Cross Country: Bale running at another level for Kermit

Trey Bale has been waiting for a chance like this.

A chance to prove himself against the big boys.

Given the opportunity by Kermit coach Cameron Crane, Bale ran straight to the front of the pack, pushed away from a field full of Class 5A runners and raced away with the Odessa Invitational 3A-5A boys title in 16:13.9.

“I knew that the 5A guys, a lot of them have been taught to keep their pace,” Bale said. “I wanted to get ahead far enough that it wouldn’t even matter.”

Bale almost didn’t get a chance to beat the 3A-5A field.

Forced to come to the Odessa Invitational without four of the team’s top seven runners — half of Kermit’s runners also play for the football team — Crane contemplated placing his runners in the 2A-JV field.

Better for the prospects of team success to run in the smaller division.

“I wanted to put us where we maybe had more chance for team success,” Crane said. “We were going to have more challenge here.”

Bale wanted none of that.

Last year, Kermit faced the same situation, and Bale ran away with the 2A-JV title by a full minute over teammate Leeroy Garcia.

This time he wanted a chance to knock off the entire field.

“It was important to me,” Bale said. “Being 2A, we’re automatically looked down on because we’re 2A. It’s nice to come out and prove that we’ve got something.”

Bale, a classic frontrunner who likes to set the pace himself, pushed out to a fast start right away.

Followed closely by Crane’s Zach Daniel, Permian star David Hernandez and Andrews sophomore Lucas Marquez, Bale never faltered.

“Trey got out to a lead, and I tried to stay with him,” Daniel said. “For a second I felt like I was catching him, but then Trey took off.”

Hernandez caught Daniel.

But Bale stayed too strong to let the Permian runner catch him, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Hernandez.

Using its full lineup, Kermit is one of the best Class 2A cross country teams in the state.

And even though the Yellow Jackets were missing half their lineup, Kermit finished fourth with 117 points. Danyl Diaz and Leeroy Garcia, the other two normal members of the lineup, came in 18th and 26th, respectively.

“We’re pretty deep this year,” Crane said. “That comes in pretty handy.”

Especially when the No. 1 runner is forcing the pace at the front of the pack.