Adam Burlison, Isabel Conde de Frankenberg Run To Individual NXR South Titles In Wet, Muddy Conditions

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Jamison Michael photos

RESULTS | VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS

A steady rain made course conditions challenging Saturday at the NXR South cross country meet at Bear Branch Park in The Woodlands. 

And as well as Carroll XC did to overcome those conditions and win the boys and girls team titles, the boys team paid a price. 

Freshman Caden Leonard, coach Justin Leonard's son and the team's top finisher at the Texas UIL 6A finals, slipped and fell and broke his arm during the race. He got up and finished 18th to finish as Carroll's No. 3 and help the team advance to Portland for the 14th time. 

Adam Burlison of Mustang Army (Grapevine TX), who was splitting time between running and football a year ago, sloshed through the puddles and mud and pulled away from pre-race favorite Kevin Sanchez to win the boys championship race in 15:19.6. Sanchez was second for the second straight year, in 15:26.0. 

Ayden Granados from McAllen, Texas was third in 15:36.0. Marcelo Parra and Pablo Lessari rounded out the top five to earn individual berths to Nike Cross Nationals. 

Carroll bunched five scorers within 25 seconds and won the team championship with 56 points. 

Burlison and his teammates from Mustang Army earned the second automatic berth to NXN with 133 points. Park (Woodlands College Park TX) and Atascocita (Humble Atascocita TX) were neck-and-neck for third, with 161 and 162 points, respectively. 

"We don't really have any standout individuals who are going to be in the front, so our whole thought process was to stay up, stay together, and as long as we're tougher than the other teams we're going to be able to win it," Carroll's Logan Cantu said. 

Of Leonard's injury, teammate Zach Troutman said "He had an amazing race, he pushed through, he's one of the strongest people we know, so shout out to Caden."

In a competitive race for the two automatic girls team berths, Carroll XC scored 57 points to edge Lovejoy XC Club (Lucas Lovejoy TX), which scored 60, and Flower Mound XC Club, which scored 70. 

Like the boys, it's also the Carroll girls' 14th time advancing to Nike Cross Nationals.

Flower Mound was running without its usual fifth runner, Ava Cole, but had three runners in the top nine. 

Isabel Conde de Frankenberg from CP Running (Cedar Park TX) pulled away from San Juanita Leal in the final half mile to win the girls championship race in 17:23.2. Leal was second in 17:27.5. 

Oklahoma state champion Liesel Kehoe (Edmond North) took third in 17:33.2. 

McKenzie Bailey, who beat Conde de Frankenberg for the Texas 5A UIL title, took fourth to earn an individual berth at NXN. Samantha Humphries, the top finisher for Flower Mound, was fifth. 

Note: Due to worsening and slippery course conditions, the final four boys open races ran 2.9 miles rather than 3.1 (5,000m) with an adjustment to the course that eliminated a slick turn.