Kilgore's Almanza, Bulldogs win in Tyler

Mitch Lucas, Kilgore News Herald, Texas
·3 min read

Sep. 8—Kilgore High School cross country has had what you might call "big" success in the last few years: the boys made the state meet a year ago, as a team; various KHS individual runners have made that meet, and the girls team has competed there, as well.

And that's the goal again, along with success in district — Kilgore's boys have won the district championship in five of the last six years, including four in a row.

Everyone got off to a good start on Saturday.

Kilgore's Ruby Almanza won the girls' 2K run as a part of the Tyler Legacy Cross Country Invitational over the weekend in Tyler, finishing with the best time of 12 minutes, 12 seconds. The Lady 'Dogs as a team finished fifth: Quitman, Gilmer, Eustace and Mabank were the top four.

Almanza's teammates began checking it with Danna Requena (at 11 in a time of 13:04.90), followed by Maci McNew (35 in the time of 13:56.80), Alvah Veloz (at 40, in the time of 14:13), Samantha Rodriguez (at 41, the time of 14:13.30), Lexi Lara (at 70, the time of 15:11.80), Jocelyn Serrano (15:12), Vanessa Velasco (at 83, the time of 15:33.20), Gemma Sanchez (at 84 in 15:33.70), Gloria Cedillo (in 86 at 15:34), Fatima Omelas (at 97 in 15:40.30), Tracee Ferguson (at 100, in 15:44.50), Genises Castillo (at 125, in 16:33.70), Elizabeth Gutierrez (at 154, in 17:27.10), Sheba Meyer (at 167, in 18 minutes, .50 seconds), and Skylar Greenberg (18:43).

Spring Hill's Nick Bodenheimer won the boys' smaller-school division, finishing the course in the time of 16:19.90, but coach Phillip Lane's Kilgore Bulldogs won the team title.

Christopher May was the Bulldogs' highest finisher (in fifth, in the time of 17.39.70). Teammate Josue Rosas finished right beside him (in sixth, in 18:02.80). Jorge Aleman was eighth (18:17.80), followed by Gustavo Trejo (at 16, in 19:11.70), Zachery Gutierrez (at 26, in 19:40), Yamir Sanchez (at 28, in 19:55.40), and Isaac Gutierrez (at 47, in 20:51.50).

Kilgore's Bulldogs were first as a team, followed by Cumberland Academy, Miller Grove, Spring Hill and T.K. Gorman, in a 14-team field.

In addition, Kilgore's boys junior varsity team finished third.

The cross country Bulldogs will run in a Hallsville-hosted meet at 8 a.m. this Saturday, at Hallsville High, and then next Friday, Sept. 17, in Pine Tree's Mike Darby Invitational at Longview's Lear Park, also an 8 a.m. start.

Looking ahead, the district meet is at Garden Valley Golf Course, just off I-20 past Tyler, on Oct. 14; regionals will be just after that; and the state meet is once again at Old Settler's Park in Round Rock, set for Nov. 5-6, with Class 4A's boys scheduled to run at 10 a.m. that day, and the girls at 10:30.