Jones, Morgan run away from field to claim top 2 finishes; freshman Gonzalez advances as boys’ medalist
Daily Light report
GRAND PRAIRIE — True to form, the Waxahachie Lady Indians placed four runners in the top 10, and runners Emilee Jones and Cori Morgan claimed the top two medals on Thursday at the District 11-6A cross-country championships at Lynn Creek Park.
The Lady Indians picked up their sixth consecutive district title and move on to the Class 6A Region II meet, which will be back at Lynn Creek Park on Oct. 25. The team finished with 36 points, ahead of Mansfield High’s 53 and Waco Midway’s 63.
Jones, a sophomore, won the 5,000-meter race in a time of 18 minutes, 40.6 seconds. Morgan, a senior, was 15 seconds back in second place in 18:55.6.
Freshman Lyndsay Giles was eighth in 21:33.0, sophomore Whitley Blankenship was 10th in 21:49.0 and junior Keeley Hearron was 21st in 22:28.8 to round out the scoring quintet for WHS. Seniors Tessa Dominy and Cameron McBride also competed in the race.
The University Interscholastic League state championships will be held Nov. 5-6 at Old Settlers’ Park in Round Rock. Both Jones and Morgan will be aiming for a second-straight appearance in the Class 6A girls’ meet.
On the boys’ side, WHS freshman Jaime Gonzalez notched a fifth-place finish in a time of 17:19.3 in leading the Indians to a fifth-place finish. Gonzalez will advance to regional competition as an individual medalist.
Junior Braden Buegeler came in 22nd in 18:47.9, followed by sophomore Aidan Pennington in 24th in 18:49.3; senior Lucas Molina in 28th in 19:00.8; and freshman Ezra Perez in 31st in 19:12.1. Sophomores Eli Nance and Conner Schmidt also competed for the Indians.
Mansfield placed all five of its scoring runners in the top eight and won the district team title, with Midway second and Duncanville third.
The Tribe also fielded a full team in the boys’ JV race and were led by freshman Nathan Templet, who placed fourth in 19:45.4.