By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
MCALLEN, TX—Last week, the San Benito High School boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams competed in the Friday Night Lights Invitational, one of the Rio Grande Valley’s largest 5K events.
Nearly 25 teams competed, with most from the Rio Grande Valley and others from the Coastal Bend, Laredo, and beyond San Antonio.
Jon Montemayor finished first for the Greyhounds, clocking 18:09.30. Twelve runners finished ahead of him, and all finished in 18 minutes. Overall, Montemayor was 102nd in the boys’ category.
Among the other SBHS runners to finish, by placement, were Lorenzo Machuca (174th, 19:30.90), Elliott Lozoya (204th, 20:17.40), Gabriel De Leon (178th, 21:07.70), and Nehemiah Rivera (241st, 22:32.00).
More than 250 runners competed. Based on their finishes, each SBHS runner pulled away by more than a minute as the race went on.
When SBHS had five runners complete the course, their totals were tabulated as a team. The ‘Hounds finished 29th, just behind a District 32-6A foe, Brownsville Veterans Memorial (27th). Other district teams competing were PSJA North (25th), and Harlingen (16th).
Meet champions were Weslaco East, followed by Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial and host McAllen High.
For the SBHS girls, two participants’ runs were also tabulated as they crossed the finish line.
Senior Alexia Delgado once again was the Lady ‘Hounds’ top runner, finishing in 23:35.00, good enough for 109th place. Only seven seconds separated her from finishing in the top 100.
Delgado, who has competed at the varsity level for multiple seasons, said that cross-country practices are important, but once the running events begin, the challenges evolve.
“It’s very intense because there are many other runners who all want to run until they can’t anymore, but they keep going. The McAllen meet is one of the best, with even more runners,” Delgado said. “Every week we compete will be a good experience for us, especially because we have a young team and can learn from what we see.”
SBHS teammate Julianna Carrizales topped out at 25:14.30, placing the junior 157th overall.
They were the only runners to finish the 5K race, and their times didn’t count toward a team total.
Among the District 32-6A foes that competed were Harlingen (9th) and PSJ-A North (19th).
The nighttime event was held at McAllen’s Sports Complex, near Alonzo Middle School. The course was mostly flat, fast, and wide, with grass paths, and primed for personal records.
SBHS Coach Jose Torres leads the boys, and Sonia White leads the girls.