Published: November 02, 2007 02:12 pm      

Wildcat cross country team eyes state berth

By SCOTT TYLER

H-P Sports Editor



For two years, Palestine coach John Absalom has watched the Wildcat cross country team grow and grow.

Last year the boys’ cross country team won the district title for the first time. This year, Absalom hopes, the program will take that next step — getting a team into the state cross country meet.

The Palestine boys will be competing in the Class 3A-Region III meet Saturday with a chance to advance to the state meet.

“It just shows the dedication and character of the kids,” Absalom said of both teams reaching regionals. “They are the ones who have put the time in, getting here at 6 in the morning to run and working hard.

“They have earned it.”

The regional meet will be at North Harris College in Humble Saturday with the boys running and 12:30 p.m. The top three teams and the top 10 runners from each race advance to the state meet in Round Rock.

For the boys squad, it is the second straight year they enter as district champions but that was not the big accomplishment. For the boys’ team, which consists of Austin Hamon, Laquadium Foreman, Sammy Vargas, Saul Mancera, Rafael Luna and Nick Giles, the goal is simple — make the state meet.

“Winning district was not a major thing,” Hamon said. “We knew we could win district so we set the bar higher, our goal is to get the team to state.”

Abosalom said for Palestine to reach the state meet it is going to take a personal best from each runner but he knows it is a reachable goal.

“Hudson is the top team by far but the next four or five teams, which I feel we are a part of, are going to fight for those other two spots,” Absalom said. “The last 800 (meters) to a mile is going to win or lose it. It is how many people you can pass at the end.”

Many of the runners have the regional experience from last year which is going to help Saturday.

“We know we have to take it serious,” Hamon said. “We have to be prepared and if we don’t run our best we are not going to get to state.”

Absalom also prepared the team for regionals this year by having Palestine run in bigger events to emulate the size of the regional meet.

“Last year they were overwhelmed by the number of kids that run in the race,” Absalom said.

One of the Palestine runners who did not participate in last year’s regionals is the Wildcats’ top runner this year — Foreman.

Foreman ran distance races for the Wildcat track team during the spring and was recruited to the cross country team.

“This is my first year doing cross country and it is a lot different that track,” Foreman said. “You are not running in circles.”

Foreman has excelled for the cross country team and he won the individual district race.

“If it was not for Laquadium, we would not be talking about state,” Absalom said. “Individually, he should finish in the top five Saturday.”

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Scott Tyler may be contacted via e-mail at styler@palestineherald.com