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The Snyder High School boys finished second at the District 5-4A cross country meet at Western Texas College Wednesday. Pictured are (l-r) Corey Landin, Christian Escobedo, Michael Jaramillo, Andrew Stelluti, Jason Howard, Jeremiah Rodriguez and Adrian Monroy.
The Snyder boys didn’t leave Wednesday’s District 5-4A cross country meet at Western Texas College disappointed.
Three runners finished in the top 10 to lead Snyder to a second-place finish and a Region 1-4A meet berth. Big Spring won the team title with 28 points, followed by Snyder. San Angelo Lake View was third. The three teams qualified for the regional meet on Oct. 22 at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.
“The team did an excellent job,” head coach Bob Campbell said. “Big Spring had more experience and we knew it was going to be tough. We will live to run another day. Christian (Escobedo) and Corey (Landin) have been in the top five almost every race. Jeremiah (Rodriguez) is only a freshman and is becoming a good runner. He finally got over the fright of running against older runners.”
Escobedo finished second with a time of 18:28. He finished behind Big Spring’s Cooper Miller. Landin (19:47) finished fifth while Rodriguez (20:16) was 10th.
“It was a hard race because of the time of day and it took time to adjust,” Escobedo said. “I felt good in warm-ups, but started hurting midway through the race. My body didn’t feel the same at the end of the race.”
Escobedo said the team’s hard work paid off.
“It feels awesome going to the regional,” he said. “We put in a lot of miles. I love running with these guys and would not trade any of them for anyone else.”
Landin credited Escobedo for helping him improve each week, including Wednesday’s race.
“It’s a challenge to keep up with Christian, but he helped me improve,” Landin said. “He pushed through the race. I run with a lot of good teammates who push me. It’s difficult to practice sometimes because of being in two sports. I feel like sometimes I run at football speed and other times at cross country speed. You can do two sports, but it is not easy. I’m excited about going to the regional.”
Rodriguez admitted he was nervous at the start of the race, but settled down once it started.
“I didn’t expect to finish in the top 10 at district,” he said. “I ran relaxed, my legs felt good and I was running at a good pace. I’m proud we are going to the regional. We put in the extra work during the summer and on weekends. I’m proud of my teammates and have a blast with them. They are like family.”
Michael Jaramillo said the team was prepared for the race, but admitted he was nervous.
“We came out and performed,” he said. “I was nervous at the beginning of the race. It was a good day of running. My teammates and I run five to six miles every other day and the work paid off. It feel great going to the regional meet.”
VARSITY BOYS
Team scores — 1. Big Spring 28; 2. Snyder 50; 3. San Angelo Lake View 75; 4. Midland Greenwood 92; 5. Sweetwater 125.
Snyder results — 2. Christian Escobedo, 18:28;5. Corey Landin, 19:47; 10. Jeremiah Rodriguez, 20:16; 13. Michael Jaramillo, 20:37; 20. Andrew Stelluti, 21:24; 24. Adrian Monroy, 22:36; 27. Jason Howard, 23:10.
JV BOYS
Team scores — 1. Big Spring 15.
Snyder results — 5. Daniel Esparza, 22:31; 8. Kevin Miranda, 23:07; 12. James Ashby, 23:50; 13. Jeremiah Valenzuela, 24:15.
JUNIOR HIGH BOYS
Team results — 1. Big Spring 50; 2. San Angelo Lake View 52; 3. Snyder 60; 4. Midland Greenwood 80.
Snyder results — 4. Antonio Martinez, 13:22; 7. Aiden Leal, 13:40; 8. Esteban Cabrera, 13:42; 18. Jay Castillo, 14:49; 29. Nathan Dominguez, 17:37; 37. Branson Hernandez, 22:18.