Mary Jo Parker heading to state this weekend
by Coach Rustin Klafka
Slaton ISD
The Slaton Tigerette and Tiger cross country teams ran at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock for the final time this season on Oct. 23. They ran against some of the fastest and most competitive schools in the state.
The top four teams and top 10 individuals will move on to compete at the 3A State Cross Country Meet in Round Rock on Saturday (Nov. 4), including one of our own, Mary Jo Parker.
The Slaton cross country squads came in eighth (Tigerettes) and 11th (Tigers) last week in their final meet of the season.
The Tigerettes were shooting to qualify as a team for the second year in a row but came up a little short. They came in eighth as a team.
Against 175 competitors Mary Jo Parker was the standout runner of the day, coming in third to earn a spot on the medalist podium and qualify for the state meet in Round Rock.
Alice Cogburn finished shortly after the pack with Aryanna Zapata and Kelsea Crow finishing seconds behind. Kamryn Gibbs, Takaja Robinson and Grace Parker finished within a minute of their teammates.
Mary Jo will represent the Tigerettes Saturday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. The race begins at 1:30 p.m.
Freshman Mary Jo Parker will head to state competition on Saturday after earning third place in regionals last week.
The Tiger team consisting of Tannon Cearley, Ty Kinch, Zach Gonzales, Micheal Solis, Israel Herrera and Josh Flores fought hard on the three-mile course. The guys finished 11th in team points in the 24-team region.
Out of the 177 runners, Tannon Cearley finished 29th with Ty Kinch coming in on his heels at 30th. Freshman Zach Gonzales came across the line at 52nd. Israel Herrera, Micheal Solis and Josh Flores all finished with a strong showing to end the season.
Official times are as follows:
Tigerettes
3rd – Mary Jo Parker – 12:12.21
43rd – Alice Cogburn – 13:18.94
49th – Aryanna Zapata – 13:22.55
52nd – Kelsea Crow – 13:24.13
67th – Kamryn Gibbs – 13:43.05
85th – Takaja Robinson – 13:58.26
121st – Grace Parker – 14:36.00
Tigers
29th – Tannon Cearley 17:55.71
30th – Ty Kinch 17:55.92
52nd – Zach Gonzales 18:31.43
93rd – Israel Herrera 19:55.36
124th – Micheal Solis 20:53.40
138th – Josh Flores 21:28.77
