Community Champions: Austin High Cross Country
EL PASO, Texas – Austin High School knew it was a contender for the 5A Region I boys cross country title, but few people gave them a chance to actually take home the trophy.
“We were supposed to be up there as one of the competitors, one of the challengers for a regional championship, but we didn’t think we were gonna win it.,” said head coach Manny Rodriguez. “But it happened.” Austin edged out defending regional champion Grapevine to win its first title in the sport in six years. It was such a close finish that the Panthers couldn’t confirm their victory until moments before it was announced at the trophy presentation. “We go up to the gym…for the awards, and they call out the girls, and we’re next,” said Eric Hunt, a senior runner on the team. “And coach is like, ‘I think we won.’ And we weren’t third, we weren’t second, so I looked at him and was like, ‘Coach did we win?’ He didn’t say anything. And they’re like, ‘El Paso Austin Panthers!’ Everybody goes, “We won!’ Man, it was great!” Many people might not consider cross country to be a team sport in the same sense as something such as basketball or football. But the Panthers do credit their team chemistry for pushing them to the top. “Yeah, I can say that I’ve bonded with these guys,” said Hunt. “These guys are like my brothers. I put them up with my family. We connect on so many levels.” Austin now has a chance to compete for a state title on Nov. 12. Until then, they’ve at least shown they’re one of the best local cross country teams around. “It felt really great to know that all our hard work that we put in finally paid off,” said Kaeori Giron, a junior on the team. “And we were able to show everyone in El Paso that we’re not a team to be messed with.”
