Lockhart Lions host 39th Annual Hippensteel Invitational

Lions make late push to win third straight meet

By Matt Buehner

LISD Cross Country      

   The Lockhart Lions cross-country team needed nearly every step of the two-mile course Friday to keep its winning streak alive. Running on their home course at Lockhart City Park, the Lions captured their third consecutive meet victory of the season Aug. 28, edging Austin LASA by just two points at the Hippensteel Invitational.

   Lockhart’s victory came down to a dramatic final push from its second through fifth runners, who crossed the finish line within one second of each other and helped turn what appeared to be a LASA victory into another win for the Lions. Senior Ethan Herrera once again led Lockhart, finishing third overall with a time of 10 minutes, 12.3 seconds. Marion High School’s Jayce Love won the individual title in 10:05 after taking the lead from the start and holding it throughout the race.

   Behind Herrera, however, was where Lockhart made its decisive move. Junior Irving Ferretiz placed sixth in 10:59.4, followed immediately by freshman Eli Estrada in seventh at 11:00.2. Sophomore Daniel Martinez also clocked 11:00.2 to finish eighth, while sophomore Rafael Urbina completed Lockhart’s scoring five with a ninth-place finish in 11:00.4. The four Lions crossed the finish line separated by only one second. “In 39 years of coaching cross country, I have never seen four of our top five runners finish within one second of each other before now,” the Lockhart coach said. “It was a pretty incredible thing to see.”

   That pack proved especially important after LASA placed its first three runners second, fourth and fifth overall, putting Lockhart in a difficult position entering the closing portion of the race. “There was absolutely no way we should have won that meet, as LASA had its top three runners finish second, fourth and fifth,” the coach said. “It is almost impossible to come back from that, but our guys never gave up or quit. They kept fighting, and we literally went from losing the race to winning the race in the last five meters.”

   Lockhart’s depth also played a major role in the final standings. Junior Ivan Gonzales finished as the Lions’ sixth runner, placing 13th overall with a time of 11:30.8. Although only the top five runners score for a team, Gonzales’ finish ahead of LASA’s fifth runner pushed LASA one spot farther back and added another point to its team total. “Ivan kept battling, and because he finished in front of LASA’s fifth runner, that added one more point to their score,” the coach said. Senior Eladio Figueroa was Lockhart’s seventh runner, placing 18th in 11:51.3. Josiah Rodriguez finished 20th in 11:53, while Ryan Ford placed 22nd in 12:14.

   The Lions also received finishes from Chris Cano in 12:36, Derek Morgan in 12:51, Gerardo Gonzales in 13:02, Keiran Bussa in 13:07, Kingston Metzler in 13:16, Johan Azmitia in 13:35, Keaton Archer in 13:41, Liam Moctezuma in 14:21, Callen Fletcher in 14:27, Koen Cox in 15:46 and Aidyn Hernandez in 16:09. With three victories in three meets to begin the season, Lockhart will now get a week away from competition before turning its attention toward a much bigger test.

The Lions are scheduled to travel to Corpus Christi the following week for the Regional Preview meet on the campus of Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, giving Lockhart an early opportunity to race on the course that could become especially important later in the season.

 Lady Lions stand their ground at 39th annual Hippensteel Open

By Reuben Ortiz

Lockhart Girls Head Cross-Country Coach   

   The Lockhart Lady Lions Cross-Country program made the most of its home-course advantage Friday, turning in a strong showing against hundreds of runners from across Texas during the 39th annual Hippensteel Open at Lockhart City Park. Nearly 600 runners competed during the high school portion of the meet, with Lockhart fielding three full girls teams across the varsity and junior varsity divisions. The Lady Lions’ Varsity Big squad led the way with a third-place team finish, while Lockhart’s JV-A team finished eighth in the Varsity Small Division and the JV-B squad also placed eighth in the junior varsity race.

   The scheduled junior high portion of the meet, which was expected to include more than 700 runners, was canceled later in the day because of lightning and approaching storms. Senior Addison Harrod once again set the pace for Lockhart in the Varsity Big competition. Harrod covered the 1.97-mile course in 14 minutes, 3 seconds to finish seventh overall. A four-year varsity runner who has lettered in cross-country since her freshman season, Harrod provided the experienced presence at the front of the Lady Lions’ pack.

   Junior Alicia Sanchez continued her strong start to the season by moving up the standings and finishing 14th overall in 14:42. Freshman Daneli Cedillo followed with an impressive 19th-place finish in 15:45, claiming one of the final individual medals. Junior Aliya Parra narrowly missed medal honors after finishing 21st in 16:06, while junior Sofia Rodriguez was 26th in 16:52. Senior Melanie Garcia rounded out the Varsity Big lineup with a 30th-place finish in 17:12.

   The performance was good enough to put Lockhart third in the team standings, finishing behind runner-up Comal Canyon while holding off fourth-place Bastrop. In the Varsity Small Division, Sanchez led the Lockhart squad with a 35th-place finish and a time of 16:19 over the same 1.97-mile course. Freshman Sariah Barron got her first taste of varsity-level competition and responded by finishing as Lockhart’s No. 2 runner, placing 38th in 16:59.

   The Lady Lion wave followed close behind. Sophomore Maci Lockhart finished 41st in 17:13, junior Brianna Chavez Vasquez was 44th in 17:25 and junior Pyper Bornemann placed 49th in 18:01. Lockhart finished eighth overall in the Varsity Small team standings, just behind seventh-place Weimar. It is always nice to race at home. Last year we had the largest number of teams entered in the event’s history. This year was a little smaller, but we still had strong numbers and tough competition. I am already excited to see the girls race their first 5K in two weeks.

  The deepest race of the day came in the Girls Junior Varsity Division, where senior Natalie Gonzales led Lockhart with a 21st-place finish in 16:55. Gonzales missed earning an individual medal by just one position. Senior Katherine Silva Garcia was the second Lady Lion across the line, finishing 42nd in 18:47. Lockhart then showed its depth with another tight group of runners. Senior Kendra Mendoza finished 48th in 18:47, senior Zoie Ledesma was 54th in 19:29 and freshman Sophia Morgan followed immediately behind in 55th with a time of 19:32.

   Senior Alahni Herrera finished 61st in 20:03, while senior Alondra Hernandez Medrano rounded out the Lady Lions’ lineup with a 73rd-place finish in 22:10. Our JV-B group came out ready to race against a strong field. We were even able to create a second “Lockhart Soccer” team, and those athletes did a great job as well. There are only positives when athletes practice day in and day out and then come out ready to compete. Having three full teams racing really shows the depth of this program.

   Beyond the results, the Hippensteel Open once again gave Lockhart athletes the opportunity to compete in front of family, friends and supporters without leaving home. It also brought hundreds of athletes, coaches, parents and spectators into Lockhart. From an athletics standpoint, this meet provides a significant economic impact for the community while also giving local residents a chance to watch a quality cross-country meet right here at Lockhart City Park.

   An event of this size takes a tremendous amount of preparation and cooperation. The Lockhart Cross-Country program would like to thank the coaching staff and all of the volunteers who helped prepare for the meet, including members of the Lions Club who came out Friday to assist. We also appreciate the support of our Lockhart ISD administration, City of Lockhart workers and Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Mike Maldonado for helping prepare for the event. It was great to see so many of them take a few moments from their busy schedules to come out and support Lockhart Lion Athletics.

   With the home meet behind them, the Lady Lions will use the upcoming weekend for training before traveling to Corpus Christi on Sept. 12 for the Pre-Regional Islander Splash. That meet will provide another test for the Lady Lions as they step up to their first 5K competition of the season.