These were the words of Cameron Yoe coach Dale Keen as he discussed the chances of his district-champion girls team, which has been besieged with health issues, in the Class 3A Region III Meet today at North Harris County College in Houston.
However, Yoe isn’t the only area school hoping to earn a berth in next Saturday’s University Interscholastic League State Meet at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.
To reach the 2-mile girls final or the 5,000-meter boys showdown, a school must place among the top three teams in its regional meet. To qualify individually, an athlete must finish in the top 10.
Temple’s boys team will compete today in the 5A Region II Meet at Arlington’s Vandergriff Park, as will Belton’s boys and girls teams.
The girls teams from Belton and also Academy and Salado in 2A are considered strong contenders to earn their way to suburban Austin. The Lady Bumblebees and Lady Eagles will be competing in Region IV at Brooks City Base in San Antonio.
“We were really looking good two or three weeks ago,” Keen said of the problems that have attacked his squad. “Brenda Pena (Yoe’s top runner) has been sidelined with tendonitis, another had an ingrown toenail and then three others had the stomach flu early in the week. Pena has been working pain-free this week.”
With Pena sidelined, Yoe still won the District 18-3A title, taking second through fifth individually.
Despite the problems, Keen remains positive.
“I feel we’ll be able to overcome the obstacles and qualify for state,” he said, pointing to (Kingwood) Park, Giddings and Lufkin Hudson as the other prime contenders. “Park is a new school and is all freshmen, but we know freshmen girls run well and they’re coming from a Kingwood area that produces great 5A distance runners. They are going to be very tough.”
In 2A, Academy will hope to extend its domination in Region IV.
“We have won it the last three years and would like to defend that,” Academy coach Lee Bender said. “(Sophomore) Emily Koenig (the 25-2A champion) has had strep throat this week, so we are not sure how she will be able to run.
“It will be tougher this year than it has been in the past. Salado is a better team than they were last year and should be one of the top teams to beat. Wallis Brazos should be near the front of the back, as could be Poth, (Vanderbilt) Industrial and, possibly, Lexington.”
Salado coach Cindy Mewhinney agrees that her Lady Eagles, led by sophomore Lupe Pena, will be in the mix at the medals presentation.
“The girls should advance to state,” Mewhinney said. “Academy is the favorite, but they only beat us by five at district and we are continuing to get better every week. Brazos beat us earlier at the UTSA meet and they have the top girl runner in the field.
“Our girls can win it if my No. 4 and 5 runners can break into the 12s (minutes) or very low 13s. Our first three runners are stronger than those of the other teams and have taken turns being our No. 1 runner.”
In 5A, Denise Petter’s Belton girls will challenge a 24-team field headed by The Woodlands, College Station A&M Consolidated and The Wodlands College Park. If it can cut the margin between its top two runners and its other three scoring athletes, 14-5A titleist Georgetown also will be in the mix. In sophomore Regan Tindell, the 13-5A champion, Belton has one of the top individual hopes.
“The girls are ranked fourth in the region,” Petter said. “If the girls have a strong race, they’ll be in contention to advance.”
On the boys side, Georgetown, Cedar Park and The Woodlands are the teams to beat. Petter says her Tigers - led by Marc Sandlin - are ranked seventh going into competition.
“The boys will have to drop their averages (times) about 20 seconds. You never know who is going to run their fastest time at this meet.”
The Temple boys, third in 13-5A, also will compete.
“I predict that our team will finish in the middle,” Temple coach Karron Taylor said. “This is definitely a meet for real runners. Our guys are excited about the opportunity and are going into it optimistically like they did at district.
“I have a very good feeling that Isaiah Caldera and Romeo Guajardo are going to run their best races ever. They both have a chance to finish in the top 20, if not better. If they run confidently, hard and smartly, they may steal an individual slot to state.”
On the 3A level, Yoe’s Keen said, “It will be an uphill fight for the boys. Our fourth through six runners need more development. We’re hoping to make the top five or, if we have an outstanding day, third. I’m looking for Uriel Ramos and Nestor Rios to run very well and, hopefully, finish in the top 10 and qualify for state.”
Keen calls the boys race wide-open but points to Hudson as the probable favorite.
Salado, with district champ Jace Peralta leading the way, could be a solid contender in the eyes of both Mewhinney and Bender, who sees his Bumblebee team as young and building.
“The boys will have to run their best to get our,” Mewhinney said of a field headed by Brazos, which she lists as a clear favorite, Yes Prep, Santa Rosa and Poth. “Our other boys will have to get closer (in time) to our No. 1 runner. There is usually a minute difference between him and our second and third runners.”
Said Bender: “My boys are back (at regional) for the first time since 2004 as a team and we are relatively young with only two seniors in the group,” Bender said. “We are hoping to run our best race of the year and compete well. Brazos beat Salado at UTSA, but I think Salado is stronger now."
