Cross Country: OHS boys run away with Odessa Invitational title

The Odessa High Bronchos didn’t necessarily leave UTPB Park happy on Thursday.

But they did leave as the Odessa Invitational team champions in the Class 5A-3A boys division.

OHS scored 54 points for a comfortable victory, while Permian scored 86 points and continued its progress with a second-place showing by one point over District 2-5A rival San Angelo Central (87).

While running to the championship, Odessa High was led by a ninth-place showing from Maurilio Pando while A.J. Martinez, Manny Cruz, Kaleb Neptune and Cody Valenzuela swept the 11th through 14th places.

“The kids did what they had to do to win the meet, which is great,” OHS boys head coach Randy Thompson said. “But we’re better than that.”

OHS won the team title despite Edwar Zubiate, who has been the team’s top runner each of the last two weeks, finishing 39th overall and eighth for the Bronchos. The top five runners score team points.

At any rate, the Bronchos won their third team title of the season and they did it with a little incentive to get better as the District 2-5A Championships — scheduled for Oct. 29 in Lubbock — draw near.

“What made us come out (first) was a lot of guys who usually have finished fifth and sixth for us picked it up and finished second and third,” Pando said. “We need to work harder throughout the week. This week we had a lot of people slacking and it showed. We have three or four people who are consistent and we need more.”

Permian’s boys had a second consecutive uplifting performance after a solid showing last week at the McNeil Invitational in Round Rock.

David Hernandez, a junior, finished second to lead the Panthers and Daniel Hernandez followed in 15th. Rey Madrid was 23rd, Jonathan Gonzales took 25th and Scott Lezama finished 28th to close out Permian’s team scoring.

Lezama got to the finish line before Central’s fourth and fifth runners, which made the difference in the team scoring.

“I’m real happy the team’s coming around — we’re a team now,” Hernandez said. “They realize they can run and they really can run.”

The top three teams from the district meet will qualify for the Region I-5A Championships, so Permian’s boys still have plenty of work left to do.

But head coach Jeep Shanks was happy to see the Panthers overcome the loss of Kenny Scott, normally the team’s No. 2 runner, to illness.

“That’s a heartbreaker, but other than that I couldn’t be happier,” Shanks said. “Every kid who put on a Permian uniform sold out just like last week. I hope it’s something they’re starting to figure out in their minds, what it takes to be successful in this sport.”