By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
Del Rio’s Ray Torres, the Comstock Panthers boys team and Comstock’s Fernanda Lopez are headed to the state cross country meet after their performances at the Region IV championships Monday, Oct. 26, and Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Corpus Christi.
Torres qualified individually in Class 6A, while the Panthers earned a team berth with a second-place finish in Class 1A. Lopez also qualified individually in the Class 1A girls race.
The top four teams and the top 10 individuals not on qualifying teams in each race advance to the state meet.
Del Rio
Torres led the Rams in Monday’s Class 6A boys race, finishing 14th overall in 15 minutes, 40.65 seconds to earn his state berth.
Del Rio cross country coach Vicky Perez praised Torres and both teams for their performances throughout the season.
“Super proud of our Queens and Rams team this season. What they were able to accomplish this season is because of their hard work and dedication to our program,” Perez said. “A lot of good came out of this season. We will continue to build on what we have started in the
seasons to come.”
Perez said the program is especially excited about Torres’ opportunity to compete against the state’s best runners.
“We are so proud of Ray and we are excited to see him race and we also know he will represent Del Rio well at state,” Perez said.
The Rams finished 20th as a team with 490 points. Jesus Robles placed 97th in 17:09.23, followed by Isau Salazar, 142nd in 18:02.24; Alexavier Medina, 146th in 18:06.72; Emiliano Zuniga, 155th in 18:28.87; Tyler Lopez, 164th in 18:48.74; and Reynaldo De Los Santos, 170th in 19:15.95.
The Queens placed 21st in the girls race with 594 points. Celeste Garcia led Del Rio with a 100th-place finish in 20:59.68, while Xitlali Vasquez was 108th in 21:10.50.
Reba Salinas finished 148th in 22:06.00, Amya Mendoza was 155th in 22:19.61, Bella Montemayor placed 167th in 22:49.09, Hailey Dobbins was 169th in 23:04.28 and Ava Jimenez finished 176th in 23:22.26.
Comstock
The Comstock Panthers are headed back to the state cross country meet for the sixth consecutive year, but their latest trip to the state’s biggest stage was anything but routine.
Competing Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Corpus Christi, the Panthers overcame illness, heavy rain and a muddy, slippery course to finish second in the Class 1A boys race with 83 points.
The National Weather Service recorded 0.89 inches of rain at Corpus Christi International Airport on the day of the meet, although the amount that fell at the racecourse was not immediately available.
Comstock cross country coach Lee Abbey said the rain was pouring when the girls began their race, leaving the course in miserable condition for the boys, who competed after the rain had stopped.
Runners struggled to maintain their footing on the saturated course, making times difficult to compare with performances elsewhere in the state.
Abbey said several of his runners were also battling illness, but refused to let the conditions become an excuse.
“Instead of excuses, they made results,” Abbey said.
The coach was particularly encouraged by how strongly his runners finished, noting that some were still racing each other toward the finish line despite the difficult conditions.
Noah Bahena led the Panthers with a sixth-place finish in 19:37.24. Gustavo Flores was 17th in 20:50.23, John Howell placed 18th in 20:50.96, Jacob Allen took 20th in 20:58.22 and Dalton Hutchinson finished 22nd in 21:01.18.
Martin Lopez placed 24th in 21:26.09, and Alan Huerta finished 80th in 24:19.86.
Abbey said the Panthers remained competitive with regional champion McMullen County throughout much of the race, giving him optimism heading into the state championships.
McMullen County finished first, followed by Comstock, Zephyr and Rocksprings. The four teams earned state berths, including Rocksprings, one of Comstock’s district rivals.
The coach believes the Panthers can close the gap with the region’s top team, particularly if they compete on a dry course.
“We’re pretty optimistic,” Abbey said.
Comstock won the Class 1A state championship in 2024, the first state title Abbey earned as a head coach. He knows how difficult those championships are to win, noting that many coaches spend entire careers without one.
Now, with another state appearance ahead, Abbey believes the Panthers have a chance to contend for a place on the awards stand and perhaps another championship.
He said the team will maintain much of its regular training routine while making adjustments designed to help the runners close the gap with their strongest competitors.
The coach also credited Comstock’s regular competition against larger programs, including Mason, Sonora and Reagan County, with helping prepare the Panthers for postseason racing.
While another championship would be welcome, Abbey said the team’s determination under difficult conditions was already something to
celebrate.
In the girls race, freshman Fernanda Lopez earned an individual trip to state with a 16th-place finish in 14:33.14. The Lady Panthers finished
eighth as a team with 230 points.
Sophia Flores placed 53rd in 16:05.88, Charlotte Kennedy was 58th in 16:17.51, Alexis Guajardo finished 80th in 16:51.70, Lucero Tarango was 98th in 17:36.59, Maya Lopez placed 123rd in 19:44.81 and Anna Bahena finished 134th in 21:10.67.
Brackettville
Brackett High School’s boys team finished 12th with 338 points in Monday’s Class 2A race, while the girls placed 14th with 372 points.
Sammie Stewart led the Tigers, placing 44th in 19:20.00. Aiden Page followed in 81st at 20:19.32, Dillon Hoehn was 90th in 20:48.78, Seth Falcon placed 91st in 20:49.62 and Ande Rendon finished 110th in 21:12.36.
Weston Massingill placed 149th in 23:25.65, and Alejandro Sanchez was 167th in 26:39.53.
Emmaline Laub led the Lady Tigers with a 57th-place finish in 13:37.30. Anna Mesa was 79th in 14:01.38, Natalie Cardenas placed 81st in 14:03.34, Atlantida Anderson was 88th in 14:10.04 and Phoenix Taylor finished 132nd in 15:29.90.
Calista Perez placed 139th in 15:39.65, and Bella Falcon finished 141st in 15:42.08.
Results are from V Fit Productions, the meet’s timing company.
