CROSS COUNTRY: Kilgore boys to regionals as a team; Lady ‘Dogs Almanza, Grajales to regionals, as well

By HECTOR PERALEZ

Special to ETBlitz.com

On a beautiful fall morning on October 6, the Kilgore High School boys and girls cross country teams competed at the District 16-4A Cross Country Championships, with several Bulldogs turning in some of their best performances of the season when it mattered most.

The Kilgore boys finished second overall as a team, earning a trip to the regional meet, while freshmen Carmen Almanza and sophomore Airy Grajales punched their individual tickets to regionals for the Lady Bulldogs.

Almanza, just a freshman, finished fourth overall with a time of 13:16, while Grajales followed closely behind in fifth place at 13:28.

Grajales has put together an outstanding sophomore campaign, earning a medal at every meet she has competed in this season. Almanza, meanwhile, has continued to improve throughout her freshman season and produced one of her best performances when the stakes were highest.

The Lady Bulldogs narrowly missed advancing to regionals as a team, finishing fourth overall, just two points behind Spring Hill. Despite falling just short of a team regional berth, the girls put together a strong season highlighted by steady improvement and competitive performances throughout the fall.

On the boys side, juniors Adan Requena and Jacob Herrera led the way for Kilgore.

Requena finished sixth overall in 17:42, continuing a season in which he has consistently been one of Kilgore’s front-runners. Herrera crossed shortly behind him, finishing seventh in 18:00.

Herrera’s improvement throughout the season has also created some friendly competition at the front of the Bulldog pack.

“I’m beating Adan at regionals, Coach,” Herrera said with a grin following the district meet.

That competition has been part of the strength of a Kilgore boys team that has continued to improve throughout the season.

Senior Jordy Sandoval finished 11th in 18:34, giving Kilgore three runners near the front of the field. Sandoval has also provided important senior leadership for a relatively young Bulldog squad.

Jayden Alfaro, Josiah Martinez, Christopher Gonzalez and Holden DeKoker rounded out a strong supporting group that has competed and improved throughout the season.

DeKoker’s rise has been particularly impressive. After spending the season competing at the junior varsity level, his continued improvement earned him a spot in Kilgore’s varsity lineup for the district championships. His progression is an example of the depth and development that helped the Bulldogs earn their regional berth.

For Kilgore, the district meet was the culmination of weeks of training, competition and steady improvement. The Bulldogs competed in six meets leading into the district championships, with runners throughout the lineup battling to improve their times and earn their place on the postseason roster.

Now, the season continues.

Almanza and Grajales will represent the Kilgore girls at the regional meet, while Requena, Herrera, Sandoval and the rest of the Kilgore boys will make the trip together after their District 16-4A runner-up finish.

For a team that has focused all season on getting better one meet and one day at a time, there is still more running to do.

The road continues at regionals, on Oct. 26-27.

The ultimate goal, of course, is getting back to the UIL State Cross Country Championships, set for Old Settlers Park at Round Rock on Nov. 6-7.