The Ladynecks and Roughnecks returned to the Region II XC Championships in Arlington on Monday, October 20th. Sophie Fisher returned for a second time to compete at the regional level besting her performance last year with a 13:40 finish for 47th place over the two mile course. Freshman Maddie Hart capped off her rookie season with a 72nd finish in 14:19 out of 179 runners. In the boys race Niko Soto led the Roughnecks with a 24th place finish in a time of 17:54. Soto was followed by Cooper Tucker, 35th, 18:09 and Isaak Olvera, 36th, 18:14 in a race that saw 171 finishers. Nathan Stringer finished in 67th place in a time of 19:12. Logan Langewisch rounded out the team scoring for the Roughnecks, and capped of his fourth trip to Regional competition with a 77th place finish in 19:29. Luke Bueno, 84th, 19:40, and Nathan Watson, 105th, 20:21 finished out the sixth and seventh place runners for the team. The team finished in 7th place out of 24 teams with a score of 217. I would like to give special thanks and appreciation to class of 2026, Logan Langewisch, Nathan Watson, Ally Tatum, Kaleb Glenn, and Niko Soto. I am blessed beyond measure to have had the opportunity to coach you, but more importantly to be apart of watching you mature and be such a positive, welcoming influence on your teammates. We have had many conversations; some hard, some funny, some serious but always memorable. I will miss your work ethic and laughter. May God continue to bless you, protect you and lead you. Great things are ahead. Remember don’t hit a car, if you get lost in the woods, stay in the woods (we will come for you…eventually) and don’t waste the flavor ice.

The Ladyneck and Roughneck Cross Country teams returned to Union Grove High School for the district meet this weekend. The varsity girls started the morning off with top ten finishes from Sophie Fisher, 3rd, 13:20, and Maddie Hart, 5th, 13:35. Senior Ally Tatum finished out her career in 13th for 14:37 in a race that saw 34 runners. In the varsity boys race Junior Cooper Tucker was the district runner up in a time of 17:55. Niko Soto also collected hardware placing fifth in a time of 18:26. Logan Langewisch and Nathan Stronger just missed collected some hardware finishing in 11th, 19:01, and 12th, 19:05. Henrick Rider finished the team scoring in 25th for 19:43. The Roughnecks finished in second place with 42 points in a race that saw 33 competitors. The junior varsity team also finished in second place with a team score of 41 points. Four Roughnecks collected medals in this race by finishing in the top ten. Luke Bueno, 3rd, 20:19, Cole Jordan, 6th, 20:51, Nathan Watson, 7th, 21:02, and Emry Morris, 10th, 21:24. Kaleb Glenn finished out the team scoring in 20th with a team of 22:53. The top ten individuals and top three in the varsity races will advance to the Region II competition in Arlington on October 20th at Harold Patterson Sports Complex.

The junior high teams concluded the season today at the district meet. The girls race saw 42 runners complete the two mile course. Mia Olvera led the Ladynecks with a sixth place finish for a personal best of 14:43. Olivia Applegate also finished in the top ten with a tenth place finish in 15:13 another personal record. McKenna Paul improved her time again this weekend with a 30th place finish in 19:06. Gemma Schwarz was 37th in a time of 20:19. Sutton Spencer led the Roughnecks in the boys race with a fifth place finish in a time 12:50. Christian Oynes ran another personal best for the season with a 13:47 finish for 13th place. Patton Breechen also ran another personal record finishing in 16th place for 14:08. Leyton Lincoln and Skeeter Maxwell also turned in personal records today. Lincoln finished in 23rd place for 15:05 and Maxwell was 27th for 15:31. The team finished in 4th place with a score of 70 points. There were several great racing performances from the junior high runners today. They represented the maroon and white with poise, toughness, and pride. All of the runners were first time competitors in the cross country program this season. They have been come a long way this season.

The district meet is always a point of transition during the season. It always seems we are in a hurry up and get there state from June until October. This season feels like it has moved faster than normal. It feels like June 1st was just a few days ago as we embarked on our summer training. We have had a senior heavy team this season. It also feels like yesterday Nathan and Logan were sitting under the tree at NTCC in Mt. Pleasant waiting for their first district race to start. I would like to thank the seniors for their commitment, dedication, and loyalty to the cross country program throughout their careers. You are each unique and intelligent with different personalities. While your personalities are different, your purposes unique, your talents vast, you have commonality of just very simply being good people. You have a heart for each other, each of teammates, and this program. I am forever grateful for the mark you have left on this program, me and your teammates. See you in Arlington!

