The stage is set. As the clock nears noon, sophomore Maya Easterwood lines up against defending Class 6A state champion Denton Braswell’s Macy Wingard, for the fourth time this season.
With a state championship appearance on the line at the Class 6A Region I Championship, the goal was simple.
“I told her to run her race but also run with Macy,” Coppell coach Landon Wren said. “With Macy being the fastest girl in the state, we knew that Maya needed to keep up with her and make sure everything goes as planned.”
As the final turn approached, Wingard distanced herself from Easterwood, and for the fourth time, Easterwood fell short of catching her by seven seconds.
“She was disappointed with not being able to catch her, but she was still happy advancing to state.” Wren said.
On the boys’ side, entering the meet with confidence, Coppell looked to get on the podium and advance to the Class 6A State Cross Country Championship at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.
“Coming in we knew it was going to be intense,” Wren said. “But that’s how all meets are. I told them the exact positions that we needed and who needed to run with who.”
However, the mishaps began.
“First it was [junior] Ansh Singhal who went down sick an hour before the race which was unfortunate,” Wren said. “Then it was [senior] Pranav Vegiraju and his fall at the beginning placing him outside the top 10 runners and then [sophomore] Diego Morales losing his shoe and running the whole race without one shoe.”
With a disaster starting, it was looking bad for the boys.
“I knew early on that if we didn’t change anything dramatically we weren’t going to advance,” Wren said. “And that’s pretty much how it happened. Obviously it was disappointing getting so close and then messing up but that is how sports is.”
With Easterwood being the only qualifier of the nearly 90 member cross country team, she seeks to break through and defeat Wingard for the state championship.
“Macy has to be worried,” Wren said. “She is going to have Maya in the back of her mind and she will have to bring it because Maya will too.”
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