By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
The defending boys and girls District 32-6A champion Hanna cross country team opened August with practice early Thursday morning, before the peak of the scorching midday sun.
The Eagles, led by coach Olaya Teran, are embracing the target on their backs after their successful campaign in 2018.
Teran has set the standard high for both the Eagles and Lady Eagles, who turned heads with their surprising district victory over Harlingen High, who along with Los Fresnos should contend to be Hanna’s toughest competition in 32-6A.
Two of the top Hanna boys — John Abrego and Felipe Parra — finished in the top six in the district last season. While six of the seven spots in the Eagles’ lineup have been solidified, including juniors Marcos Tellez and Aaron Hinojosa and sophomore Sam Zamora, the final spot is up for grabs as the beginning of the school year approaches.
“ We’re not looking for (one) leader,” Abrego said. “We’re looking for teamwork. Each of us as a team will lean upon each other to pursue our goals.”
Abrego, a sophomore, said he hopes to follow up his breakout freshman season by finishing in under 17 minutes in the 3-mile this season. Teran said Abrego’s progression was unexpected and suggests that Hanna may be able to find another star to emerge in a similar way this season.
One of the few seniors on a young squad, Parra said he’s been impressed by the newcomers thus far.
“ For such a young roster, a lot of these guys have a maturity level that you could describe them as seniors,” Parra said. “We have John, Marcos and Aaron. Each and every single one of us can pull weight from one another and become the top runner for the team.”
The Lady Eagles will also lean heavily on its youth this season as it seeks to replace the speed of Nadia Sifuentes and Cecilia Tellez, the top two performers on the 2018 team.
Shannon Perez is a senior who finished just outside the top 10 at the district meet last season and has taken up the leadership mantle. Along with senior America Alvear and juniors Alexia Perez and Rebeca Lopez, the Hanna girls have several cornerstones with varsity experience, but the Lady Eagles will be looking to newcomers to emerge as contributors to their starting seven.
Teran said Emily Morales and Brissa Stenson, freshman transfers from Edinburg Vela, have had a strong start to the preseason and could make an impact for the varsity team.
“ We’re focusing on (collectively) getting our pace faster,” Perez said. “So we can advance as a team to regionals instead of individually.”
After their workout, Teran debriefed her team on their running program, emphasizing the importance of attendance at practice and making time to get long runs in early in the morning to log a sufficient mileage to be conditioned for the most brutal stretch of the season – August and September.
“ The people that come to practice are the ones that are more successful,” Teran said. “It’s a hard sport, they’re here early in the morning in the summer and it’s hot. They’re gonna be fixin’ to run a lot.”
The Eagles open their season on Saturday, Aug. 24 at San Benito’s Dog Pound Invitational.