MISSION — Conditions weren’t normal at the District 30-6A Cross Country Meet at Palmview High School on Thursday morning. Rain and winds were a wild card, but there were no surprises on the podium and in the winner’s circle.
Brianna Robles won the girls race in 18:22.8 and was followed by teammates Bailey Villalon (19:18.4) and Oma Sanchez (19:34.4), who came in second and third place, respectively.
In all, Palmview had five girls finish in the top 10 to secure their fourth consecutive district championship.
Robles, a senior, finished in third place as a freshman (behind two fellow Lobos) and has won every district meet since. She was happy about the group’s performance and quickly alluded to bigger goals.
“It feels pretty good,” Robles said after the win. “I mostly came out here wanting to win this as a team, and we just want to continue working hard from here to advance to state.”
Rain has been a factor much of the 2017 season, and those hardships paid off at the right time.
“Not used to it, but we’ve gained experience from it,” Robles said. “So when it comes to muddier courses, we know how to run the course correctly and make sure we don’t fall or anything.”
Villalon, a junior, said her senior teammate Robles has taught her valuable tips and tricks. Claudia Bazan, Palmview’s coach, received the bulk of the praise from the two girls after the victory.
“We just trust the process. Our coach has done a lot of amazing things with us, and we’ve come out strong every single year,” Villalon said. “She pushes to our limits. Every single week that we’re here, it’s something new. She’s just a big impact in my life.”
Robles placed in the top 10 at the UIL state level in both the 2016 cross country season and 2017 track and field season. She will lean on Bazan to prepare her for another run at the highest levels.
“That’s just a trust in my coach and her workouts and trust that she’s going to train me to get there,” Robles said. “It’s just about believing and hoping everything goes as planned.”
On the boys side of the action, a familiar duo finished next to each other, and right at the top. Evan Williams (16:30.3) finished three seconds ahead of his brother Trevor. The two led the McAllen Memorial Mustangs to their second straight district title.
Rounding out the top three was La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Jose Calvillo, who ran a 16:54.6
Evan said the rain and mud wasn’t a problem, just an added component that made Thursday a good morning.
“I think we were more pumped about it, because we knew it was an advantage,” Williams said. “It’s definitely a blast. We’re all out here and have the same goal. The mud’s kind of just a fun factor. Just something to throw in to find out who’s the toughest; whose day it is.”
McAllen Memorial narrowly edged out Mission High, 54-60.
Williams said the program at Memorial is unique because of the team’s timing.
“What makes our team special is we all came in at the same time that our coach did,” Williams said. “So our coach really all brought us together and made us a family. We’re more a family than our team.”
Jesse Trejo is that coach who has directed the two district championships. He was proud of the team’s effort on Thursday despite a slow start.
“They made up a lot of ground when it counted,” Trejo said. “They had to make up a bad start. In the end, they did what they could.”
Trejo said his team has worked out in all conditions, making a day like Thursday that much easier.
“Whenever it’s raining out, we go out and we train anyway,” Trejo said. “We fight the elements if it’s hot, cold, windy, sunny. We try to prepare them for anything the best that we can.”
The runners advancing to regionals will have 10 days to gear up for the race in Corpus Christi that will decide if their state goals come to fruition.
VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS
30-6A District Meet
Monday, Oct. 9
At La Joya Palmview High School, Mission
Boys
Team Results
1, McAllen Memorial, 54; 2, Mission, 60; 3, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 72; 4, La Joya, 79; 5, McAllen, 104; 6, La Joya Palmview, 151; 7, McAllen Rowe, 171
Individual Results
1, Evan Williams, Memorial, 16:30.3; 2, Trevor Williams, Memorial, 16:33.3; 3, Jose Calvillo, Juarez-Lincoln, 16:54.6; 4, Hunter Herrera, McAllen, 16:55.5; 5, Augustus Martiello, Mission, 17:03.7; 6, Felix Perez, Mission, 17:11.4; 7, Juan Castillo, Juarez-Lincoln, 17:19.7; 8, Marlon Casas, Palmview, 17:22.2; 9, Antonio Gonzalez, La Joya, 17:28.6; 10, Marco Castro, Mission, 17:31.3; 11, Leonardo Saaverda, Memorial, 17:36.9; 12, Caleb Guerrero, La Joya, 17:37.7; 13, Oscar Vasquez, Juarez-Lincoln, 17:40.7; 14, Alexis Velazquez, McAllen, 17:43.8; 15, Christian Garza, Memorial, 17:45.1
Girls
Team Results
1, La Joya Palmview, 21; 2, McAllen Rowe, 55; 3, McAllen Memorial, 87; 4, McAllen 90; 5, Mission, 94; 6, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 142; 7, La Joya, 197
Individual Results
1, Brianna Robles, Palmview, 18:22.6; 2, Bailey Villalon, Palmview 19:18.4; 3, Oma Sanchez, Palmview, 19:34.4; 4, Alanah Moreno, McAllen, 20:11.2; 5, Dyllan Guerra, McAllen Memorial, 20:22.4; 6, Veronica Dougherty, Rowe, 20:30.9; 7, Karla Chapa, Palmview, 20:36.0; 8, Yoko Gomez, Palmview, 20:04.4; 9, Nancy Maldonado, Juarez-Lincoln, 20:45.4; 10, Yaleina Ramirez, Rowe, 20:51.0; 11, Janie Delgado, Rowe, 21:04.5; 12, Michelle Flores, Mission, 21:04.8; 13, Monserrat Olvera-Arias, Rowe, 21:23.1; 14, Jazmine Sustaita, Mission, 21:23.8; Alessandra Guterrez, Rowe, 21