MIDLAND Odessa High runner Joseph Flotte had a quick start in his team’s season-opening race at the 2021 Tall City Invitational Saturday at Hogan Park.
He built early momentum to separate from the rest of the pack after the race started, then used a late burst to pace the Odessa High boys cross country team in its Division 1 showing.
Flotte placed fifth overall, clocking in at 17 minutes, 26.78 seconds and helping the Bronchos secure a fourth-place team finish.
“I feel good but I need to push a little bit more just to get up there and get a good time ready,” Flotte said.
David Mora from Lubbock Monterey won the boys Division 1 race with a time of 16:02.80 followed by Lubbock All Saints Episcopal’s Lee Taylor (16:28.13).
Midland Legacy’s Bridger Bowcutt finished third (16:55.52) while Big Spring’s Adrian Solis (17:26.37) was fourth.
Flotte felt that his team had a strong showing but added everyone could see improvement in their times if they managed to separate when they see another runner next to them.
The Bronchos had young runners compete at the event on both their Division 1 and Division 2 teams.
Sophomore Alex Camacho was accompanied by freshmen Jordan Flotte and Jeremiah Casas on Odessa High’s top team. Randy Galindo and Martin Norris were the freshmen representing the second team.
Odessa High boys coach Cody Valenzuela said he felt Flotte learned a lot because he is still transitioning from his summer training to running a 5K.
He wants to see the first team maintain a steady pace when it gets to the second mile.
“That second mile we dropped back maybe 30, 40 seconds,” Valenzuela said. “It’s just those little mistakes; we have to make sure that we hammer in second mile and in the middle of the race don’t get comfortable.”
The Tall City Invitational also gave the Bronchos a chance to see a District 2-6A opponent in Midland Legacy before the district meet in October.
Seeing the Rebels gave Valenzuela a bigger picture of what his team could expect down the line throughout the season.
“For the time being right now, I think it’s just going back and doing our workouts, being true to each mile and being true to each rep,” Valenzuela said. “For these guys, they’re just going to grow.”
Valenzuela added that he wants to continue to his build his program for the future by bringing in more runners in the near future.
He was hoping the athletes who competed in the Division 2 race got a confidence boost from racing against varsity-level competition from Class 3A and 4A schools.
The Compass Academy cross country team also had runners compete in the Division 2 5K, placing eighth as a team.
Freshman Kolden Rand was the top finisher for the Cougars, finishing 30th after clocking in at 20:11.57.
Head coach Tracy Dunford said she felt her boys team did well and are prepared for what’s ahead.
She added that she wants to see the team work on finishing its races as the season progresses.
“They need to get a stronger finish, they need to learn to pace themselves a little bit better,” Dunford said. “It’s in their head, they’ll get there.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
Tall City Invitational
Saturday, Hogan Park, Midland
BOYS (5K)
Division I
Team Standings
- Lubbock Monterey, 60; 2. Midland Legacy, 66; 3. Big Spring, 72; 4. Odessa High, 94; 5. Lubbock Southcrest Christian, 99; 6. Fort Stockton, 151; 7. Andrews, 166; 8. Pecos, 207; 9. Denver City, 224; 10. Lubbock High, 232; 11. Midland Christian, 233; 12. Midland Texas Leadership Charter Academy, 310.
Top 10 Individuals
- David Mora, Lubbock Monterey, 16:02.80; 2. Lee Taylor, Lubbock All Saints Episcopal, 16:28.13; 3. Bridger Bowcutt, Midland Legacy, 16:55.52; 4. Adrian Solis, Big Spring, 17:26.37; 5. Joseph Flotte, Odessa High, 17:26.78; 6. Fabian Perez, Fort Stockton, 17:29.04; 7. Kaleb Gaona, Lubbock Southcrest Christian, 17:29.95; 8. Roman Perez, Big Spring, 17:32.61; 9. Isaac Gonzales, Big Spring, 17:3851; 10. Gabe Preston, Lubbock Southcrest Christian, 17:48.05.
Other Area Runners
Odessa High: 17: Alejandro Tercero, 18:17.82; 19: Alex Camacho, 18:19.05; 29: Jordan Flotte, 19:00.43; 33: Jeremiah Casas, 19:11.62.
Pecos: Ethan Chavez, 18:04.25; 39: Shane Serrano, 19:39.33; 49: Zach Moya, 20:25.13; 54: Adriel Carrasco, 20:53.33; 69: Jose Perez, 22:58.21.
Midland Legacy: 12: Jose Almanza, 18:00.16; 14: Christopher Lopez, 18:08.78; 20: Oakley Atwood, 18:19.34; 22: Joey Corning, 18:34.80.
Andrews: 23: Devan Lujan, 18:36.72; 35: Andrew Mayfield, 19:23.25; 37: Rylan Alaniz, 19:31.83; 40: Brahman Matschek, 19:42.98; 45: Wyatt Everts, 19:57.87;62: Caleb Bueno, 21:47.80.
Fort Stockton: 30: Jesus Hernandez, 19:04.46; 31: Juan Vela, 19:04.80; 32: Lakota Franklin, 19:11.42; 67: Randy Sandoval, 22:39.96; 72: Ezequiel Soto, 23:26.28.
Alpine: 28: Cason Hatfield, 18:54.49; 57: Marco Martinez, 21:07.58.
