LA FERIA — When La Feria girls cross country coach Gracie Campos was told earlier this year that her team looked like a state-qualifying squad in the making, she quickly dismissed the comment.
“I was like, ‘No, no, no. Let’s not talk about that,’” she said. “But once I saw the commitment they had, I did kind of have to agree. I just didn’t want to think too far ahead or jinx them.”
Coach Campos no longer has to worry about hexing her girls since they did indeed qualify for state and will compete in the UIL Class 4A race in Round Rock at 8:30 Saturday morning.
The Lionettes qualified for the state meet by taking second at the Region IV-4A meet in Corpus Christi last month.
Leading the way was freshman Dariana Vasquez, who took individual silver, and senior star Tina Sierra, who claimed the first regional gold of her illustrious cross country career.
Saturday’s meet marks the third time Sierra has run in Round Rock, missing the state meet only during her sophomore season. Last year, she finished in a very respectable 11th place.
“But now that this is my senior year, I would love to do better,” said Sierra, who admitted to playing music in her head or even going over homework problems while running her races.
Sierra, who is also a standout track athlete, said she first got interested in running during middle school.
“My friends decided to run cross country and I didn’t even know what cross country was. But I wanted to hang out with them, so I did it and ended up liking it a lot,” she said.
For Coach Campos, seeing Sierra mature into one of the best runners in the Valley has been rewarding.
“I knew she was special when she was a freshman,” she said of Sierra. “She’s a leader and the girls on the team look at her like she’s a god. However, she’s still humble and very soft-spoken.”
To that end, Sierra said that while she wants to do well individually this Saturday, she is grateful that she gets to run as part of a team this year.
“The last time I ran with a team was during my freshman year,” she said. “It’s so much nicer when you get to go as part of a team because we all push each other to do better.
“I know that this is my final chance at state, and I do feel some pressure to do well. But we’re running as a team up there this year and so we’ll all handle the pressure together.”
