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THE WRAP: DFW, San Antonio teams dominate State XC Meet, Bridgeland excels from Houston
Just like that, the first series of Fall championships has come and gone.
Teams from around the state gathered at Old Settler's Park in Round Rock, TX this past weekend to take part in the annual UIL State Cross Country Meet, and there was a vast array of individuals who went on to excel.
In Class 6A, Southlake Carroll (Boys) took gold as a team, after Caden Leanord (1st), Blake Bullard (8th) and Griffin Cords (11th) finished within the Top 20.
On the girls' side, Flower Mound brought home first prize, due to top placements from Adeline Bennett (4th), Alexandra Fox (5th) and Ava Cole (6th). Additionally, Denton Braswell's Maxy Wingard took the top spot individually.
Representing H-Town, Bridgeland featured some stand-outs, with Benjamin Montgomery and Lily Fawcett placing second overall in their respective races, leading to the Bears finishing 3rd (Boys) and 2nd (Girls) as a team in 6A.
Onto the Class 5A scene, Lucas Lovejoy (Boys) claimed the State Title, while San Antonio's Smithson Valley won it all in the UIL-5A Girls competition, with the Lovejoy Leopards finishing 2nd.
Individually, Boerne-Champion's Elizabeth Leachman took gold by almost a full minute ahead of second place (Dana Rojas Vazquez - McAllen).
Other noteworthy performances include Friendswood's Aiden Fitzgerald (2nd in 5A Boys), Smithson Valley's Brady Solansky (3rd in 5A Girls), Denton Braswell's Aleksandr Acuna (3rd in 6A Boys), Coppell's Maya Easterwood (3rd in 6A Girls), Boerne-Champion's Charlie Houck (4th in 5A Boys) and SA Reagan's Gavin Chapa (4th in 6A Boys).
With all the best Texas high school racers having crossed the finish line, here is the full break-down of what took place at the final UIL Meet this past Friday and Saturday.
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CLASS 6A (BOYS)
TEAM RESULTS (5K):
1st Place -- Southlake Carroll Dragons (Total Score: 49)
2nd Place -- Vandegrift Vipers (53)
3rd Place -- Bridgeland Bears (84)
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Individual Results
1. Caden Leonard - Southlake Carroll (14:50.10)***
2. Benjamin Montgomery - Bridgeland (15:01.30)
3. Aleksandr Acuna - Denton Braswell (15:03.80)
4. Gavin Chapa - SA Reagan (15:06.40)
5. Ruel Newberry - Denton Guyer (15:09.50)
6. Kai McCullough - Vandegrift (15:11.80)
7. Joaquin De La Cruz - McKinney Boyd (15:13.10)
8. Blake Bullard - Southlake Carroll (15:15.80)
9. Zachary Miller - Brennan (15:16.10)
10. Aidan Danny Torres - El Paso Eastwood (15:19.60)
11. Griffin Cords - Southlake Carroll (15:24.20)
12. Griffin Hummel - Austin Bowie (15:24.50)
13. Collin Goodwin - Vandegrift (15:27.00)
14. Elton Martin - The Woodlands (15:28.40)
15. Luke Bone - Austin High (15:31.70)
16. Chris Creedon - Clear Creek (15:33.10)
17. Tyler Hedgepeth - The Woodlands (15:34.90)
18. Christian Cruz-Castro - Vandegrift (15:35.90)
19. Jayce Love - Schertz Clemens (15:39.60)
20. Benjamin Pearce - Stratford (15:39.80)
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CLASS 6A (GIRLS)
TEAM REULTS (5K):
1st Place -- Flower Mound Jaguars (Total Score: 47)
2nd Place -- Bridgeland Bears (81)
3rd Place -- Katy Tigers (139)
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Individual Results
1. Macy Wingard - Denton Braswell (17:07.90)***
2. Lily Fawcett - Bridgeland (17:32.10)
3. Maya Easterwood - Coppell (17:36.80)
4. Adeline Bennett - Flower Mound (17:43.70)
5. Alexandra Fox - Flower Mound (17:44.00)
6. Ava Cole - Flower Mound (18:00.40)
7. Meredith Wolfe - Round Rock (18:01.40)
8. Rowan Saacke - Bridgeland (18:03.40)
9. Adelynn Rodriguez - El Paso Eastwood (18:06.40)
10. Emily Orr - El Paso Franklin (18:12.70)
11. Taryn Elmer - Lewisville Marcus (18:13.20)
12. Jamie Klander - Mayde Creek (18:18.20)
13. Clare Boneau - Keller (18:20.50)
14. Susana Rawls - Bridgeland (18:21.10)
15. Sophia Lopez -- RR Stony Point (18:21.50)
16. Stoya Laydevant - The Woodlands (18:23.30)
17. Addison Scott - Houston Memorial (18:27.00)
18. Naomi Weller - The Woodlands (18:27.70)
19. Marian Mann - Klein (18:30.00)
20. Isabella Porter - SA Johnson (18:30.20)
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CLASS 5A (BOYS)
TEAM RESULTS (5K):
1st Place -- Lucas Lovejoy Leopards (Total Score: 77)
2nd Place -- Boerne Greyhounds (137)
3rd Place -- Frisco Wakeland Wolverines (153)
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Individual Results
1. Bryce Denton - Anna (15:16.90)***
