Lehman senior Javier Torres is one of the returning varsity cross-country members trying to help the Lobos get back to the regional meet this season. (Photo by Judy Cooper)
by JASON GORDON
The Lehman High boys cross-country team isn’t used to sitting home in November, so the Lobos are braving the morning heat in August.
In 2010, after qualifying for the regional meet four years straight from 2006-2009, Lehman finished sixth in district and saw its season come to an abrupt end.
Although the Lobos were competing in the ultra-tough District 27-4A, which saw fourth-place Lockhart, a former Class 4A state champion, end a streak of more than 20 years at regionals with a fourth-place district finish, Lehman head coach Jay Sansom knows his team will be hungry this season.
Smithson Valley, Canyon and Alamo Heights high schools advanced to the regional meet last season.
“We’ll be sitting down to map out our goals for the season soon and I know one of them will be to get back to the regional meet and then to State,” Sansom said. “It will be a battle, though. It always is.”
Sansom had a total of 36 athletes come out for 6:30 a.m. workouts when they began August 1, including nine freshmen.
He will comprise a varsity, junior varsity and freshman team out of that group.
“My first year here we had seven come out for morning workouts in the summer and the next year we had three,” Sansom said. “I’m proud of the program we’ve built and I really expect a lot out of this group. We have some pretty sharp guys that are strong runners. The key will be staying healthy.”
Returning to the varsity team this season will be junior captain Patrick Villarreal, who Samson calls a fierce competitor, seniors Raymond Castaneda, Ramon Martinez and Javier Torres, and junior Brian Velasquez.
Sansom says that even though the team is running early in the morning, the heat is still a factor.
“Battling the heat we’ve been going through is tough, but everyone in the state is doing it,” Sansom said. “When you go out there and are all miserable together it’s a bonding experience.”
Lehman’s first cross-country meet of the season is August 27 at Wimberley. The District 27-4A meet is October 29 at Lockhart.
