By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — A new era is dawning for the Los Fresnos cross country team.
Marissa Wood is the new coach, and there’s a new set of runners who are eager to carry on the Falcons’ tradition of success in the sport.
Wood has taken over the duties of Jennifer Gantt, who coached the team for 10 years and produced state-caliber runners such as David Guillen, Samantha Fish and Jenny Zapata. Upon graduation, each of them received a scholarship to run in college.
One constant for the program is Frank Falcon, who continues as the team’s assistant coach, a position he’s held for 10 years now.
Wood wants to continue the Falcons’ formula for success.
“It’s an honor to be part of such a stellar program, and I’m truly humbled to get the opportunity,” said Wood, a native of the Fort Worth area who graduated from Birdville before attending Texas State University. “Coach Gantt and Coach Falcon have done a terrific job, and I can only hope to keep the tradition going.
“This program wouldn’t run as smoothly without Coach Falcon,” she added. “It’s been great getting to coach with him.”
Wood, the wife of Josh Wood, a co-offensive coordinator for the football team, is beginning her third school year at Los Fresnos. She also serves as an assistant coach for the girls soccer team during the spring semester.
Top runners for the Los Fresnos boys this season are sophomore Ricardo Torres and senior Jacob Korab. For the Lady Falcons, the top runners are sophomore Victoria Vital, senior Esther Gonzalez and juniors Alexa Rodriguez and Valeria Tellez.
Los Fresnos’ varsity runners will be competing at Saturday’s University of Texas-San Antonio meet, which is held at the same site as the Region IV-6A meet Nov. 1 in the Alamo City.
“Our expectations are always high for our runners,” Wood said. “We have our minds set on going to state every season. That’s something that was established before me, and that won’t change. We told the kids (earlier this week), ‘If you have to think anyways (about your goals), why not think big?’”
Added Falcon, “This year is obviously a transitional year with Coach Gantt no longer with us. When Coach Wood started, she said she didn’t want to change anything we’ve done as we’ve had a successful program for the past 10 years.
“We always prepare and set our goals to reach the state meet in Round Rock,” added Falcon, who will be coaching track for a seventh season this school year. “We have a young but talented group of runners this year who have been practicing since the summer and are definitely ready to run. If the hard work and determination they’re showing is any sign of how they’ll do this year, we’ll have another successful season. These runners are very receptive to our methods of training and have learned to love the sport.”
Regarding the change of head coaches, Falcon said, “Coach Wood is an intelligent, eager-to-learn young lady. She’s quickly learning our system and is implementing her knowledge and passion into it. She definitely has shown me that she’s serious about the success of each runner and the program all together. It’s been fun working with her, and we look forward to another successful season.”
Wood said her coaching philosophy goes beyond just athletics and physical training.
“As far as the program, not everyone will see state (as a competitor), and that’s a given in any sport,” she said. “So we have to make sure these kids are getting something bigger than that, something they can hold on to and have within themselves so that they can take it out into the world. We believe in coaching the body, mind and spirit to build these kids into champions, whether or not they get to hold up a trophy at the end.”