Down and dirty

Tiger long distance runners endured muddy trails, fallen trees, creeks, and bales of hay during their first meet of the season.

The unconventional Mud, Sweat, and Cheers Relay in Cooks Point on Saturday, Aug. 25 was a 4x1.5 mile relay and obstacle course and the first for the Rockdale High School cross country team.

“I wanted to give the team something fun to start the year off,” said Cheryl Darby, head cross country coach. “This is our first year going. The guy that puts it on (Coach Robert Ondrasek) was my high school cross country coach, and he reached out to me. He said, I’d love for your team to come to this meet, it’d be great for them.”

The Lady Tigers had three of their relay teams place in the top eight of the Varsity Girls Division I group.

“They did great,” said Darby, who is entering her second year at RHS. “There were a lot of bigger schools that they ran well against also.”

The highest placing Rockdale team was fourth with a time of 47:59. The team was made up of Ivanna Luna, Tasha San Migel, Candy Barcak, and Marina Costilla. The two other Lady Tiger relay teams placed fifth, 52:18, and eighth, 58:11.

The Rockdale Tigers and Lady Tigers Cross Country team’s will not have any meets this next week, but will run on Saturday, Sept. 8, in Lexington.

Milano—Defending 2A state champion, Parker Jones placed third at the Belton Cross Country Invitational meet on Friday, Aug. 24.

Jones competed against 5A and 6A runners and finished with a time of 16:21:32, behind second place finisher Joseph Benn of College Station High, who timed in at 16:13:79.

The Milano Eagles runners, who also competed in the boy’s 1A through 4A division, were Andy Gutierrez, with a time of 19:57 for thirty-ninth place and Cinch Pilkey 23:44 for ninety-fourth place out of 118 runners.

In the girl’s 1A through 4A division, Abby Miller placed seventy-third with a time of 16:28 for the Lady Eagles. Danni Shaw placed ninety-seventh with a time of 19:44 and Angela Zelig placed ninety-eighth with 20:26.

The Milano team will run next on Friday, Aug. 31, in Temple at the Profit Invitational.

Thorndale—The Thorndale Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs also competed at the Mud, Sweat, and Cheers Relay in College Station.

Two teams placed in the Varsity Boys Division I group. The first got fourth place with a time of 42:02 and sixth, 47:11.

The Lady Bulldogs Cross Country team had one team place sixth with a time of 52:32.

The Bulldogs and the Lady Bulldogs will compete next on Friday, Aug. 31, in Temple at the Profit Invitational.