ROUND ROCK, Texas (Covering Katy News)—Six Katy ISD cross country teams participated in the UIL Cross Country State Championships Saturday at Old Settlers Park, tying a district record set last year.
For the girls, Katy finished third, with 90 points, after champion Bridgeland (38 points) and runner-up Lewisville Flower Mound (41 points). Jordan finished 15th with 372 points. Mayde Creek finished 16th with 410 points.
"The girls finishing as a team medalist, which is the top three teams for the second straight year, is an extremely big accomplishment," Katy cross country coach James Darcey said. "The previous state medalist teams in the top three at UIL state meet from Katy ISD were all the way back to 2008, and now our girls have medaled at the state meet in back-to-back years."
At the Nov. 1, meet, Darcey said Katy was in sixth place and needed to make a big move to get into medal contention. Katy was behind by about 40 points, but by the two-mile mark Katy had moved into fourth place, and by the finish Katy had moved into third place, well ahead of The Woodlands, which finished fourth.
"It was an amazing performance by our girls, and I can't say enough about the toughness, fitness, and competitiveness to be able to medal in back-to-back years," Darcey said.
Sophomore Vienna Fish of Katy was the top finisher for Katy ISD girls' runners, finishing with a time of 18:11.5. Freshman Kinley Skaggs ran her best race of the year and finished in the top 25, while junior Lauren Acopa and sophomores Avery Torrey and Abby Lester ran strong races. Freshman Annabelle Hesterman and Jasmine Avalos also ran well, Darcey said.
"Our top five girls were all very important in a very tight 1-5 split of only 35 seconds," Darcey said. "They are all very good runners."
Andrea Minon
Kade Shipper of Katy, Benjamin Robins of Katy and Matthew Garib of Tompkins run in the state meet.
For the boys, Katy finished 11th with 297 points. Seven Lakes finished 13th with 332 points. Tompkins finished 15th with 342 points. Southlake Carroll won the meet, with 71 points. Austin Vandegrift finished second, with 98 points. Bridgeland finished third, with 107 points.
Ryder Darcey of Katy, son of the coach, was the top finisher for Katy ISD boys' runners, finishing in eighth place overall with a time of 15:13.8.
"Ryder was an individual medalist who is top 10 by finishing in eight place," Darcey said. "He went out fast in his race, leading the front pack through the one-mile mark and was fourth at the two-mile mark. He finished the 5K race in eighth place. I'm very proud of him and his hard work over the years to develop into the runner he is today."
Darcey praised others on the team who made their mark, saying that Maddox Davis, Diego Mion, Ben Robins and Kade Schipper have formed a great group. He said juniors Oliver Braithwaite and Payton Patters ran well in the state meet.
District teams enjoy a proud legacy on the trail
Katy ISD enjoyed the distinction of seeing six teams qualify for the 2024 Class 6A state meet. Both the Katy and Jordan boys' and girls' teams, along with the Tompkins boys' and Mayde Creek girls' teams, qualified for the state meet last year.
"There are 247 Class 6A schools, and the top four from each of the four regions qualify for the state meet," Darcey said. "There is not a Division I and II as most team sports have now. The scoring for cross country takes the top five runners place from each team and adds them together for a team score. There is an individual place that accumulates for the team score, and the low score wins."
For six district teams to qualify for the state meet for two consecutive years is a proud accomplishment. For the Tompkins boys' team, 2025 marks the 10th consecutive year the Falcons have qualified. Among Katy ISD boys' cross country teams, Tompkins and Cinco Ranch have the most state meet appearances, with 10 each.
For the girls' teams, Seven Lakes has the most state meet appearances, with 12. Their last appearance was in 2019. Cinco Ranch has the second-most appearances, with 11.
Golden Eagles spread their wings
Freeman, the district's newest high school, is a Class 4A school in athletic terms. Yet two runners, Andrew Hohmann and Jordan Lopez, qualified for the state meet.
"Getting to the state meet in itself says a lot about an athlete's demeanor," Freeman cross country coach Joseph Brillon said. "Freeman is a disadvantage in regards to not having senior athletes that can 'show them how to succeed.' However, these two young men have grown not just physically but mentally in the last 16 months."
Brillon said there are some observable traits, or skills, that differentiate a developmental runner from a varsity runner.
"Race performance is the first criteria we look at," Brillon said, adding that such performance usually doesn't occur until the athlete has trained physically and has what he called a varsity mindset. Both Hohmann and Lopez are sophomores, and Brillon said they show both a high desire to succeed and a competitive attitude.
"They don't like to lose," Brillon said. "They are both very coachable and disciplined. But what caught my attention was just how quickly they developed. Last year they were on sub-varsity and 12 months later they qualify for the state meet."
Special thanks to Jodi D. Slaughter (no relation to this reporter) for her help with this story.