LUBBOCK — One of the odder quirks of the biennial UIL realignment was Comfort’s inclusion into Region I, which encompasses far West Texas and the entire Panhandle.
Thus, it was there that the Comfort’s boys cross country team found itself running in the blustery 40-degree ambiance of Lubbock at the recent regional meet.
As one of three teams that qualified out of 5-3A, the six Bobcat racers took to the course at Mae Simmons Park along with 170 other racers.
The Cats came into the 2022 season without a returning varsity runner. This is the first time in three years that Comfort fielded a complete boys team as four sophomores and two freshmen took to the course, which makes their regional berth even more remarkable.
Last year’s JV district runner- up, Hunter Lackey, paced the Cats all season. Lackey, a sophomore, cross the finish with one of his better times of the season at 18:57. His score of 74 placed him in the top half of the runners. Also finishing in the top half was sophomore Ruben Breceda, whose time of 19:08 gave him a score of 81.
Sophomore Justin Govea edged out his teammate, freshman Jackson Dear, as they crossed at 20:52.2 and 20:52.8. Freshman Jose Gaspar recorded a time of 21:47 and sophomore Luke Reich crossed at 22:54 to round out the team.
Pitted against the veteran runners of West Texas, expectations were understandably tempered. Yet the young Cats attacked the course and measured themselves against the region’s best. And while the results were not as desired, the experience will surely benefit these racers in years to come, according to head coach George Edwards.
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