Fierro among three Valley runners to win silver at state

Three Rio Grande Valley runners finished in second place Saturday at the UIL state cross country meet at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

Port Isabel’s Armando Fierro picked up his silver medal with a time of 16:10.35 in the Class 3A boys meet. He finished behind Jeff Weisheit of Venus, who won the meet with a 15:54.23.

“Second place, I felt pretty good about it,” Fierro said. “I could have done a little better than that, I had a shot at winning it, but second place, I felt pretty good about it.”

Fierro said the race was rough because of the conditions.

“It was really windy,” Fierro said. “It was tough, but I pulled through it and I got second.”

Port Isabel coach Roy Wigen liked his senior runner ran the race.

“Well, we’re very proud of him, Wigen said. “ He was disappointed a little bit in the race last week at regional, and came out with a plan today and stuck to it.

“(He) was really, really patient and ran a good last mile, and he was runner-up. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

Wigen said Fierro finished 21st at state as a freshman, 17th at the regional as a sophomore, and then seventh at the regional and sixth at state as a junior. The progression ended well for Fierro.

“It feels pretty good getting a silver at state, especially with it being the last (cross country) race of my high school career,” he said. “It feels pretty good.”

It also has been fun for his coach.

“He’s been a real pleasure to coach,” Wigen said. “He’s a real quality kid on the course and the track and off the track and course. He’s really been a pleasure to coach, and it’s been a privilege and an honor. You get one like him and you feel very blessed.

“He’s looking forward to the outdoor track season and bringing home the medals and going for his first state title in the spring.”

Emily Perez of La Joya Juarez-Lincoln was also a silver medalist, finishing with an 11:18.10 in the Class 4A girls meet. Cali Roper of Willis won the meet with an 11:07.22.

“That was great, we wanted first but that kid from Willis was really good,” Juarez-Lincoln coach Gilbert Carreon said. “This is the second year in a row a runner from Jaurez-Lincoln has done it.

“(Perez) was happy,” Carreon added.

Mercedes’ Marissa Mata also competed in this meet, finishing with a 13:03.14.

The other Valley runner to pick up a silver medal was San Perlita’s Andres Watson, as he came in with a 16:45.44 in the Class 1A boys meet. William Roberts of Sanderson won the meet with a 16:37.21.

In the Class 4A boys meet, Valley View’s Jose Delgado had a time of 16:11.85 and came in seventh place — tops among his Valley peers. Joel Garcia of Juarez-Lincoln secured 16th place with a time of 16:29.05 to pace the Huskies, who competed as team and tied for fifth place. Right behind Garcia was Weslaco East’s Jose Martinez, who clocked in with a 16:30.86.

“I got five of them coming back next year,” Carreon said of his team. “So that’s a good experience for them.

“The kids just ran together, ran hard. Did well,” he added.

As for the Class 5A boys meet, David Guillen of Los Fresnos stood tall in that, finishing in 12th place with a 16:04.19. The only other Valley competitor in this meet, La Joya Palmview’s Jose Jaime, came in 55th place with a 16:53.83.

In the Class 5A girls meet, Gabriela Ortegon of PSJA Memorial topped all Valley runners with a 12:20.50 to finish in 51st place. Brenda Lopez of San Benito was next in line with a time of 12:26.60, good for 61st place. Yvonne Zerda led Edinburg High, which competed as a team, finishing with a time of 12:35.26. The Lady Bobcats had a team score of 312 and finished in 12th place.

Finally, in the Class 3A girls meet, Danielle Rodriguez of Lyford came in 26th place with a 12:47.16. She finished just ahead of her teammate, Thalia Polanco, who secured 29th place with a 12:48.07.