By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Rivera had never sent a boys cross country team to the UIL state meet until this season.
Behind the Raiders’ success is longtime coach Arturo Hurtado, now in his 27th year at the school and 35th year overall of coaching and teaching in Brownsville. His assistants are Salvador Garcia and Jenny Schuster.
““Coach Hurtado is the best. There’s no one else like him out there,” said Manny Guerrero, one of Rivera’s top seven runners.
Added teammate Jonathan Herrera, “If it wasn’t for our coach, and us competing against each other to do our best, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. More than just trying to stay together (on the course), we try to push each other. If one goes faster, the others try to stay with him.
““It’s been an amazing experience having Coach Hurtado as our coach,” Herrera added. “We’re not done. This is just the beginning.”
After qualifying by placing third as a team in the Class 6A boys division at the Region IV meet last Saturday in San Antonio, the Raiders make their first appearance at the UIL state meet today in Round Rock. They’re the only 6A team from the Rio GrandeValleyadvancing to state, and they’re scheduled to run a 3.1-mile course at OldSettlersParkat 1 p.m. The event starts at 9 a.m. with Class 2A competition.
Besides Guerrero and Herrera, other runners for Rivera are Cristian Machuca, Anthony Garza, Ruben Chapa, Jose Villanueva and Jesus Gonzalez. Machuca is the only senior.
The Raiders became the first boys team from Rivera to win district at the District 32-6A meet Oct. 17. They continued their strong showing at the Region IV meet last weekend. Now their goal is to do well at state.
“I’ve always wanted to be a part of a good cross country team like this one,” said Chapa, a freshman. “It’s a dream come true to go to state. We’ve been pushing each other and working hard both mornings and afternoons. It’d be wonderful for us to succeed at state. Hopefully we can do it.”
Hurtado calculates that during his time at Rivera he has sent 17 runners to state prior to this season. All of them have been girls, including a girls team led by individual state champion Jamie Revuelta in 1993. Except for that girls squad of 21 years ago, they’ve all been individual qualifiers to state. The last one from Rivera to advance to state before this weekend was Patty Gonzalez in 2003, Hurtado said.
“It’s a great feeling to reach our goals,” the veteran Rivera coach said. “It’s been a while (for us to go to state). We’ve talked about it since the beginning of the season. As we went through the season, these boys started running more aggressively and believing in what they could do.
“I’m just very happy for them,” added Hurtado, who started teaching and coaching at Victoria Heights Elementary in 1980. Later, after a six-year stint at Porter, Hurtado followed Tom Chavez, his high school coach, to Rivera when it opened in 1988.
Along with the Valley’s usual large group of individual qualifiers, there are six Valley boys teams going to state along with one girls squad. Besides Rivera, they are Mission Veterans, Edinburg Vela and Mercedes in Class 5A boys, the Progreso boys in Class 4A and the Santa Mariaboys in Class 2A. Also competing at state will be the Sharyland Pioneer girls in 5A.
Among the Valley’s top individual state qualifiers are Hidalgo ’s Moises Campos in 4A and Edcouch-Elsa’s Krysta Martinez in 5A.
Rivera will have the only runners from the Metro area at state this year.
The Raiders hadn’t run before on the course at the regional meet. That didn’t prevent them from doing well. The course in Round Rock will be new to them as well.
“Nothing has changed,” Garza said. “The plan (again) will be to do our best and stay with the runners at the top. We just have to focus, stay competitive and run smart.
“I just want to thank God for leading us this far,” Garza added. “Hopefully He can lead us on a little bit more.”
Added Gonzalez, “We’re staying humble and hoping to do our best. We fell down and got fifth place in district last year, and now, with God’s help, we’re bouncing back. Together we run, and together we win.”