The Brownsville IDEA Frontier boys had a historic day as the top performers at the District 32-3A cross country meet Wednesday in Brownsville.
The Frontier Chargers won their fifth consecutive team district title, recording a perfect score in the process. Junior Carlos Zavala took gold, finishing the race in 18 minutes, 39.13 seconds. Sophomore Edgar Ortiz and junior Jose Blanco joined him on the podium in second and third place, respectively. Sophomores Aaron Aguirre (fourth) and Jose Medina (fifth) rounded out the impressive performance.
“Our boys did phenomenal. They came in 1-5 for a perfect score, and we’re very proud of that,” IDEA Frontier coach Albert Alanis said.
IDEA Frontier’s success didn’t stop at the team title. Sophomores Juan Jimenez and Alejandro Maldonado took sixth and seventh place, respectively, to qualify for the regional meet and make the top seven finishers all from the same school.
“That’s amazing. That’s something that hasn’t happened in our school history,” Alanis said. “It talks a lot about their dedication through the summer, starting off right after track season ended. … It’s a very close-knit group. They’ve been running together a few years now, so I contribute it to their camaraderie and team chemistry. They motivate each other. It’s definitely a special group that we have right now.
“We’ve been in a three-year drought (in advancing to state),” Alanis continued. “They’ve been focused all year on that goal. They got the district championship, now it’s time for regionals, which is another step toward their main goal of qualifying for state. They’re excited, and I’m excited for them.”
Progreso was second and Brownsville Jubilee was third in the boys team standings to qualify for the regional meet. Santa Rosa junior Rodrigo Hernandez finished ninth to qualify as an individual.
Progreso won the girls team district championship, followed by Santa Rosa in second and IDEA Frontier in third. All three teams will advance to the regional meet, along with Brownsville IDEA Riverview junior Isabella Llamas (seventh), Jubilee freshman Makayla Garcia (eighth) and Progreso sophomore Sophia Pecina (10th) as individuals.
Senior Dyani Garcia of Progreso won the girls district title, clocking in at 13:40.31. Freshman Alexa Galvan (third), senior Rebecca Sordia (fifth), junior Syann Alaniz (sixth) and freshman Lorena Cerda (ninth) rounded out the Lady Red Ants’ team win.
Courtesy: Robbie Cruz
Santa Rosa’s top finishers were senior Ximena Gonzalez-Flores (fourth), junior Alyssa Garza (11th), freshman Cecilia De La Cruz (12th), sophomore Kacey Lara (21st) and senior Anita Monroy (23rd).
“It’s awesome. I enjoy seeing these kids succeed, especially with all the hard work they put in,” Santa Rosa coach Robbie Cruz said. “If cross country was easy, everyone would be wanting to do it. These kids really put in the time and effort.
“It’s a tough cross country district, and I’m glad these kids came out and performed. I know the girls were a little down because they wanted to defend their title, but we got another race to prepare for, so that’s what we’ll be working on now.”
The Region IV-3A cross country meet is scheduled for Oct. 25 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The girls will run at 10:50 a.m., followed by the boys at 11:10 a.m.
