That’s when the Lyford distance runner made his move and stormed to the front of the pack en route to a first-place finish with a time of 14:28.
“When I first went out there, I was in about sixth place. Then, I noticed that the runners ahead of me started to get heavy,” Herrera said. “I told myself that there was no reason why I shouldn’t be up there. The guys who were in front of me were guys who I never beat in cross country or in track.
“Today, I told myself that I was a new runner and I decided to come out on top.”
It was a bounce back week for Herrera, who was battling a cut on his foot.
During the race, Herrera said that the bandage on his foot came loose.
After pushing through, however, his confidence is soaring with district coming up in three weeks.
“I had some pain, but it was worth it. The biggest thing was the mental pain, but I feel like I overcame that today,” Herrera said. “I feel confident heading to district because I left a big gap between myself and second. This year I hope to make my gap over a minute.”
Overall for the boys, Brownsville Veterans placed first with four top 10 finishers and 32 points.
La Feria (55), Los Fresnos (81), Raymondville (125) and Santa Maria (191) rounded out the top five.
On the girls side, La Feria’s Tina Sierra crossed the finish line first in the girls two-mile race.
It was the first time Sierra had competed in the two-mile run this year, but picking up her first win in front of familiar opponents is what mattered the most to her.
“I have placed in the top 20 against the 5 and 6A schools in the three-mile race, but I have improved every time out,” Sierra said. “It’s a confidence boost. A lot of people in the district come to this meet, so it really helps show you where you are compared to others in the district.”
Sierra led the Lionettes to a first-place finish, as the team finished with 51 points, edging out Zapata(71), PSJA Southwest (113), Brownsville Vets (125 and Rio Hondo (125).