The JV boys finished 2nd as a team with a score of 41. Cole Jordan, Kaleb Glenn, Nathan Watson, Emry Morris and Emry Morris

Varsity Girls Maddie hart, Ally Tatum and Sophie Fisher

Varsity Boys 2nd place team with a score of 42. Henrick Rider, Logan Langewisch, Cooper Tucker, Niko Soto, and Nathan Stringer

District 16-3A Meet Info

WHEN: Saturday, October 4th

WHERE WE WILL MEET: They will meet at the OMS gym at 6:30 and leave by 6:45

WHERE RACE LOCATION: Union Grove High School

WHAT JH NEEDS FOR RACE DAY: All JH runners need to wear their uniform to the meet. They should wear a WO t-shirt over their uniform top and bring a bag with a towel and snacks for the morning. It will likely be chilly on race morning, so a sweatshirt and/or pants are good choices. It will not be cold enough to warrant any kinda of long sleeve shirt under their jersey. Once they start running they will warm up. It is important, they eat something when they get up in the morning. If they don’t feel like eating, send something with them and I will make sure they eat before their race. JH runners should also bring a couple bottles of water and a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, Body Armour are good choices). A good rule of thumb is to pack food they normally eat, race day is not the time to experiment. I will have food for them after they run. I would also suggest normal meals the day before. Pasta, chicken and rice, veggies, seafood if they normally eat it. Again the day before is not a time to experiment. **No hats, balls, jewelry, or candy need to be brought to the race. We are here to race.

JH runners may leave with their family after they race, I will have a sign out sheet, however they must ride with family. Please email me this week before Friday and let me know if your runner will be riding the bus home. [email protected]

RACE SCHEDULE:
8:00 Varsity Girls
8:20 Varsity Boys
8:50 JV Girls
9:15 JV Boys
9:45 JH combined boys and girls
10:45 Awards

The cooler mornings finally arrived this weekend and the cross country teams took advantage of it. Racing on a revamped but familiar course the Ladynecks and Roughnecks wasted no time leaving their shoe prints. The Ladynecks started the morning off with personal best performances from Sophie Fisher, 10th, in a time of 13:21 and Maddie Hart, 23rd, for 13:42 out of 106 runners. The varsity boys then took to the 3.1 mile course that saw 120 finishers. The Roughnecks finished in second place out of 14 teams with 47 points behind Gilmer with 44 points. Junior Cooper Tucker led the Roughnecks with a third place finish in 17:51. Tucker was followed by Sophomore Isaak Olvera 6th, 18:33, Niko Soto, 9th, 18:43, and Nathan Stringer, 15th, 19:15. Henrick Rider was 16th in 19:16 and Logan Langewisch was 22nd in 19:43.The JV Roughnecks also had a great day racing. Luke Bueno led all runners in a time of 19:26. Bueno was followed by Cole Jordan in 4th with a personal best time of 19:54 over the 5k course. Nathan Watson, 10th, 21:54 and Emry Morris, 11th, 21:56, also took home some hardware for their efforts. Kaleb Glenn rounded out the team scoring in 22nd place in a time of 24:24 for a second place finish with 48 points. The JV boys race saw 60 runners cross the line. The junior high runners returned to action this week, improving their times with more competitive running. In the girls 3A-4A division, Mia Olvera finished in 18th place with a 14:46 time. Olivia Applegate and Maddie Stout also finished the two mile course in under 16 minutes. Applegate was 33rd in 15:33 and Maddie Stout was 36th in 15:44. Gemma Schwarz celebrated her birthday with a 96th place finish in 18:57. Schwarz was followed by McKenna Paul in 99th place, 19:23. In the boys race, Sutton Spencer took home hardware with his 10th place finish in 12:31 out of 84 runners. He was followed by Patton Breechen who made his debut with a 14:15 finish for 43rd. Samuel Moore, 46th, 14:34, Christian Oynes, 55th, 15:07, Skeeter Maxwell, 68th, 16:00, and Leyton Lincoln, 69th, 16:06 rounded out the team scoring. The junior high boys finished in 5th place with a score of 167.

