Burnet County runners finish in top 25 at state
CAPTION: Marble Falls senior Tyler Hamblin shows his Class 4A state medal for finishing fourth in the boys 5K race. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Class 4A cross country championships were conducted Nov. 1 and Burnet County runners showed once more why middle distance running is a passion here.
The Burnet High School boys team finished seventh overall. But Marble Falls senior Tyler Hamblin had the county’s best time and placement.
Hamblin was fourth on the 5K course thanks to clocking 15 minutes and 48 seconds. He was in the top five after the first and second miles to get his first state medal.
“That’s the fastest time he’s had at state,” Marble Falls head coach Brenda Gonzalez said. “Some of those runners were fast. Tyler ran another 15(-minute race). This year he was able to get good times at the end of the year. He was behind third place by five seconds. I feel he ran well and competed well. He finished strong.”
Marble Falls freshman Reese Massey made her state meet debut, finishing 24th in 12:06.20 on the two-mile course. That’s a terrific finish considering the obstacles the runner was facing the last several weeks, the coach said.
“I was proud of her,” she said. “I was proud of her finish. She was undertrained going into the meet. She was on the elliptical a lot.”
Going into the meet, Gonzalez and Massey were bracing for a quick race. The coach noted several entries were finishing races in 10 minutes. That didn’t change at the state meet.
“The girls 4A race was fast,” Gonzalez said. “I’m proud of Reese’s finish and the way she did. Being a competitor, she was not happy. I told her, ‘You’re competing against the best in the state of Texas as a freshman. Be proud of this moment. You accomplished a lot.'”
The results of the cross country season simply excite Gonzalez for the track season. She is the head girls track coach and the middle-distance running coach.
She noted Hamblin and Massey have mutual respect and cheer each other on.
“Reese admires Tyler,” Gonzalez said. “And Tyler encourages her quite a bit.”
Burnet senior Victor Aviles paced the Bulldogs by finishing 15th in 16:10.30 followed by senior Isaias Zarate, who was 25th in 16:32.60, freshman Isaac Vega was 59th in 16:58.80 to set a new personal best, senior Gustavo Vega came in 83rd in 17:22.20, and sophomore Austin Moore was 118th in 17:54.90. Freshman Clark Yanez came in 123rd in 17:58.30 and senior Miguel Valdez was 124rh in 18:03.50.
CAPTION: The Burnet High School runners with their coaches and families. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
