And it’s not just the weather.
Article by Greg Jaklewicz
Photos courtesy of TexPix.com
Fortunately for runners, practices and meets are in the morning and the recent 100-degree afternoons are missed. Yet, with temperatures in the high 70s and even lows 80s, morning runs are hardly brisk.
But their pace is. Wylie opened its fall season last weekend with a strong showing at Jim Ned’s Warpath Invitational.
On the girls’ side, sophomore Amari Dudley was third overall in the big school division, which included San Angelo Central and Jim Ned. Jim Ned has a strong Class 3A program.
The boys did not have a top-10 finisher, but six runners placed between 12th and 26th places, coach Jody Harvey reported. Wylie was second as a team to Central.
Additionally, Wylie had four girls compete in the junior varsity race and those girls finished first, second, sixth and seventh overall. The Bulldogs would’ve won the team title with a fifth runner in the race.
And so, the short trip to Tuscola was a winner.
“I was super pleased. I think our boys have a chance to win district. Legitimately, not just saying that in hopes.”
“Jim Ned was really good,” Harvey said. “Amari broke 20, which she has done, but that was a really good time to start the season.
“For the boys, I have a really good core group, five sophomores and one junior. They push each other and are right about in the same area time-wise.
“I was super pleased. I think our boys have a chance to win district. Legitimately, not just saying that in hopes.”
The teams are back on the road this week with a longer trip planned. Wylie is returning to the Tall City Invitational in Midland.
Finding meets is not easy. As a 5A school, both boys and girls run 5,000 meters (about 3 miles). Girls run 2 miles in lower classifications, so not many nearby meets have a big-school race.
Harvey’s first impression of his team is the work that was put in before team workouts began in late July. Want to make a coach happy? Start where you left off last year, or even better.
The girls qualified for the regional meet last year, and the boys were second to Cooper in district. Cooper did not run at Jim Ned this year but Harvey hopes to see what the Cougars have at the Midland meet.
Harvey also is pleased with his numbers.
He has 19 boys and 16 girls currently on the roster.
“I’ve had to order more equipment,” he grumbled as he smiled.
“I really enjoy the kids. They are competitive and push themselves. This is my favorite time of the year.”
Boys packing it up
The six boys running almost as a pack are junior Luke Cardenas and sophomores Tucker Balliew, Elijah Davis, Landon Hicks, Chance Robinson, and Gray Schilz. They are Harvey’s pack of ‘Dogs.
At the Warpath meet, Cardenas was first across the finish line with Balliew, who is nursing a sore ankle, next. He was third overall last year at the district meet.
“Luke ran really well. He broke 18 (minutes) for the first time,” Harvey said.
Harvey noted that while the team has worked out mid-morning to start and now earlier in the day with school started,, Schilz has been in his running shoes in the afternoon in the heat.
That is the kind of effort that is being put into a sport that easily can be overshadowed in the fall by football, Wylie’s strong volleyball program, and, of course, the powerhouse tennis program that is aiming for a state title this fall.
All six runners were under 19 minutes, with Cardenas under 18 minutes.
“This is a tremendous starting point for us. I can get four or five of the under 18 minutes by the time we get to district.”
“This is a tremendous starting point for us. I can get four or five of the under 18 minutes by the time we get to district,” Harvey said.
The district meet is scheduled for Oct. 13
Harvey is not surprised at the improvement. Freshman and sophomore boys are growing and can make huge strides in their sport. Still, it’s nice to see.
Davis, he said, was the consistent sixth runner of his core boys’ group.
“But he has grown up, gotten taller. You can just look at him and tell,” Harvey said. “So I am really excited about where we started.”
Harvey put a plug for his seniors, who have stuck with the program for four years - Lucas Farr, Daniel Sanchez, Aden Valdez and Cardenas.
“I commend those kids. This is not easy, and they’ve done it for four years. They’ve stuck with me.”
Girls competitive behind Dudley
Dudley should lead the way. She is off to a fast start - last year, she was injured and didn’t get going until later in the season, Harvey said.
Dudley led Wylie finishers at the Region I-5A meet in Lubbock. She was 73rd overall with a time of 21:36.20.
And there’s senior Mya Fierro, who was a regional qualifier as a sophomore
Another girl to watch is sophomore Emma Henao.
Harvey also is eyeing those JV runners who did well at the Warpath - sophomore Farren Gollihar and Evelyn Odom, and freshmen Lillea Schout and Allisyn Schulle. He wants to start them slowly, then perhaps work them into varsity races.
“They have a chance to run varsity when it’s all said and done,” Harvey said.
An unknown right now is senior Ryah Johns. She moved to hot West Texas from Oregon.
“It has taken her a little bit to get used to (the heat),” he said. “She still is acclimating.”
Once she does - and the good news is that it should cool as the season progresses, she could add depth to her new team.
Harvey noted senior Paige Clark and sophomore Julie Brouse, who also are in the WHS band (along with Valdez and Cardenas on the boys team).
“They got a lot on their plate,” he said.