Courtesy photo by Renee Chavarria Dybowski
December 2, 2020
Bulldog Cross-Country fares well at State Meet
By Chris Darus
The Bandera Prophet
Lady Bulldogs
Bandera's Lady Bulldogs were looking to get back on the podium at the state meet, but just came up short in their ninth straight appearance, finishing fourth in the Girls 4A race in Round Rock last week.
The team finished close to where they had been ranked, for the season and could have made the podium, except for a brutal start of the race that saw elbows flying and at least one competitor tripped.
Canyon and Celina returned to the podium from last year and Kauffman took the third spot for this years event.
"With there being 206 4A schools across the state of Texas, and just 12 teams being represented at the State Meet, the Bandera Lady Bulldogs are the fourth best team in the entire state of Texas.
That is a big deal!
After a long season, our 2020 Cross Country season is now finally complete.
I would like to thank all of our Cross Country parents who sacrifice just as much as the girls, who help cheer on the girls, travel all over the state of Texas, and for helping me. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this season. I appreciate each of the girls and their willingness to do what it took to make it through the season. I am very proud of our very young team and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future together, " Coach Brooke Ashcraft said.
The Lady Bulldogs have been one of the most consistent programs in the state. Two eighth place finishes, in 2012 and 2013, were followed with championships in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Those were followed by a fourth place in 2018, a sixth in 2019 and now, another fourth this season.
The team had no seniors this season, running with three juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen, so the next three years should see them return to Round Rock on more than one occasion.
UIL State Cross-Country Championships
4A Girls Two Mile
Team results: 1, Canyon, 68, 2, Celina, 74, 3, Kauffman, 121, 4, Bandera, 142, 5, Waxahachie Life, 143, 6, Argyle, 162, 7, Decatur, 176, 8, Tuloso-Midway, 186, 9, Huffman-Hargrave, 194, 10, Wimberley, 220, 11, Salado, 244, 12 Lufkin Hudson, 282
Bandera results:
Team placing, overall, name, time
15, 21, Makayla Gonzales, 12:37.19
20, 35, Raelynn Butler, 12:52.29
26, 43, Hannah Edwards, 13:01.08
34, 61, Danielle Gonzales, 13:16.73
47, 80, Gracie Bankston, 13:31.11
63, 102, Trinity Butler, 13:57.54
76, 116, Morgan Cole, 14:50.46
Bulldogs
The Bulldog Cross-Country squad qualified for the state meet with a good result, finishing in eighth place for the 5K event. It was the team's first time back to Round Rock since 2015, when they finished in ninth place.
The team was led by senior Logan Dybowski as it has been most of the season. What makes this interesting is that Dybowski got spiked near the start of the race and ran almost the entire distance with a shoe on one foot and just a sock on his other.
San Elizario and Melissa were the class of the field, both with 57 points, and it came down to a tie breaker between them to determine a champion.
Bandera was in a mid-pack four way shootout with Huffman-Hargrave, Fredericksburg and Salado. Those four teams were separated by just nine points for the sixth through tenth spots.
The team will lose three runners to graduation, but with a strong JV program there are runners to fill in as the team hopes to make a return to state next year.
UIL State Cross Country Championships
4A Boys 5K
Team results: 1, San Elizario, 57, 2, Melissa, 57, 3, Perryton, 110, 4, Andrews, 130, 5, Kilgore, 172, 6, Huffman-Hargrave, 193, 7, Fredericksburg, 196, 8, Bandera, 199, 9, Salado, 202, 10, Hondo, 218, 11, Longview Spring Hill, 225, 12, Palestine, 241
Bandera results:
Team placing, overall, name, time
24, 47, Logan Dybowski, 17:01.74
30, 56, Braden Cox, 17:10.61
43, 79, Ethan Brown, 17:36.78
44, 80, Joshua Short, 17:38.48
58, 98, Sam Nimmrichter, 18:06.19
59, 99, Mariano Casas, 18:06.66
62, 102, Jacob Haas, 18:16.65
Bandera's Lady Bulldogs were looking to get back on the podium at the state meet, but just came up short in their ninth straight appearance, finishing fourth in the Girls 4A race in Round Rock last week.
