The Bridgeland Bears boys cross country team claimed its first Region II-6A championship in program history Tuesday morning. The Woodlands girls, meanwhile, claimed its second regional championship in the past three years.
The top four teams and top ten individuals not attached to any of those teams ran the 5K at Lynn Creek Park and advanced to the University Interscholastic League Class 6A state meet Nov. 4 at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock.
Bridgeland reaches state as a team for the third time in program history and for the second straight year. It totaled 88 points, ahead of Wylie’s 95. College Park reaches state for the 11th time in program history with a third-place finish (104 points). The Woodlands was fourth with 111 points and advanced to state for the 45th time, extending its streak that dates back to 1979.
The Highlanders girls team returns to state for the 29th time after totaling 57 points. Klein (100 points) and Bridgeland (101) points make return trips back to state. Klein Cain (157 points) returns to state for the second time ever (2020). Grand Oaks missed out by 10 points but had a first-time regional champion in Staucie Lees.
Leading Bridgeland was junior Benjamin Montgomery, who ran a 15:20.01 to become the first Bears individual regional champion. Montgomery finished fifth a year ago.
Bridgeland had all five runners make it into the top 30. Kyle Pawlak (19th, 16:13.60), Maddox McCallister (20th, 16:14.90), Vihaan Chamkur (22nd, 16:19.59) and Nazim Benguedda (26th, 16:22.75) followed Montgomery.
Camden Gibson led College Park with a seventh-place finish in 16:05.41. Yannick Broos (17th, 16:12.83), Charles Hall (18th, 16:12.98), Witman Forke (27th, 16:25.49) and Charles Ross (36th, 16:35.71) leads the Cavaliers into their first state meet since 2021.
The Woodlands had a pair in the top 10, led by Tyler Hedgepeth in sixth with a time of 16:00.06 and Ethan Sharkowicz with a time of 16:05.90 in ninth. Rounding out the Highlanders were Grayer Bates (29th, 16:28.62), Bryson Meredith (34th, 16:33.50) and Austin Roberts (35th, 16:33.98). Sharkowicz is the only returning runner off last year’s fourth place finish for the Highlanders at the state meet.
Individually, Manuel Vela of Cypress Springs finished second (15:26.34), Payton Chambers of Grand Oaks finished 10th (16:06.22), Landon Flies of Tomball finished 12th (16:07.59) and Hunter Hendry of Klein Oak finished 13th (16:07.79) to qualify for state.
In the girls race, Lees captured the regional title as she swapped places with last year’s regional champion Kathryn Koonts, a senior at Klein. Lees finished in 17:41.25 and Koonts was second in 17:51.76.
Junior Stoya Laydevant led the Highlanders to the regional crown with a third place finish in 17:59.59. Teammate Naomi Weller wasn’t too far behind in sixth in 18:36.97. Lexi Cooper (17th, 19:11.81), Emma Pool (18th, 19:12.63) and Kiersten Hua (20th, 19:21.79) rounded things out as the Highlanders took a quarter of the top 20 positions.
The Woodlands finished fifth at state last year.
For Klein, which reached state for the fourth straight year, Marian Mann was next behind Koonts with a 14th place finish in 19:10.25. Sophia Goerlich (15th, 19:11.44) was right behind Mann, followed by Dainiela Mendez (35th, 20:00.38), Teia Morris (46th, 20:15.05).
For Brigeland, which reached state for the fifth time in program history, Lily Fawcett finished eighth with a time of 18:52.63. Haley Hill (12th, 19:05.48), Susana Rawls (25th, 19:38.16), Brynlee Weston (34th, 19:58.92) and Kate Garrison (36th, 20:01.67) rounded out the Bears.
Leading Klein Cain was Felicity Hamilton with a fourth place finish in 18:17.03. Teammates Rebecca Wylie (16th, 19:11.77), Jocelyn Rich (40th, 20:06.78), Sofia Hernandez (43rd, 20:12.05) and Chloe Stafford (69th, 20:57.23) rounded out the Hurricanes.
