BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
LA JOYA — The 5K varsity boys was the main attraction at Thursday morning’s District 30-6A meet at La Joya High.
In the eight-team district, four of those schools — La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, McAllen High, McAllen Memorial and Mission High — were fighting for three tickets to the UIL Region IV meet Oct. 22 in Corpus Christi.
Each of the four had enough quality runners to take the team title, but only one club had the race’s top runner and he led his team to the final place for the trip to Corpus.
Despite facing stiff competition from the likes of McAllen Memorial’s Trevor and Evan Williams and Mission High’s duo of Marco Castro and Felix Perez Castillo, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln junior runner Freddy Calvillo crossed the finish line first (15 minutes, 49 seconds).
Calvillo and his teammates scored an 81, which was good for the team’s third-place finish.
“I had to start the race at a good pace,” Calvillo said. “I started with the first group, but once it started getting longer, I started getting more tired. I kept telling myself that I had worked so hard and that I needed to pick it up. At the second mile, I found a gap and just finished strong. Thank God we made it as a team to regionals.”
Calvillo’s younger brother, Anthony, finished 14th while Alvaro Gonzalez, Irvin Lopez and Victor Hernandez rounded out the Huskies’ five runners in the top 24. The fourth-place McAllen High boys had their top-five runners make the top 27.
“Physically I knew we’d be ready for the race, but I tried to prepare them mentally,” La Joya Juarez-Lincoln boys cross country coach Rene Loera said. “We told them that today was not about time. It was about place. Every person you pass is one less point for us. The kids got the message.”
The McAllen Memorial boys won the meet overall, paced by Evan (16:04.6) and Trevor (16:07.9) Williams, who earned the second and third-fastest individual times.
Jorge Perez (16:37.5), Christian Garza (16:41.8) and Juan Zamora (16:48.3) capped the Mustangs’ strong performance with its top five runners placing in the top 11.
“It’s a tough district to be in, but I think it makes everyone better,” McAllen Memorial boys coach Jesse Trejo said. “Our kids pulled through when it mattered. They run for each other, and to me, that’s more important than winning because it means that they rely on each other.”
The Mission High boys’ team score of 44 was good for second place.
On the girls side, McAllen High freshman Charlotte Beck is coming of age quickly. Beck’s 19:57.4 race was 17.3 seconds faster than La Joya Juarez-Lincoln runner Nancy Maldonado, who earned second place.
“It’s not easy coming into the district meet as a freshman when you know the pressure is on. But I think the last two weeks of practice are what made Charlotte successful today,” McAllen High girls coach Sarah Smith said. “The last two weeks prepared her and kept her focused. I noticed she started asking questions like, ‘Hey, what was this person’s time?’ or ‘Where do I stand right now?’ That told me that she is definitely in the zone. She has a goal in her mind, and she wants it.”
The McAllen High girls missed out on qualifying for the regional meet because of their fourth-place score of 89. PSJA North’s 82 put them in third while the McAllen Memorial girls will join the boys team in Corpus Christi thanks to their score of 72.
McAllen Rowe won the girls meet, aided by four Warrior runners’ finishes in the top 16, including three in the top 10. Junior Laurynn Garcia’s time of 20:42.5 seconds vaulted her into the top five.
“Laurynn has done extremely well for us,” McAllen Rowe girls coach Lupe Soza said. “The only thing that has happened the last two years is that she’s been hurt, but she’s very dedicated. From year-to-year, things change, but we’re looking forward to regionals.”