PESH boys take second at Southlake Carroll meet
When Keith Wagner realized Saturday’s McKinney Invitational would be postponed three days because of weather, he decided to enter another weekend meet.
The folks at the Southlake Carroll Invitational obliged, and his Panther cross country team took advantage of the situation.
By meet’s end, the Panthers had finished second in the varsity boys’ competition behind Flower Mound Marcus.
Individually, freshman Sean Cummings again showed he’s a force to be reckoned with, finishing first with a time of 17:13. Teammate Shane Purser, a junior, finished sixth (17:42.64), while Westley Lackey was 11th with a time of 17:59.
The McKinney Invitational took place Tuesday, and among the participants were PESH’s girls’ cross country squad. The results were unavailable at press time. East’s boys and girls are scheduled to run in Saturday’s McKinney Boyd Invitational at Myers Park.
“I was pleased as far as the team finish,” Wagner said of the Southlake race. “I think our best finish last year was third. It’s good, and there were some good teams there.”
PESH’s performances also boosted Wagner’s confidence regarding the Oct. 25 district meet and where the Panthers could finish there.
“Our goal is definitely to qualify for the regional meet as a team and individuals,” he said.
Currently, Wagner said, Plano West and Plano are the top two district teams. He’ll have a better idea as to where his team stands after the Boyd Invitational, which will be the first time the Panthers race against McKinney Boyd.
“We’re hoping to beat those guys,” he said. “It would give us a big boost of confidence.”
At Southlake, the Panthers scored 46 points, which was 12 more than first-place Marcus, who not only won the varsity competition, but also fielded a team that captured the Elite boys’ race.
“If they’re not the best team in the state, they’re close to it,” Wagner said.
One runner who could be among the “best” by the time his Panther career ends is Cummings, who’s already had several top-10 finishes.
“He’s going to be a good little runner for us,” Wagner said.
“He might make the top 10 individuals (at district).”