Individually, Laney Nash of Tomball finished fifth (18:25.87), Alexis Garza of Tomball Memorial finished seventh (18:41.26), Liliana Campos of Oak Ridge finished 11th (19:03.56) and Scarlett Berthelot of Tomball finished 21st (19:30.13) to qualify for state.
Boys team standings (points)
(Top four teams advance to state)
1. Bridgeland (88)
2. Wylie (95)
3. College Park (104)
4. The Woodlands (111)
6. Grand Oaks (213)
8. Klein Oak (224)
10. Tomball (290)
13. Cypress Springs (353)
16. Cypress Ranch (439)
19. Tomball Memorial (490)
23. Nimitz (673)
24. Eisenhower (740)
Boys individual standings
(Individual state qualifiers in bold)
1. Benjamin Montgomery, Bridgeland – 15:20.01
2. Manuel Vela, Cypress Springs – 15:26.34
3. Toby Eaton, Mansfield Legacy – 15:33.70
4. Jack Sterrett, Waco Midway – 15:38.17
5. Caden Blitz, Wylie – 15:43.81
6. Tyler Hedgepeth, The Woodlands – 16:00.06
7. Camden Gibson, College Park – 16:05.41
8. Joshua Odums, Mansfield Legacy – 16:05.61
9. Ethan Sharkowicz, The Woodlands – 16:05.90
10. Payton Chambers, Grand Oaks – 16:06.22
11. Nathan Moore, Wylie – 16:07.36
12. Landon Flies, Tomball – 16:07.59
13. Hunter Hendry, Klein Oak – 16:07.79
14. Remay Abraha, Wylie – 16:08.97
15. Zachary Brumfield, Wylie – 16:09.16
16. Christian Barron, Rockwall – 16:11.37
17. Yannick Broos, College Park – 16:12.83
18. Charles Hall, College Park – 16:12.98
19. Kyle Pawlak, Bridgeland – 16:13.60
20. Maddox McCallister, Bridgeland – 16:14.90
21. Lucas Whitt, Waxhachie – 16:16.18
22. Vihaan Chamkur, Bridgeland – 16:19.59
23. Fintan Lehman, Tomball – 16:20.52
Girls team standings (points)
(Top four teams advance to state)
1. The Woodlands (57)
2. Klein (100)
3. Bridgeland (101)
4. Klein Cain (157)
5. Grand Oaks (167)
6. Tomball (171)
7. College Park (265)
13. Cypress Woods (356)
15. Cypress Ranch (404)
21. MacArthur (579)
23. Eisenhower (727)
Girls individual standings
(Individual state qualifiers in bold)
1. Staucie Lees, Grand Oaks – 17:41.25
2. Kathryn Koonts, Klein – 17:51.76
3. Stoya Laydevant, The Woodlands – 17:59.59
4. Felicity Hamilton, Klein Cain – 18:17.03
5. Laney Nash, Tomball – 18:25.87
6. Naomi Weller, The Woodlands – 18:36.97
7. Alexis Garza, Tomball Memorial – 18:41.26
8. Lily Fawcett, Bridgeland – 18:52.63
9. Ella Perry, Killeen Harker Heights – 18:53.47
10. Maddry East, Tyler Legacy – 19:00.18
11. Liliana Campos, Oak Ridge – 19:03.56
12. Haley Hill, Bridgeland – 19:05.48
13. Meagan Meyers, Mansfield Lake Ridge – 19:06.22
14. Marian Mann, Klein – 19:10.25
15. Sophia Goerlich, Klein – 19:11.44
16. Rebecca Wylie, Klein Cain – 19:11.77
17. Lexi Cooper, The Woodlands – 19:11.81
18. Emma Pool, The Woodlands – 19:12.63
19. Abigail Perez, North Garland – 19:16.35
20. Kiersten Hua, The Woodlands – 19:21.79
21. Scarlett Berthelot, Tomball – 19:30.13
22. Abigail Leonard, Garland Sachse – 19:33.49
