Johnathan Gabriel (left) and Billy Bolton (far right) lead the charge as the top two Hays finishers at the Wimberley Texans Cross Country Invitational. (Courtesy photo)
by JASON GORDON
Hays head coach Cliff Buckley was pleased with the way his teams performed in the first meet of the season after both the Rebel boys and girls cross country squads recorded 10th place finishes at the Wimberley Texans Invitational on Saturday.
“I try to tell them not to worry too much about their times at this point of the season,” Buckley said. “The temperature rose pretty fast though as the day progressed after a cool morning, and that was something that some of our runners aren’t used to yet. I was very pleased with the way our runners performed.”
In a meet consisting of 16 teams in both the boys and girls competitions, senior Johnathan Gabriel had the top overall Individual finish for the Rebels, coming in 20th in a time of 16 minutes, five seconds on the three-mile course.
Other Rebel varsity boys competitors included Billy Bolton (41st, 16:59), Michael Normand (57th, 17:33), Bobby Limon (60th, 17:40), Chris Ovalle (75th, 18:13), Chase Sparks (89th, 18:37), and Scott Cheshier (92nd, 18:42).
Lena New, who captured the district title last season for the Hays girls, was the top Lady Rebel individual finisher. She completed the two-mile course in 13:50, for a 21st place finish.
Other Lady Rebel competitors were Mariana Sigala (24th, 13:54), Nicole Alcantara (67th, 14:48), Emily Cromwell (69th, 14:51), Sarah Alexander (89th, 15:39), and Marissa Roman (111th, 16:28).
“We have a lot of work to do this season,” Buckley said. “I feel like the girls are starting behind where they were at this time last year and they are going to need to work hard to get back to that confidence level. I think the boys looked pretty good for their first meet, especially since they only have two returners with cross country experience in Johnathan and Billy.”
Buckley added the fact the team was facing tough competition in Wimberley was good for his young group of Rebel athletes.
“We ran into some pretty tough teams for our first meet,” Buckley said. “Antonian, New Braunfels, Boerne Champion, and Lockhart all have incredibly strong programs, so it was an eye opener for both teams to see what high caliber teams look like and race like. I think the kids came away from the opener with a lot of excitement and a willingness to improve. Many of the new runners had lots of questions on the bus ride home after their first racing experience. Right now I want them to build a great chemistry so we can gel when it matters most at the district meet.”
