De la Garza shines at Regionals

SAN ANTONIO — McAllen Memorial's Tricia Terry and Mercedes' Alex De La Garza did what they set out to accomplish at the UIL Region VI cross country meet in San Antonio: win.

In fact, the Rio Grande Valley competitors literally ran away from the Class 5A competition with Terry (11:22.3) beating second-place runner Ashley Benes from Austin Bowie (11:42.3) by more than 20 seconds.

It's the second time Terry has won the competition. She has placed in the top five the past four years.

"She really ran well today, and it's no surprise," said McAllen Memorial coach Noel Valero, whose team finished second. "We weren't used to running at that time (1:20 p.m.), but I'm very proud of the way everyone ran today. For state (Terry's) goal is to break the top 10."

The Tigers' top runner, De La Garza, had similar success in the Class 4A competition, blowing past the field with a time of 15:41.2. Ethan Doherty of Boerne finished in second at 16.05.5.

Mercedes claimed second place as a team to earn a spot at state. Edcouch-Elsa also moves on, earning third place with runners Francisco Garcia (seventh) Edgar Diaz (ninth) placing in the top 10. Weslaco East finished fourth, with its best run coming from Julio Diaz, who finished 16th with a 17:04.

"(Alex) did really well," Mercedes coach Pedro Martinez said. "He blew past everyone, and now we have our eyes set on state next week."

Martinez added that having the team qualify as well is a big boost. It's the third time Mercedes has qualified as a team for state.

"It means a lot more having everyone go," Martinez said. "(Alex) won't be by himself, and they can all help with the overall support."

In Class 5A boys, PSJA North won on the pace of its best runner, Jose Garza, who finished ninth with a time of 16:19. Sharyland claimed fourth, while Edinburg North and PSJA Memorial finished sixth and ninth, respectively.

The Progreso boys will move on in Class 3A after finishing third.

Valley boys runners in the top 10 in Class 5A included Sharyland's Michael Medrano (sixth, 15:59.0) and Miguel Alanis (eighth, 16:05.2), Edinburg North's Luis Serrano (ninth, 16:14.8) and La Joya Palmview's Hanzel Ibarra (10th, 16:15.9).

In Class 3A, Port Isabel's Armando Fierro (16:53.1) was seventh, and in Class 2A Santa Rosa's Nestor Macias (17:13.3) and Donna Idea's Michael Garza (17:14.0) placed seventh and eighth, respectively. Santa Maria's George Villasana (17:34.6) and San Perlita's Luis Herrera (17:40.4) were ninth and 10th, respectively, in Class 1A.

Valley girls runners in the top 10 in Class 5A included PSJA Memorial's Gabriela Salazar, who was third in 11:49.3, San Benito's Cinthia Adame, who placed sixth in 11:55.7, and Los Fresnos' Samantha Fish, who took  ninth in 11:59.2. Emily Perez of La Joya Juarez-Lincoln was the only Valley girls runner in the top 10 in Class 4A, taking ninth in 12:08.4.

La Feria's Mirian Vasquez (12:46.1) and Briana Villarreal (12:47.8) were 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Class 3A girls race, leading the Lady Lions to a second-place finish as a team behind District 32-3A foe Zapata.