Lometa varsity girls win district championship

Despite cold and windy conditions, Lometa varsity girls persevered, taking the district cross country championship at a meet held recently at Goldthwaite's golf course.

Coach Brandy Eckermann said the Lady Hornets really wanted the win. "They knew before the race started that they would have to run hard to win the meet. As a team they talked about running past any pain and being cold to get this win."

Eckermann said she could not have asked for a better performance from any of the girls.

"I was not sure what the outcome would be because the weather was pretty miserable," said the coach. "They are used to running in hot weather, and at the district meet it was the exact opposite.

"I knew that when every one of them crossed the finish line they gave all they could, and it paid off."

In the exciting first-place finish, Maria Jasso ran a 14:09, which Eckermann said is exceptional in those weather conditions.

Nayla Rosales placed seventh with a time of 14:55, and Taylor Bradley came in eighth with a time of 15 minutes.

All three qualified for regionals as individual runners and as a team.

"This is Taylor's senior year, and she has really stepped it up in practice and at the meets," said the coach. "Her dedication encourages her teammates to work even harder."

Elisha Whisenhunt placed 11th with a time of 15:14. "She has been getting better and better with every meet," said Eckermann.

Maribel Reyes ended in 14th place with a time of 15:36, and Patricia Viera finished in 18th with a time of 16:01. Hannah Purser took 26th place with a time of 17:53.

"I am very impressed with the team's performance. We will run in the regional meet Nov. 3 in San Antonio."

Varsity boys

Junior Castruita and Lucas Kemp competed in the district meet. Although neither qualified for regionals, Eckermann said they ran hard and did a great job.

Castruita finished in 14th with a time of 20:24, and Kemp took 18th at 21:17.