All runners will return to Union Grove next week, Saturday, October 4th to compete in the District 16-3A meet. This will be the final meet of the season for the junior high runners. The top three teams and top 10 individuals in the varsity races will qualify to race at the Region 2 Championships on October 20th.

RACE SCHEDULE:
8:00 Varsity Girls
8:20 Varsity Boys
8:50 JV Girls
9:15 JV Boys
9:45 JH combined boys and girls
10:45 Awards

Sophie Fisher and Maddie Hart race to PR performances at the Union Grove meet.

Cooper Tucker races to a 3rd place 17:51 finish.

JV boys placed second as a team. L to R: Emry Morris, Kaleb Glenn, Luke Bueno, Nathan Watson, Cole Jordan

The Roughnecks and Ladynecks returned to action this weekend at the Hallsville Flying H Invitational. This was one of largest races of the season with many schools represented throughout the two days of races. The course features dirt and grass trails with rolling hills. Comparatively this is a slightly harder course than some of the flat grassy courses the runners face during the season. The Varsity boys opened the morning in the Open division with a third place finish with 90 points. Cooper Tucker led the Roughnecks with a eighth place finish in 18:11. Tucker was followed by Niko Soto, 11th, in 18:19, Isaak Olvera, 13th, 18:20, and Henrick Rider, 28th, 18:57. Logan Langewisch was back to form rounding out the team scoring in 19:47 for 43rd place. Nathan Stringer had another strong race in 19:54 for 47th place out of 81 runners. The varsity girls 119 runners competed. Sophie Fisher led the Ladynecks to a 22nd place finish in 15:08 just missing a medal. Maddie Hart was also back racing with us this week. She finished in 15:25 for 32nd place. In the 1A-4A varsity boys race Luke Bueno led with a 65th place finish in 20:28. Bueno was followed by Cole Jordan, 74th, 20:46 and Nathan Watson, 20:56, for 77th place. Emry Morris, 22:11, placed 107th and Kaleb Glenn, 22:48 placed 121st out of 151 runners. The team finished in 15th place with a team score of 378. The Ladynecks and Roughnecks will compete at the Union Grove Invitational on Saturday, September 27th. The morning will kick off with the varsity girls races at 8:00AM. The runners will be competing on the district meet course which will be held on on October 4th.

Sensational Sophomores and The Cooper Tucker

WOCROSS ’25

WOCROSS “25

Walking the course

When: September 27th

Where: Race location: The course is located on the Union Grove HS

Where we will meet to ride the bus: We will meet at the OMS gym. We will meet at 6:30AM and leave BY 6:45AM. Look for all the cars!

What the JH Runners need for Race Day:
All JH runners need to wear their uniform to the meet. They should wear a WO t-shirt over their uniform top and bring a bag with a towel and snacks for the morning. It is important, they eat something when they get up in the morning. If they don’t feel like eating, send something with them and I will make sure they eat before their race. JH runners should also bring a couple bottles of water and a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, Body Armour are good choices).
**No hats, balls, jewelry, or candy need to be brought to the race. We are here to race.

JH runners may leave with their family after they race, I will have a sign out sheet, however they must ride with family. Please email me this week before Friday and let me know if your runner will be riding the bus home. [email protected]

Race Schedule: Rolling Start: These are estimated times, as soon as races are finished, they will start the next race. Make sure to allow extra time for yourselves

UPDATED SCHEDULE:
7:45 FUN RUN
8:00 VG
8:20 VB
8:50 JHG 1A, 2A, Private School
9:10 JHG 3A, 4A, 5A, Home School
9:30 JHB 1A, 2A, Private School
9:50 JHB 3A, 4A, 5A, Home School
10:10 JVG
10:30 JVB

This is a reminder only the HS runners will practice on Monday, September 15th due to the student holiday.

