By ERIC VICCARO
sports@bowienewsonline.com

Fields are set at various regional cross country meets across the Lone Star State, and Montague County runners will be prominently involved.
Saint Jo’s complete girls’ team plus Logan Morman, Bellevue’s Jonah Belcher, Gold-Burg’s Haley Davis and Prairie Valley’s complete boys’ and girls’ teams will compete at the Conference 1A, Region III meet.
Saint Jo’s experience competing in at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie, site of the regional meet, could be a boon. The team ran here in September at the Richey Invitational, hosted by the University of Texas-Arlington.
“Half of the race is back in the woods,” Saint Jo head coach Taylor Klement said. “It’s mainly on grass, and the runners like it. It’s a solid course for them.”
The girls will run at 3:30 p.m., followed by boys at 4 p.m.
Paityn Holley has the Lady Panthers best time this year, clocking in at 12 minutes, 12 seconds over 3,200 meters at the District 1A-21 meet at Twisted Oaks Golf Club in rural Bowie.
Other runners for Saint Jo are Caitlyn Holley, Paityn’s older sister, Coletta Holland, Ashley Reyling and Destiny Diaz – all of whom recorded their best times at the District meet.
Morman’s top effort also came at district, with a time of 18:09.9 over the 5,000-meter course.
“We competed against a lot of bigger schools here last time, and I think we held our own,” Klement said.
Klement said the Lady Panthers have a legitimate shot at qualifying for the state meet to take place in two weeks time. Read more in the Oct. 29 Bowie News.

Saint Jo’s Destiny Diaz (left) and Coletta Holland will both run at the Conference 1A, Region III meet. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)