Lion harriers take 4th at strong Hippensteel event

LISD

The Lockhart Boys Varsity team finished fourth out of 12 teams in the 5A/6A division and fifth out of 22 teams when combining the 1A/4A and 5A/6A divisions at the annual Hippensteel Invitational last week.

Davenport won the 5A/6A division with a score of 72 points. Austin LASA finished second with 77 points, followed by Austin Anderson with 98 points. Lockhart secured fourth place with 103 points, Sequin was fifth with 134, Austin Akins sixth with 144, Bastrop came in seventh with 169, Victoria West finished eighth with 169, Hutto was ninth with 197 points, Cedar Creek took 10th with 255 points, Brownsville Rivera 11th with 269, and Austin Crockett finished 12th with 310 points.

Sophomore Ethan Herrera continues to lead the Lions’ harriers, finishing second out of 109 runners in the 5A/6A division race. Herrera crossed the line in 10 minutes and 24 seconds, just 10 seconds behind Colby Huntress of Austin Anderson, but 11 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher Eli Bliss of Davenport.

The race distance was 3,270 meters, about 70-meters longer than 2 miles. When combined with the 1A/4A division, Herrera was the second-best runner out of 180 boys competing.

“The season is still young, and I think Ethan has a lot of room to improve,” LHS Head Boys Coach Scott Hippensteel said. “There is no doubt in my mind that he can become one of the top runners in our district and region before it’s all said and done this fall. Right now, Ethan has to continue to train and gain fitness.”

Freshman Irving Ferretiz was the second overall finisher for Lockhart, placing 12th with a time of 11 minutes and 19 seconds.

“I was really proud of Irving,” said Hippensteel. “He is just a freshman, but he is competitive and is learning fast. I think the goal for Irving, as we transition to a longer race, will be to stay within a minute of Ethan.”

Sophomore Ivan Gonzales placed 13th overall with a time of 11:22.

“Ivan had his first hard week of training all summer last week, and I think that took a toll on his performance,” Hippensteel said. “He wasn’t happy with how things went but vows to ensure he runs better in the coming weeks.”

Juniors Paul Munoz and Connor Zea finished as the fourth and fifth among Lockhart runners. Munoz placed 38th with a time of 12:11, while Zea was 40th with a time of 12:15.

“Both Paul and Connor really hold the keys to our team’s success going forward,” Hippensteel said.

Sophomores Jayden Slussler and Keaton Archer rounded out the top seven for LHS. Slussler finished 74th with a time of 13:24, while Archer placed 77th with a time of 13:33.

“We are throwing these guys into the fire, and they are responding,” Hippensteel said. “These are good young runners, and they are going to make giant strides over the next year. I can’t wait to see how much better they can become with some serious training.”

A total of 10 Lockhart runners competed in Varsity at the Friday event. Senior Andrew Coneche finished as the eighth runner for the Lions, placing 84th with a time of 13:43. “Andrew is running his first year of cross country, but you would never know it,” said Hippensteel. “He has jumped in with both feet and has been such a great leader for us. Andrew, along with senior Nathaniel Hernandez, are our captains this fall. Both of these guys are doing a great job.”

Juniors Hayden Brast and Jace Ramsey completed the top 10 finishers for Lockhart. Brast placed 89th with a time of 13:57, while Ramsey finished 95th with a time of 14:22.

The Lockhart Junior Varsity team placed 11th out of 24 teams. The JV was led by freshman Antonio Rico, who ran his first high school race after only one week of practice and placed 35th with a time of 13:54. A total of 171 runners competed in the Junior Varsity race.

“I was super proud of Antonio,” said Hippensteel. “He showed no fear and got right in there.”

Junior Ethan Gamez was the second JV finisher for the Lions, finishing 43rd with a time of 14:03. Freshman Josiah Lopez completed the course in 14:19, placing 51st.

A trio of Lockhart freshmen rounded out the JV team. Max Adams placed 90th with a time of 15:06, Liam Moctezuma was 94th in 15:10, and James Peterson placed 96th with a time of 15:11.

“All these guys are doing a great job, and they will continue to improve with every race,” said Hippensteel.

Lockhart will travel to Austin on Friday, Sept. 6, to compete in the Austin Invitational. The meet will be held along the shores of Walter E. Long Lake.