Jan Smits
Senior leadership and experience played a key role at the 6A cross-country state meet, where the Carroll boys and girls finished first and second respectively.
“I knew that the talent and ability was there,” Dragons coach Justin Leonard says. “It was just a matter of doing what it takes.”
Compiling 62 points to take the title, the boys were led by freshman Caden Leonard (fifth, 15:56.2), followed closely by junior Jude Alvarez (eighth, 15:59.1). Six of Carroll’s seven runners finished in the Top 22, including Logan Cantu (13th), Blake Bullard (17th), Robert Freeman (19th) and Zach Troutman (22nd). Tyler Ortiz posted a time of 16:58.1.
The Lady Dragons (51 points) finished second behind Flower Mound (42 points), a team that boasted the top three finishers at state. Carroll was led by senior Ava Bushaw (fourth, 17:58.3), Sylvia Schwedler (sixth, 18:16.9) and Audrey Dunn (seventh, 18:36.3). Elizabeth Smits (16th) and Alexandra Walsh (18th) finished in the Top 20, while Sarayu Veluri (25th) and Natalie Ng (41st) followed from behind.
Losing three seniors from both teams, Leonard says their leadership will be missed, but he expects those returning to continue carrying the torch.
SEASON RECAP
Fueled by determined and committed Dragon runners, the Carroll boys cross-country team won their fourth straight state title last fall, with the girls finishing second.
“That’s the standard that we have set — to win state,” Carroll cross-country coach Justin Leonard says. “You want to win state championships, and you want to chase titles.”
The boys looked ready to repeat, winning all but one of the meets in which they raced. The Dragons finished third out of over 200 teams at the Woodbridge Classic in Irvine, California, a meet comprised of some nationally-ranked programs. The boys went on to win district and set a record at the regional meet with the lowest team score (25 points).
At state, the Carroll boys took gold with 62 points, ahead of Austin Vendegrift (81 points) and Coppell (126). It’s the 13th consecutive year the boys finished first or second at state.
Meanwhile, the girls just lost four meets this season, including Woodbridge and a second-place finish at region, where they trailed Flower Mound by just four points. It was a rematch at state as Flower Mound (42 points) narrowly edged out Carroll (51 points) once again.
In total, the girls advanced to state for 26 consecutive years and medaled in 21 of those contests.
“We have what I call a ‘price-tag mentality,’ where we have a pretty good idea of what it takes as far as work ethic and commitment in order to achieve a state championship,” Leonard says. “It’s a sacrifice. It’s a total commitment.”