and Garraway are Chase Bennett, Kip Appleton and Omar Guzman, as well as Preston Jones and Aidan Vocke.

Meanwhile on the girls side, freshman Abigail Parra and sophomore Adia Vera are starting to find success, with both runners finishing in the top-20 at the Cedar Park Invitational.

Helping them are upperclassmen Brissa Diaz, Alexis Berry and Deasiah Batton. Hightower said the girls team understands the excitement of the season and possibility of reaching past district.

“We’re taking it one step at a time. The boys are the same,” Hightower said. “We are going to keep moving and hope to stay healthy. We’re getting to the point where getting to state is a reality and not a dream.

Focusing on the strength of the pack is the goal for Rebel runners as they progress through the season.

“They’re all running close to each other, which is what we want to have for our team, both boys and girls,” Hightower said. “We want the lead runner pushing others and the idea is the rest of our pack gets up to that lead runner.”