The best high school cross country teams and individuals from across the state of Texas converged on Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock over the weekend, and Stratford High School was represented by the entire varsity girls team and Emanuel Galdino on the boys side. The class 1A, 3A, 5A races were held on Friday, November 5th , followed by 2A, 4A, and 6A on Saturday the 6th.

The Stratford girls qualified for state after finishing in second-place at the Region III meet in Huntsville on Oct. 25th, as did Emanuel Galdino after winning the individual title at regionals. The participants and spectators in Round Rock were greeted with cool, dry conditions under sunny skies, and what a memorable event it was for the Stratford athletes, coaches, families, teammates, and friends that were in attendance. In 2020, Allie Weinhardt and Emanuel Galdino were the only Stratford participants at the state meet, so this year was a whole new experience for six of the Spartan runners.

Spartan Girls

Despite being a very young team with three juniors, three sophomores, one freshman, and no seniors, the girls competed well and finished 14th place overall. To put their accomplishment into perspective, there are 247 class 6A schools in Texas, and only 16 qualify to compete at state. The Spartans were led by sophomore Niamh Collins who had her best race of the season on the hilly, single-loop course and finished 46th overall with a 5k time of 18:57. Freshman Allison Goodwin was 80th, sophomore Allie Weinhardt 102nd, junior Maggie Pearce 113th, sophomore Anastasia Sciretti 119th, junior Megan Broom 122nd, and junior Siena Yoder 143rd. Amelia Bommer and Mary Mitchell were alternates. Flower Mound won the girls state championship trophy, followed by Prosper in second-place and The Woodlands in third.

Emanuel Galdino medals

Senior Emanuel Galdino has been on a steady climb to becoming one of the best high school distance runners in Texas since his freshman year. The first time he qualified for the state cross country meet was during his sophomore year in 2019, and he finished in 119th place in Round Rock that year. During his junior season, he won the district and regional cross country championships, and finished in 31st place at the state meet. 

As a junior during track season last spring, Emanuel accomplished something rare and extremely difficult to do. He qualified for the state track meet in Austin in three events— the 800 meters, 1600 meters, and 3200 meters. At state, he and Coach Siemers made the decision to compete in only two events rather than all three, and he earned fourth place in the 3200 meters and third place in the 1600 meters. After winning the regional cross country championship a couple of weeks ago in miserably hot conditions, he came into the state meet, his last one, knowing that he can compete with the best in 6A.

Shortly after the starter's gun went off on Saturday, the eventual winner, Kevin Sanchez from Austin Vandergrift, pushed the pace early and established a slight separation from Emanuel and a group of four to five other runners. Emanuel ran a smart, controlled race and was in second-place near the two-mile marker. He faded a little in the final third of the race, but held off a group of runners during the uphill climb to the finish to get sixth- place overall and a top-10 medal.  

In the boys team competition, Southlake Carroll captured their third straight state title. The Woodlands boys were second-place and El Paso Eastwood third.  

Season Reflection

The 2021 season is over, and cross country has a lot to be proud of this year. Coach Siemers and his athletes and staff brought home many medals and plaques, and several athletes earned the right to compete in November. Many runners matured and got stronger, and several young, talented runners emerged.  

Thanks to Coach Siemers, Coach Huntsman, Coach Drayton, and team managers Addison Mitchell, Kara Hensley, and Quinn Otermat for countless hours devoted to the team and their success.