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State Cross Country roundup: Lamirand earns medal


Jentry Lamirand and her Decatur Lady Eagle teammates found themselves in unchartered waters Saturday in the Class 4A final.

With a tough start, the Lady Eagles were buried back in the field early in the race. Through the first mile, Decatur was in eighth place with only one runner in the top 20 in the team placings.

Lamirand worked her way through the field and onto the medal stand. The Decatur sophomore finished sixth, running an 11:46 on the 3,200-meter course at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

Lamirand brought home the medal a year after missing one by two spots. Her then senior teammate Hanul Lewis was one spot off earning a medal.

“That was big motivation. Having Hanul her to cheer gave me an extra push,” Lamirand said.
“[The medal] means a lot for me and the means a lot for the team and Coach [David] Park.”

Salado’s Jaci McGregor won the race in 11:24. Alvarado’s Emily Garcia took second in 11:31.

Lamirand said the plan was to go out conservative.

“We knew everyone was going to go out fast because it’s state and you want to get out there,” Lamirand said. “But when you go out too fast with those really great runners, you’re going to die out.”

But Park pointed out that the Lady Eagles weren’t able to get into the flow with the lead packs and got caught up in traffic.

“We got a poor start. They had to fight and were lucky to get seventh,” Park said. “How Jentry got sixth, I don’t know. She was back in the 30s. They were all trying and coming back. It was pretty awesome to watch.”

Decatur finished seventh with 180 points. Canyon won the title with 109, edging out Celina by four points. Hereford was third with 114.

In her fourth trip to state, Makenzie Fox finished 23rd in 12:12. Kayla Leal ran 12:42 for 57th. Grace Lowery took 86th in 13 minutes. Emily Childress was the fifth Lady Eagle finisher, crossing the line in 13:13 for 102nd.

Presley Wall ran 13:21 for 111th and Genoveva Pacheco 13:42 for 124th.

Hounds finish eighth
The Slidell Greyhounds finished eighth in the Class A final with 234 points.

Easton Vanover led the Hounds around the Old Settlers 5K course, running 17:52 for 49th.

“I tried to get out a little harder and everyone else did the same,” Vanover said. “I could have done better, if I ran the hills better.”

Hudson Franklin turned in a 18:25 for 74th. Carlos Gonzalez was 75th in 18:26. Jaden Luttrell ran 18:48 for 90th. Brock Harwell was 117th in 19:39 as the fifth Slidell finisher.

Jerl McCasland finished 136th in 21:10 and Jayson Ellison 142nd in 21:51.

“Hudson Franklin and Carlos Gonzalez ran above what they’ve ran in the past. A couple of our guys didn’t have the race they wanted,” said Slidell coach Casey Pierce. “I’m pleased with how we ran. Getting down here two years in a row is huge. Carlos Gonzalez is the only senior. We should have a good competitive group next year.”

Jackets take ninth
The Boyd Yellowjackets third straight trip to the state meet ended with a ninth-place finish in 3A and a school record.

Sophomore Noah Richardson paced the Jackets, finishing 24th in program-best 16:32.

“Just to get here is awesome,” Richardson said. “I went out with the leaders to see if I could hang with them. My goal was top 10 if I could have stayed with them. I feel a little short, but to run here in the state meet is awesome.”

Hunter Bowen took 32nd in 16:43. Jayce Rasbury ran 17:18 for 69th. Ty Lumpkin was 100th in 17:46.

Shad Presher finished 136th in 19:03 as Boyd’s fifth runner.

Jaiylen McGilvery ran 19:19 for 140th and Tayden Presher 19:27 for 141st.

“I felt we did good. It was a learning year for us, but I was telling these guys to live in the moment,” said Boyd coach Oscar Hernandez. “We wanted to do the best we could.”

Alvord lands in 12th
In a fast 2A girls race, the Alvord Lady Bulldogs finished 12th with 308 points.

Tawni Hamilton had the Lady Bulldogs’ best time of 13:17 for 57th. Katie Slaten ran 13:52 for 99th.

Sydnee Wade was 102nd in 13:55, Laisha Johnson 111th in 14:11 and Jocelyn Tambunga 118th in 14:19.

Taylor Maag ran 14:36 for 127th and Bailey Rogers 15:44 for 147th.

“I was happy with how we ran. It was a little slower than regionals but a different course,” said Alvord coach Michael Barnes. “I was excited with how they finished. We knew the Panhandle schools would be tough.

“It gave the girls a taste of what it’s like.”

Chico freshman Aereonna Cardenas finished 68th in 13:27.

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