The team finished close to where they had been ranked, for the season and could have made the podium, except for a brutal start of the race that saw elbows flying and at least one competitor tripped.
Canyon and Celina returned to the podium from last year and Kauffman took the third spot for this years event.
"With there being 206 4A schools across the state of Texas, and just 12 teams being represented at the State Meet, the Bandera Lady Bulldogs are the fourth best team in the entire state of Texas.
That is a big deal!
After a long season, our 2020 Cross Country season is now finally complete.
I would like to thank all of our Cross Country parents who sacrifice just as much as the girls, who help cheer on the girls, travel all over the state of Texas, and for helping me. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this season. I appreciate each of the girls and their willingness to do what it took to make it through the season. I am very proud of our very young team and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future together, " Coach Brooke Ashcraft said.
The Lady Bulldogs have been one of the most consistent programs in the state. Two eighth place finishes, in 2012 and 2013, were followed with championships in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Those were followed by a fourth place in 2018, a sixth in 2019 and now, another fourth this season.
The team had no seniors this season, running with three juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen, so the next three years should see them return to Round Rock on more than one occasion.
UIL State Cross-Country Championships
4A Girls Two Mile
Team results: 1, Canyon, 68, 2, Celina, 74, 3, Kauffman, 121, 4, Bandera, 142, 5, Waxahachie Life, 143, 6, Argyle, 162, 7, Decatur, 176, 8, Tuloso-Midway, 186, 9, Huffman-Hargrave, 194, 10, Wimberley, 220, 11, Salado, 244, 12 Lufkin Hudson, 282
Bandera results:
Team placing, overall, name, time
15, 21, Makayla Gonzales, 12:37.19
20, 35, Raelynn Butler, 12:52.29
26, 43, Hannah Edwards, 13:01.08
34, 61, Danielle Gonzales, 13:16.73
47, 80, Gracie Bankston, 13:31.11
63, 102, Trinity Butler, 13:57.54
76, 116, Morgan Cole, 14:50.46
Bulldogs
The Bulldog Cross-Country squad qualified for the state meet with a good result, finishing in eighth place for the 5K event. It was the team's first time back to Round Rock since 2015, when they finished in ninth place.
The team was led by senior Logan Dybowski as it has been most of the season. What makes this interesting is that Dybowski got spiked near the start of the race and ran almost the entire distance with a shoe on one foot and just a sock on his other.
San Elizario and Melissa were the class of the field, both with 57 points, and it came down to a tie breaker between them to determine a champion.
Bandera was in a mid-pack four way shootout with Huffman-Hargrave, Fredericksburg and Salado. Those four teams were separated by just nine points for the sixth through tenth spots.
The team will lose three runners to graduation, but with a strong JV program there are runners to fill in as the team hopes to make a return to state next year.
UIL State Cross Country Championships
4A Boys 5K
Team results: 1, San Elizario, 57, 2, Melissa, 57, 3, Perryton, 110, 4, Andrews, 130, 5, Kilgore, 172, 6, Huffman-Hargrave, 193, 7, Fredericksburg, 196, 8, Bandera, 199, 9, Salado, 202, 10, Hondo, 218, 11, Longview Spring Hill, 225, 12, Palestine, 241
Bandera results:
Team placing, overall, name, time
24, 47, Logan Dybowski, 17:01.74
30, 56, Braden Cox, 17:10.61
43, 79, Ethan Brown, 17:36.78
44, 80, Joshua Short, 17:38.48
58, 98, Sam Nimmrichter, 18:06.19
59, 99, Mariano Casas, 18:06.66
62, 102, Jacob Haas, 18:16.65