Southlake Carroll Cross-Country
If it were any other year, 2021 might have turned into a rebuilding year for Carroll’s cross-country team. After all, losing five seniors from the boys team and three from the girls team meant less experience for Dragon runners heading into the fall.
However, the challenge didn't slow Carroll, with a strong ensemble of younger athletes and just one senior on both teams. The Carroll boys took the Class 6A championship to win a third consecutive title. Junior David Fisher finished ninth overall out of 150 participants with a time of 15:39.2, while sophomore Jude Alvarez (10th, 15:40.7) and junior Robert Freeman (11th, 15:43.4) were right behind him.
“Starting out, to be honest, I didn’t know the level of talent we had,” Carroll cross-country coach Justin Leonard says of his boys team. “They knew their back was up against the wall a little bit, and I think that kind of served as more of a motivation.”
The Lady Dragons took fourth at the state meet, led by senior Kaylie Cox, who finished 14th overall with a time of 18:20.4. Sophomore Sylvia Schwedler (20th), freshman Elizabeth Smits (24th) and junior Ava Bushaw (27th) all finished within 30 seconds of Cox.
Coach Leonard says the younger runners responded to Cox’s leadership all season.
SEASON RECAP
For the Carroll cross-country teams, capping the season with a trip to state is as commonplace as scorching temperatures during a Texas summer. The achievement has become an annual tradition.
This past fall was no different as the Carroll boys registered a three-peat championship, while the Lady Dragons finished fourth.
“I think their determination was the biggest factor,” Carroll cross-country coach Justin Leonard says. “The starting goal from Day One was to win state. I thought we had a chance to do that, and we got it done.”
The Carroll boys won the Southlake Invite at the start of the season, then won the Coach T Invite in Flower Mound, finished fourth at Woodbridge in California and third at the Chili Pepper Festival in Arkansas, all in preparation for postseason races. The boys won the 4-6A district meet and the Region I meet before taking state with a low of 65 points to comfortably lead second-place The Woodlands (96 points).
The Lady Dragons reached state for the 25th consecutive year but failed to medal for only the fourth time during that span. The Carroll girls totaled 131 points to slightly trail bronze medalist The Woodlands (120 points). Local nemesis Flower Mound took the title with 41 points. Despite leaving state empty-handed, the Lady Dragons shined on the national stage two weeks later by winning the Nike Cross South Regional on Nov. 20.
“I felt like it was a bit of redemption,” coach Leonard says. “We didn't have our best meet [at state] this year, but we kind of showed what we were capable of doing [at Nike].”