JH runners will resume practice on Wednesday, September 17th at 6:00am at the Stadium

The Ladynecks and Roughnecks were back in action this week at the Mike Darby XC Meet held at Lear Park. The junior high runners started the week off on Thursday, running on the two mile course. In the boys race Sutton Spencer led the way with a 25th finish in 13:56. Spencer was followed by Samuel Moore in 47th a time of 14:39, Christian Oynes, 84th, 15:57, and Skeeter Maxwell, 112th, 17:16. Leyton Lincoln rounded out the team scoring laced 128th in a time of 18:01. Colson Still finished in 181st place in a time of 21:39 out of 200 runners. The team finished 12th out of 17 teams with a score of 319 points. In the girls race, Olivia Applegate lead the team in 17:38 with a 51st place finish. Mia Olvera, 63rd, 18:13, and Maddie Stout, 113th, 20:29, also contributed to the team scoring. Gemma Schwarz, 178th, 23:33 and McKenna Paul in a time of 24:21 for 184th out of 211 finished up the team score for the Ladynecks. The ladies finished in 14th place with a team score of 388 points.

JH runners (L to R): Leyton Lincoln, Skeeter Maxwell, Samuel Moore, Sutton Spencer, and Christian Oynes compete at the Pine Tree Meet on 9/11/25

On Friday the high school runners returned to action on the same course. The Ladynecks kicked off the morning with top 25 finishes by Sophie Fisher and Ally Tatum with season best times. Fisher finished in 14:05 for 21st place and Ally Tatum finished in 24th place for 14:08 in a race that saw 140 finishers. In the varsity boys 1A-4A division race the team of Nathan Watson, Kaleb Glenn, Luke Bueno, Cole Jordan, and Emry Morris finished in 17th place with a team score of 456 in a race of 162 competitors. Bueno led in this race with a time of 20:06 for 81st place, followed by Jordan, 89th, 20:16, and Morris, 99th, 20:27. Watson, 101st, 20:34, and Glenn rounded out the scoring in 125th in a time of 21:42.

Nathan Watson and Luke Bueno lead the Roughnecks off the line at the Pine Tree Meet on Sept, 12th

The final competitors of the morning was the team of Logan Langewisch, Niko Soto, Cooper Tucker, Isaak Olvera, Nathan Stringer, and Henrick Rider racing in the Varsity Open Division. The team placed second behind Hallsville with a score of 66 points. Sophomore Isaak Olvera led the way for the Roughnecks with a ninth place finish in 18:33. Olvera was followed by Soto in tenth place 18:43, Tucker in 11th place, 18:44 and Rider in 19th place for 19:13. Stringer, 31st, 19:46 and Langewisch, 45th, 20:46 rounded out the scoring for the Roughnecks. All of the Roughnecks and Ladynecks competed well on a traditionally challenging course. Next week the high school runners will compete at the Hallsville Invitational at the high school campus on Friday. The junior high runners will return to action on Saturday, September 27th at the Union Grove meet.

White Oak Roughnecks pre-race pray and pep talk from Kaleb Glenn

When: Thursday, September 11th

Where: Race location: Lear Park in Longview,

Where we will meet to ride the bus: Runners will be dismissed from school at 2:40 and meet the bus at the front of the school

What the JH Runners need for Race Day:
All JH runners need to wear their uniform to the meet. They should wear a WO t-shirt over their uniform top and bring a bag with a towel and snacks for the afternoon. JH runners should also bring a couple bottles of water and a sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, Body Armour are good choices). I would suggest packing a solid lunch for them on Thursday with an extra serving of fruits, vegetables, and a carb.
**No hats, balls, jewelry, or candy need to be brought to the race. We are here to race.

JH runners may leave with their family after they race, I will have a sign out sheet, however they must ride with family. Please email me this week before Friday and let me know if your runner will be riding the bus home. [email protected]

Race Schedule: Rolling Start: These are estimated times, as soon as races are finished, they will start the next race. Make sure to allow extra time for yourselves

4:00 JH Girls
4:30 JH Boys

UPDATED XC SCHEDULE

Two changes to XC schedule as of this week:
1. District race times for Saturday, October 4th have been added to the schedule.

2. The Regional meet as been moved to Monday, October 20th due to conflicts with the Regional Band competition. This is a good move for us, since several of our runners are also Regiment of Roughneck Band members. Less stress and more rest for them for these competitions.