The Scoop: The XC Season Was Off To The Races This Weekend

* Aleksandr Acuna of Denton-Braswell was the lone finisher under fifteen minutes on Saturday. 

Photo Credit: Jan Smits/MileSplit

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The Texas heat may have been insane, but it didn't limit runners at the Marcus Coach T Invitational over the weekend.

The early-season invitational produced an array of superb season openers for individuals and teams, with Flower Mound senior Samantha Humphries and Denton Braswell junior Aleksandr Acuna picking up wins in their respective races. 

Humphries, who is continuing the recent dominance of Flower Mound's girls program, kept the chase pack at bay, winning by 12 seconds in 17:09.3. Junior teammate Alexandra Fox took third in 17:36.8, which currently makes the Jaguars duo the best 1-2 punch in the country so far.

Aided by their next three scorers under 19:45 for 5K, the squad picked up the vicotry over Deer Creek (OK) and Aledo (TX), with a final score of 114 points.

Macy Wingard of Denton Braswell was runner-up in the girls race in 17:21.3.

In a boys race that saw four juniors finish in the top 10, it was Acuna who took first and finished as the lone individual under 15:00. It was a breakout race for one of Texas' top Class 6A returners, as Acuna finally went sub-15 after running in the low 15s as a sophomore. 

In the team race however, it was all Deer Creek, which proved too difficult of a team to beat after Graham Mitchell and Brody Woodcock led the Wolverines under 16:00 for 5K. 

Mitchell and Woodcock finished second and fifth, in 15:09.1 and 15:15.7, respectively. 

After finishing fourth at the Oklahoma state championships last year, this group of five seniors is looking incredibly dangerous through their first two meets of the year, winning both by nearly double their score.

As of now, Deer Creek owns the second-best 5K average nationally.