2. Aiden Fitzgerald - Friendswood (15:32.00)
3. Miles Westbrook - El Paso (15:39.20)
4. Charlie Houck - Boerne-Champion (15:41.90)
5. Jaxon Asbill - Dayton (15:51.60)
6. Colby Huntress - Austin Anderson (15:52.10)
7. Diego Romero - El Paso Americas (15:52.90)
8. Elijah Merino - Kingwood Park (15:53.20)
9. Tristan Arceneau - Lucas Lovejoy (15:54.00)
10. Matthew Binkley - Montgomery (15:58.60)
11. Carson Brown - Kingwood Park (16:00.30)
12. Andrew Malan - Frisco Lebanon Trail (16:00.40)
13. Andrew DeYoung - Grapevine (16:00.50)
14. Tyler Connelly - Aledo (16:01.10)
15. Matthew Morales - Georgetown (16:01.40)
16. Luis Tovar - Boerne-Champion (16:02.10)
17. William Carlson - Lucas Lovejoy (16:04.40)
18. Gage Horejsi - Leander (16:06.30)
19. Malin Arnoldusen - El Paso Burges (16:06.60)
20. Amisadai Yanez - Texas City (16:07.70)
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CLASS 5A (GIRLS)
TEAM RESULTS (5K):
1st Place -- Smithson Valley Rangers (Total Score: 54)
2nd Place -- Lucas Lovejoy Leopards (97)
3rd Place -- Aledo Bearcats (145)
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Individual Results
1. Elizabeth Leachman - Boerne-Champion (17:14.80)***
2. Dana Rojas Vazquez - McAllen (18:07.60)
3. Brady Solansky - Smithson Valley (18:10.50)
4. Sofia Phillips - Birdville (18:15.40)
5. Savanah Moya - New Braunfels (18:15.60)
6. Molly Garrison - Aledo (18:16.60)
7. Ella Magallan - Burleson Centennial (18:24.60)
8. Eva Cragnolino - Austin LASA (18:24.90)
9. Camryn Benson - Lucas Lovejoy (18:31.80)
10. Lilly Koenig - Smithson Valley (18:37.40)
11. Kenzi Ramirez - McAllen (18:41.10)
12. Micah Neal - Aledo (18:42.70)
13. Natali Velasquez - Colleyville Heritage (18:49.50)
14. Presley Robertson - Frisco Wakeland (18:53.80)
15. Mykel Murry - Aledo (18:54.50)
16. Kynley Albright - Boerne-Champion (18:55.20)
17. Mason Murray - Abilene (18:59.50)
18. Skyler Fonseca - Smithson Valley (19:00.40)
19. Mia Perez - Smithson Valley (19:02.60)
20. Aubrey Pozzi - Smithson Valley (19:03.80)
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VYPE SATX Football Game of the Week: Smithson Valley vs. Pieper (Wk. 5)
The 2023 UIL-5A-D1 State Finalists, Smithson Valley, responded to their Week 2 loss against Brennan by absolutely trouncing Madison (65-0) and Boerne-Champion (42-10), bringing their record to 3-1.
After securing a first-team, all-district nod a year ago, senior running back Bradley Sowersby has picked up right where he left off, as he has now become the focal point of coach Larry Hill's offense.
Despite the fact that a large of their offensive production has since graduated, the Rangers have maintained a steady influx of points on a weekly basis, evidenced by the team's 41-point average.
That could also be a result of their stifling defense, which has held opponents to just under 9 points a game, which is always a recipe for success.
Unanimous first-teamer Cade Spradling (Sr. LB) commands the group and only seems to be improving on his monster 2023 campaign.
He is complemented by the talents of Hudson Woods (Jr. DL/first-team) and District 12-5A-Defensive Newcomer of the Year Parker Moeller (Sr. DB).
However, there are few teams hotter on the San Antonio-area gridiron than Pieper, entering the fifth week of the season.
Under the direction of coach Nick Rogers, the Warriors have surged to a 4-0 start, most recently toppling a formidable district opponent in SA Wagner, by the score of 35-21.
Offensive has been the team's calling card thus far, primarily through the passing game.
Senior WR Isaiah Champagne is the top target for senior signal-caller Cayden Keeth, as the pair have connected for nearly 350 yards and five scores to begin the Fall.
That doesn't mean Keeth (1148 passing yards/13 combined TDs) hasn't spread the wealth among his other weapons.
Andrew Grinestaff (Jr. WR) has registered over 200 yards through the air, while junior RB Brady Hopper has 358 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns to his name.
On the other side of the ball, returning first-team, all-district selections Jackson Hopper (Sr. DB) and Raja Lopez (Jr. DB) have been holding down the secondary for the Warriors, with junior Bennett King currently leading the team in tackles (42).
Furthermore, Laiton Springer (So. LB), Kylor Scheppler (Sr. LB), and Thor Myklebust (Jr. DL) have played pivotal roles as well.
The victor of this decisive battle might very well end up claiming the district title in the coming months.
Don't miss out when these two power-houses face off at Warrior Coliseum this Friday (9/27) at 7:00 pm.