By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
The San Benito High School boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams are starting the 2026 season this Friday, August 7, at home.
The event, appropriately called the “Dog Pound” Meet, is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. with the Lady Greyhounds’ varsity squad. The Greyhound varsity runners are to follow.
Familiarity with running around their school campus and Bobby Morrow Stadium gives San Benito an advantage, but coaches said they field a core of young runners eager to gain experience.
At Wednesday’s newspaper deadline, neither team had announced their varsity and sub-varsity rosters, however, the familiarity of having both coaches returning helps.
The girls are coached by Sonia White, and the boys by Jose Torres.
San Benito coaches said five teams are competing at the meet; none are District 32-6A opponents.
The varsity division will have a 5K course, while the sub-varsity (junior varsity and freshman) divisions will have a two-mile course.
This home meet for SBHS runners begins a seven-week stretch of competition.
SBHS is participating in Saturday meets at McAllen (Friday Night Lights), then at La Feria, Mercedes, Brownsville, and Port Isabel. San Benito is then competing in Mission on a Friday before an open date the following week.
The district meet is on October 16 at the Harlingen Sports Complex.
RIO HONDO
Rio Hondo High School runners are opening their cross-country season this weekend in Edcouch at the 38th annual Yellow Jacket Invitational.
Head Cross Country Coach Sofia Torris said she will enter 10 boys and 10 girls in an event being held at David Ybarra Middle School.
The meet is one of four events this month in which Torris has RHHS runners signed up to compete.
RHHS is entering seven running events this season, including hosting the Rio Hondo Invitational on September 12.
“It’s a meet that we host, and a meet that schools reach out to plan to attend each year,” Coach Torris said. “It’s a great opportunity for runners to showcase their talent in their hometown.”
And if the August heat and humidity are not enough of a challenge for these 10 Bobcat runners, finding an adequate place to practice has been challenging, too.
“Since our fields and track are under construction and turf is being installed, we’re having to create a different route and practice plan,” Coach Torris said.
The Coach added that she has runners who still enjoy the sport, so if they become successful early on, it can all be attributed to their hard work.
“Our high school cross country program has grown from five runners when I took over to 10 runners last season,” said Coach Torris, now in her second year. “So far, we have 20 runners. There are some amazing things happening in our program that our kids and parents are buying into, creating not only memorable moments but also a lifelong love for this sport.”
The District 32-3A Meet is scheduled for October 17 at a yet-to-be-determined site.