———
Division II (5K)
Team Standings
- Crane, 53; 2. Midland Classical Academy, 86; 3. Presidio, 112. 4. Midland High, 166. 5. Lubbock Monterey, 168. 6. Slaton, 196. 7. Odessa High, 226. 8. Odessa Compass Academy, 231. 9. Andrews, 237. 10. Big Spring, 251. 11. Forsan, 268. 12. Lubbock All Saints Episcopal, 288. 13. Midland Trinity School, 315. 14. Midland Legacy, 318.15. Greenwood, 392. 16. Lubbock Southcrest Christian, 399. 17. Kermit, 430. 18. Fort Stockton, 485. 19. Alpine, 486.
Top 10 Individuals
- Brett Campagna, Midland Trinity School, 17:39.74; 2. Reagan Layh, Midland Classical Academy, 17:52.49; 3. William Hall, Crane, 17:53.84; 4. Eddie Flores, Presidio, 17:58.33; 5. Elijah Culver, Slaton, 18:18.82; 6. Julian Obregon, Lubbock Monterey, 18:42.71; 7. Jose Zubia, Midland High, 18:48.16; 8. Taylon Watson, Crane, 18:56.27; 9. Brett Beran, Midland Classical Academy, 19:04.16; 10. Diego Rios, Big Spring, 19:06.68.
Other Area Runners
Crane: 11: Lucas Rizo, 19:07.48; 14: Santiago Rodriguez, 19:16.63; 19: Dominick Mireles, 19:36.81; 25: Jesse Vasquez, 20:00.24; 31: Nicolas Pettit, 20:12.65; 32: Diego Padilla, 20:14.79; 33: Silas Garcia, 20:16.59; 70: Kris Rizo, 21:51.31; 156: Elias Gomez, 27:45.18.
Midland High: 18: Elias Silva, 19:28.82; 34: Angel Gonzales, 20:20.06; 52: Sebastian Valenzuela, 21:19.59; 79: Isaiah Orosco, 22:06.65.
Odessa High: 12: Miguel Lujan, 19:07.97; 37: Randy Galindo, 20:26.67; 40: Carlos Ortiz, 20:42.08; 62: Rogelio Pando, 21:44.64; 116: Martin Norris, 23:55.65; 145: Nicholas Moreno, 26:14.97.
Monahans: 13: Jordan Purcell, 19:14.86; 83: Jose Castillo, 22:22.22; 107: Gadiel Rubio, 23:30.51; 163: Josiah Ray, 32:41.42.
Midland Legacy: 23: John Abalos, 19:53.71; 39: Gavin Rochelle, 20:36.06; 99: Preston Evans, 23:11.62; 111: Aidan Montes, 23:35.38; 117: Ty Grigsby, 23:55.70; 142: Mathew Rodriguez, 26:01.45.
Andrews: 26: Foster Sears, 20:01.51; 38: Corbin Cash, 20:32.43; 67: Andrew Reyes, 21:49.29; 69: Alan Mayfield, 21:51.15; 74: Maliki Hernandez, 21:57.15; 76: Leo Herrera Ortega, 21:59.24; 88: Adriel Pacheco, 22:29.38; 122: Riley Ellison, 24:07.03; 124: Kyden Scott, 24:11.89; 129: Matthias Hernandez, 24:20.91; 150: Joab Montoya, 26:38.16.
Compass Acaemy: 30: Kolden Rand, 20:11.57; 42: Dakota Stratton, 20:45.08; 53: David White, 21:24.97; 63: Logan Gilley, 21:46; 77: Jacob Prieto, 22:00.54; 78: Elijah Martinez, 22:03.23; 80: Austin Spruill, 22:09.05; 82: Jonathan Martinez, 22:13.89; 93: Ryder Sanchez, 22:54.01; 102: Conner Harrison, 23:20.27; 127: Micah Hubbard, 24:19.90.
Greenwood: 61: Landen Stewart, 21:44.03; 73: Hunter Fontenot, 21:53.82; 105: Angel Sosa, 23:29.30; 115: Sawyer Morrow, 23:42.79; 139: Talon Stone, 25:38.29.
Kermit: 41: Jaden Bejarano, 20:43.83; 98: Zeke Espino, 23:08.52; 101: Sebastian Vanegas, 23:18.01; 158: Jesus Lara, 28:22.89; 164: John Lara, 33:24.92.
Buena Vista: 44: Matthew Pena, 20:50.46; 160: Asher Palacios, 30:00.18.
Pecos: 121: Peter Juarez, 24:05.60; 136: Lincoln Sadler, 25:20.70; 137: Gabriel Gonzales, 25:20.82; 165: Ethan Dominguez, 34:10.43.
Marfa: 59: Marco Ruiz, 21:42.14.
Fort Stockton: 68: Kian Iseli, 21:50.25; 119: Khalil Jackson, 23:55.87; 143: Jayden Guevara, 26:04.34; 153: Rylan Mata, 27:25.47; 162: Jose Sarabia, 31:57.15.
Alpine: 91: Javier Prieto, 22:49.02; 100: Aaron Miller, 23:16.83; 144: Landon Velasco, 26:11.63; 147: Solanus Prieto, 26:22.21; 155: Martin Sablatura, 27:33.97.
