Burnet cross country performs well at Legacy Hill

CAPTION: Some Burnet High School cross country runners enjoy a group shot after competing in the legacy Hill Friday Night Lights XC Meet Aug. 14. Courtesy photo

The Burnet High School cross country program showed plenty at the Legacy Hill Friday Night Lights XC Meet Aug. 14.

The Bulldogs finished fourth in the varsity division and fifth in the junior varsity division. The Lady Dawgs were 13th in the varsity division and 11th in the junior varsity division.

Other teams included Cedar Park, Hutto, Lago Vista, Leander Glenn, Leander Rouse, Liberty Hill, Liberty Hill Legacy Ranch, Marble Falls and Round Rock.

Head coach Simon Hairston, who is entering his second year, was pleased with the efforts of his runners, particularly the Bulldogs.

“Extremely proud of the guys,” he said. “For a first meet, super impressed with our effort and the overall performance. It was absolutely amazing. We had some new freshmen that came up, and I put them on varsity to see how they would run, and they did a great job.”

Clark Yanez finished 15th in just over 11 minutes, while Russell Ramirez was 19th in 11:10.205, Isaac Vega came in 22nd in 11:16.432, Christopher Hernandez was 32nd in 11:34.227, and Cason Manning was 36th in 11:41.675.

“Everybody played their roles going all the way up through Clark,” Hairston said. “Russell came in as our second place runner, and he looked strong. Isaac Vega looked really strong as well. I couldn’t have really asked for a better start to our year with those guys coming in and doing what they did. I knew there was going to be a lot of good and bigger schools there and there were. I was curious to see how we’re going to do and I just I left with a huge smile on my face with their performances and so super proud of the work they put in.”

He noted the junior varsity “has depth there that last year I felt like we lacked.”

“We have some on the JV that I feel like are very much in the running to run with our varsity,” the coach said. “They can go in and really, I think, compete for varsity spots.”

Sophomore Jocsan Sanchez was 11th overall in 12:45.981, Leon Perez was 18th overall in 13:11.115, and Hector Vega finished 19th overall in 13:13.935

“I was really, really proud,” Hairston said, adding they could “potentially” help the varsity down the road.

The Lady Dawgs were paced by Kamila Palacios, who was 46th in 14:28.857, and freshman Jayde Smith, who was 50th in 14:36.464.

“Kamila came through as our first place runner, and she looked strong,” Hairston said. “She was more of a known factor. We have work to do, we have some areas that I really want to try to get our girls to be able to get our times down in and grow in. But it’s so early in the season that I really personally believe that we can get there. It’s just going to take us continually showing up for work and putting in the work. Staying healthy, too, is another factor that we want to try to make sure that we can do.”

While Hairston knew what he had in Palacios, he was pleased with Smith’s performance.

“She just had a great race,” he said. “She was just a very pleasant surprise to see her come through and perform like she had done, and she’s one of those kids that she’s always wanting to do better and wanting to push herself and chomping at the bit to practice and to run. I thought she did a fantastic job on the course.”

Another freshman, Ximena Zarate, who was 61st in 14:51.278.

“With some of our freshmen coming in, you just get to see them in glimpses in practice,” the coach said. “But when they get to competition is really when you see how they’re going to step up and do. I was proud of all of our girls’ efforts.”

Burnet will compete in the Belton Invitational Friday, Aug. 21, at Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area. Varsity girls competing in the 1A-4A division start at 8:30 a.m., while the varsity boys 1A-4A division begins at 9 a.m., the girls junior varsity competes at 9:30 a.m. and the boys junior varsity runs at 10 a.m.

RESULTS

BOYS (14 teams)

Varsity (109 runners)

15, Clark Yanez, 11:00.686; 19, Russell Ramirez, 11:10.205; 22, Isaac Vega, 11:16.432; 32, Christopher Hernandez, 11:34.227; 36, Cason Manning, 11:41.675, 51, Gabe Castillo, 12:03.590; 68, Adan Carreon, 12:31.898

Junior varsity (133 runners)

11, Jocsan Sanchez, 12:45.981; 18, Leon Perez, 13:11.115; 19, Hector Vega, 13:13.935; 29, Layton Gaines, 13:26.580; 75, Angelo Ramirez, 16:29.597; 76, Christian Strauss-Cabrera, 16:30.669

GIRLS (13 teams)

Varsity (115 runners)

46, Kamila Palacios, 14:28.857; 50, Jayde Smith, 14:36.464; 61, Ximena Zarate, 14:51.278; 66, Abby Benigt, 15:10.977; 79, Brekyn Langley, 16:00.996; 85, Perla Rodriguiz, 16:45.467; 86, Savannah Griffin, 17:08.531

Junior varsity (119 runners)

61, Karla Rodriguez, 18:11.948; 64, Brooklynn Flores, 18:19.809; 66, Vanessa Chavez, 18:47.860; 67, Bella Lindsay, 18:50.492; 71, Emily Montoya, 21:46.931