The boys cross country team knew the district title would come down to the wire, and their focus was entirely on Dayton.
Two years ago, the boys lost the title to Dayton by only five points. A year ago, Dayton edged out the boys by three points. The boys were determined this year would be different.
But even after they had all finished running on Thursday at Atascocita High School, coach James Higham and the team were unsure if their efforts were enough.
Dayton seniors Jaxon Asbill and Gamaliel Ruiz finished in first and second, so Higham knew the top Kingwood Park runners would all need to place high if they wanted to win. When the results came through, the Panthers beat Dayton by one point to become District Champions.
“I’ve seen the work that we’ve been putting in as the whole team for the last two weeks,” said junior Brett Peveto, who finished 5th in a time of 17:22.14. “We talked about this every single day, about winning districts. And to see our work finally pay off, it was amazing.”
That victory kicked off what ended up being a huge day for all the Kingwood Park cross country teams. The runners lined the sides of the finish line, cheering each other on throughout the day. In the end, the program swept the district championships in the girls and boys varsity races, the girls and boys JV races and the freshman boys race.
The varsity boys were led by sophomore Bo Barndt, who finished fourth overall with a time of 16:56.76.
“I was just trying to stay up there in the front of the pack,” Barndt said. “Then throughout the race, I was just thinking ‘Stay the same pace. Don’t let anybody pass you.’”
While Barndt’s lead gave the Panthers a strong finish, Higham said it was the kick of all the runners that pushed them over the edge, especially for senior William Burningham. Burningham finished 11th with a time of 17:50.39, after passing two runners in the last 200 meters. That push secured the team point total needed to beat Dayton.
Along with Barndt and Burningham, the rest of the varsity runners finished in top 20: senior Jennings Barndt (7th), sophomore Landon Linnear (8th), junior Tristain Parfait (10th) and freshman Mason Merino (17th).
As they celebrated their own win, the boys went to the finish line to cheer on the varsity girls.
With junior Sylvana Lopez Andrade and sophomore Eva Grunz placing first and second, coach Cody Cook knew the team was in good position to win the team’s fourth title in four years.
“Anytime you can bring on the silver and the gold, the one and the two, it really solidifies your back end,” Cook said. “It’s hard to pinpoint one performance that won the meet today, because there were so many individual, separate surges we did that were critical.”
Lopez Andrade finished with a time of 20:34.93 and Grunz finished with a time of 20:47.41.
Since Lopez Andrade was the only returning varsity member from last year’s meet, her experience was crucial to the team’s overall win and mindset. Last year at the District Meet, Lopez Andrade finished in fourth with a time of 21:17.66.
Grunz was set to run in last year’s district meet as well, but she was pulled because of an injury before the race began. This year, she said was excited to finally compete.
“I was very happy that I could run it this year, that I was able to run the meet that mattered,” Grunz said. “It’s the only weighted meet that really matters in the end. So I felt like the work that I put in was a lot more validated.”
Even with the strong competition from Splendora and Porter, the girls managed to win by a 18-point margin over second-place Splendora.
After graduating 60% of their district team from last year, the underclassmen knew they needed to show up to solidify their win, Cook said.
Freshman Quinn Kelly, who finished 11th with a time of 21:52.30, was a crucial addition to the team’s victory. Kelly competed in just her second varsity race at the meet.
Along with Lopez Andrade and Grunz, all the varsity runners finished in the top 25: freshman Hadley Barker (4th), freshman Lyla Hernandez (15th), junior Jessi King (23rd) and freshman Elaine Robertson (25th).
“When these freshmen came in it went from being a potential rebuild to like we were ready,” Cook said. “They work hard, but they bring that youthful energy. They’ve been very valuable to us.”
The varsity teams will now focus on recovering for the next week as they prepare for the Region Meet on Oct. 20 in Huntsville. Sweeping the district has given the Panthers confidence going into the meet.
“I’m proud of their determination,” Higham said. “About halfway through the season we got a little beat up. We got a little banged up and they’ve come back around. They’ve really stuck with it and responded and did a good job today.”