Moore fights headwind to finish 25th at State

Lockhart junior Nate Moore concluded a brilliant season of cross country running on Saturday at the UIL State Championship race conducted at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock.

Moore finished in 25th place overall out of 104 runners who ran in the race. Moore completed the 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) in 16:23.

Coming into Saturday’s race, Moore was expected to place in

the top 15 runners. However on instructions from Coach Scott Hippensteel, Moore went out extremely fast over the first mile of the race and then struggled throughout the last two miles. “I feared that a strong north wind from the half-mile mark until the mile mark would leave Nate too far behind if he did not get out fast enough on Saturday.”

Moore followed his coach’s instructions and stayed with the top five runners for the nearly 1.5 miles on Saturday. When he turned back with wind over the last mile of the race he had little left to complete the race.

“I think the race was a good learning experience for both Nate and myself,” Hippensteel said. “If we had the race to do over I’m sure we would do things differently, but we can’t, so all we can do is get back to work and ready for whatever is next.”

Moore plans on running the Nike South meet in Houston this week and then going back to easy mileage over the winter months before the track season begins once again in February.

In the team standings, Lockhart can take pride in knowing the team that won their district meet went on to place second at the state meet. Smithson Valley scored 71 points en route to their second place finish. Cedar Park won the meet with 48 points. Both Cedar Park and Smithson Valley were 5A schools in 2009.

This season was only the third time in 20 years that Lockhart has not made a trip to the Boys State Championship.

“The Lions were very young in 2010, having on two seniors running cross country,” Hippensteel said. “The team is already making plans to be back at the State Meet in 2011. The Lions would like to say once again thank you to everyone in Lockhart who has been so supportive throughout the years. The Lockhart Lions have been very blessed.

“Congratulations also to Luling High School Boys Cross Country on winning the 2A State Championship,” he continued. “You have made Caldwell County very proud!”
(Courtesy of Scott Hippensteel)