St. John leads Grapevine boys to first state cross country title
The Grapevine-Colleyville School District enjoyed a successful Monday afternoon at the UIL Class 5A cross country state meet in Round Rock, coming away with numerous team and individual medals.
The Grapevine boys won their first state championship in program history, and were led by junior Walker St. John, who won the individual award with a time of 14:42.20, beating out Lubbock’s Isaac Alonzo by two seconds. The Mustangs dominated the competition with 61 points.
Boerne Champion came in second place with 104. Denton was third with 131.
“Just thrilled for the kids to accomplish this,” Grapevine coach Rick Miller said. “We always go into state with the intent of winning and running our strongest race. You have a chance when you execute the race plan and the kids know how to structure a race. Great performance by Walker. He had a lot energy during that last mile. It’s our fastest time at state, sub-15 minutes. it was phenomenal.”
Three Grapevine runners came in the top six with Trey Leathers in fifth (15:17.85) and Josue Granados in sixth (15:21.15). Brian Guevara (16th), Kalil Bell (33rd), Alex Morales (43rd) and Grant Saunders (65th) rounded out the group.
The girls team also took some hardware home, finishing state runner-up with 89 points, edging out district rival Colleyville Heritage by two points. Heritage got the bronze with 91 points.
Five of seven Grapevine runners came in the top 26, led by Lila Nicodemus’ 10th-place finish of 18:23.80.
Abigayle Kuehne came in 13th followed by Caroline Burrow (18th), Kylie Himes (22nd), Lindsey Smith (26th), Theresa McCullough (41st) and Madyson Lucero (43rd). It’s the second straight year both the Grapevine boys and girls reached the podium in the same season. The teams both came in second in 2019.
“When the pack runs well, you’re going to get great results and we were able to do that,” Miller said. “Lila ran amazing as our number one and our top five were packed tight and stayed focus throughout the race to finish strong.”
It was the first time in program history that Heritage got to the podium at the state meet.
“We were really excited about it. Not quite satisfied, we wanted to win, but we still got the highest finish in school history,” Colleyville Heritage coach Nick Taylor said. “The girls gave their best effort. Last year we were so concerned about other teams that I think they got in the moment. This year, we ran aggressive and pressed the whole race.”
Freshman Allie Love finished seventh (17:52.25) and ended up on the all-state team. She finished her debut season with six first-place finishes in eight races. Senior Felisa Saheib came in eighth followed by Claire Compher (15th), Mia Soo Hoo (27th), Cambria Keith (37th), Jaclyn Turner (50th) and Haiden Cowdery (67th).
“Allie ran hard and Felisa had some down weeks so it was good to see her back up there in the mix,” Taylor said. “Our three seniors led us to the bronze performance like they have all year long.”
Heritage also made history at the regional meet, winning its first team title in either girls or boys division.
5A GIRLS
Individual Results
1. Isabel Conde De Frankenberg, Cedar Park, 17:10.65
2. Cameron Fawcett, Highland Park, 17:29.01
3. Anastacia Gonzales, Boerne Champion, 17:32.42
4. Mckenzie Bailey, Georgetown, 17:32.66
5. Colleen Stegmann, Frisco Reedy, 17:38.65
6. Veronica Ambrosionek, Frisco Lone Star, 17:39.31
7. Allie Love, Colleyville Heritage, 17:52.25
8. Kailey Littlefield, Lucas Lovejoy, 17:52.78
9. Kirstin Towle, Prosper Rock Hill, 17:54.49
10. Kate Williams, Boerne Champion, 17:54.71
Team Results
1. Boerne Champion - 76
2. Grapevine - 89
3. Colleyville Heritage - 91
4. Dripping Springs - 103
5. Highland Park - 117
5A BOYS
Individual Results
1. Walker St. John, Grapevine, 14:42.20
2. Isaac Alonzo, Lubbock, 14:44.21
3. David Mora, Lubbock Monterey, 14:56.98
4. Foster Wilfong, Boerne Champion, 14:58.89
5. Jack Woods, Cedar Park, 15:05.33
6. Blake Barnes, Prosper Rock Hill, 15:07.70
7. Philip Metcalf, Austin LASA, 15:08.95
8. Natnael Enright, Frisco Wakeland, 15:09.14
9. Isaac McGill, Amarillo, 15:10.09
10. Jackson Chichon, Mansfield Summit, 15:10.85
Team Results
1. Grapevine - 61
2. Boerne Champion - 104
3. Denton - 131
4. Friendswood - 135
5. Lucas Lovejoy - 138
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 3:57 PM.
