EDINBURG — Amity Ebarb ran in the middle of the pack of more than 150 runners as she looked for an opening to burst past her opponents.
It didn’t take her too long.
By the first mile marker, the Weslaco High long-distance runner had made her move to the front. There was still one runner, however, right behind her.
“She said, ‘I kept looking back and she was right there,’” Ebarb’s Dad, Eric said about what she told him after the race. “‘And then she wasn’t there anymore.’”
Ebarb went on to win the Rio Grande Valley Cross Country Classic at Monte Cristo Country Club with a time of 19 minutes, 31.2 seconds. Sharyland High’s Danielle Salinas finished second in 19:36.6.
Ebarb’s win marked her third consecutive first place this season. She also placed first at the Donna North and San Benito invitationals.
Her effort helped Weslaco High finish second in the team standings with 88 points, 19 points behind Sharyland High, which won its second meet of the year. The Rattlers won at Rio Grande City and then took second at the San Benito Invitational. Sharyland High and Weslaco High are 1-2 in the RGV Cross Country Coaches Ranking (see below for the full list)
“We wanted to run with the best and being second isn’t a bad thing,” Weslaco head coach Pablo Almaguer said after the race. “We feel we are going along the right path.”.
RGV CLASSIC
Girls Team Results
1. Sharyland High 69; 2. Weslaco High 88; 3. Edinburg Economedes 106; 4. Klein 157; 5. Weslaco East 177; 6. Edinburg High 184; 7. La Joya Palmview 208; 8. Brownsville Veterans 239; 9. Harlingen High 284; 10. Sharyland Pioneer 323.
Girls Top 10 Individuals
1. Amity Ebarb, Weslaco High, 19:31.2; 2. Danielle Salinas, Sharyland High, 19:36.6; 3. Madeline Myers, Klein, 19:38.3; 4. Tessie Garcia, Weslaco East, 19:42.5; 5. Gissel Gonzalez, La Joya Palmview, 19:545.8; 6. Destinee Longoria, Weslaco East, 20:00.0; 7. Valeria Gamez, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, 20:11.0; 8. Destiny Quintanilla, La Joya Palmview, 20:24.0; 9. Dayna Lozano, Edinburg Economedes, 20:25.5; 10. Andrea Gallardo, Sharyland High, 20:26.4.
Boys Team Results
1. Klein 44; 2. Edinburg Vela 132; 3. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln 167; 4. Progreso 171; 5. McAllen High 219; 6. Sharyland Pioneer 229; 7. McAllen High 255; 8. IDEA Edinburg 267; 9. Weslaco East 269; 10. Harlingen High 271
Boys Top 10 Individuals
1. Christoper Daniels, Klein, 15:50.1; 2. Hector Solis, PSJA North, 15:50.5; 3. Gustavo Posada, Klein, 15:54; 4. Rosendo Rodriguez, 16:00; 5. Luis Cavazos, Klein, 16:11.9; 6. Jeremy Nino, Edinburg Vela, 16:14.2; 7. Mario Salas, Edinburg Vela, 16:20.1; 8. Eric Deluga, Klein, 16:23.6; 9. Samuel Martinez, Donna, 16:28.5; 10. Juaquin Medina, San Benito, 16:31.4
Top 10 Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams
by the RGV Cross Country Coaches Association
Boys Top 10 Rankings
1. Edinburg Vela; 2. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln; 3. Progreso; 4. McAllen High; 5. Donna North; 6. Mission High; 7. Sharyland Pioneer; 8. McAllen Memorial; 9. Edcouch-Elsa; 10. Donna High
Girls Top 10 Rankings
1. Sharyland High; 2. Weslaco High; 3. Edinburg Economedes; 4. McAllen Rowe; 5. Weslaco East; 6. Edinburg High; 7. La Joya Palmview; 8. Brownsville Veterans; 9. Harlingen High; 10. Sharyland Pioneer.