As far as the Memorial boys cross-country team was concerned, a lot was at stake going into the District 19-5A competition at North Harris College on Thursday. These guys were not favored to win. In fact, the prediction was for them to finish third or fourth.

Mustang coach Danny Jones went into the day’s match up understanding the odds faced against his squad. But Memorial would not go away quietly.

As the race began, heavily favored contenders Jorge Castillo from MacArthur, Juan Ruiz from Nimitz, and Dylan Roberts from Stratford immediately took charge of the race.

But Mustang runners Reggie Buford, John Christie, Scott Hyde, Kevin Davis, and Travis Peterson kept their paces. They were on a mission for gold, a team gold.

“This team is special because we don’t have that one top runner,” Jones said. “Instead we pack in a group of great runners.”

Let the results do the talking. At the finish, Buford, Christie, and Hyde placed fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. Davis and Peterson rounded out the top Mustang runners at ninth and twelfth.

Jones knew the team results would be close, but stood unaware while the judges tabulated the scores. Patiently waiting on the results, Jones paced the weathered, grassy terrain.

The scores were in and the Mustang boys earned first place at the District 19-5A Cross Country Championships.

“This is a very big accomplishment for the boys,” Jones said. “In the preseason our main goal was to win the district. I am so happy for these kids.”

And how great it must feel winning his first district title as a Memorial coach. Jones joined the Mustang organization in 2000. Since then, the best team finish has been third.
Jones said winning the district was so important because Memorial had not won a boy’s championship since 1987.

“It’s been 13 years since we won a boy’s cross country title,” Jones said. “We finished third in 2005 and I think this is a great improvement from last
year.”

With the guys headed off to Regionals next week, look for an adrenaline rush as they prepare to make this year a memorable one.

“Going into Regionals everyone will have to run their best race,” Jones said. “If the kids do their best, that’s all I can ask for as a coach.”

Subscribe to this comment's feed