PSJA North’s Hector Solis had been knocking on the door of an individual district title the past two seasons, finishing in second as a sophomore and junior.
The senior distance runner finally kicked that door down Thursday morning, taking first place at the District 31-6A cross-country meet at the Ebony Golf Course in Edinburg.
Despite back-to-back second-place finishes, Solis entered Thursday’s race full of confidence, manifesting the outcome in his mind.
“Going into these types of races, it’s more of a mental game rather than a physical aspect to it,” Solis said. “If you can’t get the mental aspect down and don’t feel confident, everything will just fall out of place.”
Solis’ winning mentality showed Thursday, running away with the District 31-6A individual crown with a time of 15 minutes, 56.9 seconds, nearly 18 seconds faster than Mission High’s Rogelio Aguirre (16:14.3), who came in second. Aguirre bested Solis during last year’s district meet to earn the individual title.
Following the win, Solis has shifted his attention to the Region IV-6A meet in 11 days.
“Against my rivals, I have a certain level of respect towards them,” Solis said. “On the field though, I was targeting the racers in their prime now. Getting through these competitions first and getting to that regional meet, there is nothing that can stop me.
“I feel really confident. When I was able to get this win, it really puts into perspective the work I’ve put in this season.”
Aguirre and Solis are two of 10 individual runners advancing to the regional meet, with the top-three teams and top-10 runners moving on.
They’ll be joined by runners from Edinburg North, Edinburg Economedes and Edinburg Vela, who finished first, second and third in the team standings, respectively.
Elsewhere, the McAllen Memorial Mustangs dethroned the McAllen High Bulldogs, earning the District 31-5A crown at Spring Fest Park in McAllen, with four runners finishing in the top 10.
The Mustangs were led by junior Ayden Granados (16:17.3) and senior Sebastian Salinas (16:41.2), who finished first and second overall, respectively.
Sharyland High and McAllen High claimed second and third in the team standings, qualifying them for regionals.
Meanwhile, Donna High’s Kevin Hernandez breezed past the competition, cruising to his second straight individual district title Thursday at the District 32-5A meet at Donna High School.
Hernandez finished more than 45 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor, posting a mark of 16:27.2, with Brownsville Veterans’ James Puckett coming in second in 17:14.6. Hernandez was one of five finishers in the top 20 for the Redskins, helping the team edge Brownsville Veterans for the 32-5A team district title.
The Redskins and Chargers will be joined by Edcouch-Elsa at the Region IV-5A meet, with the Yellow Jackets earning third in the team standings.
In District 30-5A, Mission Veterans Daniel Alamilla broke through and earned his first individual district title after coming in third last year, pacing the Patriots to second in the team standings.
The Laredo Martin Tigers hoisted the district trophy in District 30-5A, with Rio Grande City finishing third, qualifying both for regionals.
The University Interscholastic League’s Region IV cross-country meet is Oct. 25 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, with Class 6A girls opening the event at 8 a.m.