The Wylie Pirates are heading back to the cross country state championships for the second consecutive season.

Racing at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie on a rainy Monday morning, the Pirates boys’ team finished second overall with 99 points at the Region II-6A championships, just narrowly finishing behind The Woodlands (94 points) for a regional championship. Bridgeland (108 points) and Klein Oak (136 points) rounded out the top four teams.

It’s a further improvement from last season’s mark, where Wylie finished third at regions on their way to a top-five finish at the state championship. The Pirates team has reached state six total times, with this marking the fifth appearance in the last six years.

Leading the way for Wylie, Hunter Jackson placed seventh overall (15:46.69) as the top finisher. He was 30 seconds off the pace of Klein Oak’s Jack Boyd, who won the region title and just five seconds off of a top-five finish. The run was also Jackson’s third-best mark of the season.

Behind Jackson, Nathan Moore (15:55.74) and Caden Biltz (15:58.2) placed 14th and 17th, respectively for the Pirates out of 176 runners.

The two juniors had standout races at the regional meet, as Biltz was just a second off his district pace and Moore set a personal record despite the slick conditions. Moore was the fifth best runner at the district meet for the Pirates, but improved his standing tremendously from the previous week.

Zach Brumfield, Landin Wolfe, Mateo Guzman and Euaiel Aklile also ran the boys varsity team, with Brumfield and Wolfe the only two runners placing points in the team standings. Brumfield finished 36th (16:30.81), improving by 15 seconds from his district meet and the second-best finish for a freshman at the regional meet.

Wolfe placed 42nd (16:41.43) for the Pirates. With Wylie reaching the state meet for a second season, it is now chasing its first team state championship after placing fifth last season.

On the girls’ side, Liv Lambert also qualified for the state championship for the second year in a row, placing 13th (19:10.76) in a crowded field. The junior was just four seconds off of her season best and is heading to state alone after the Pirates finished ninth overall with 273 points. With the top four teams qualifying for state, Klein (56 points), The Woodlands (89 points), Klein Oak (139 points) and Bridgeland (144 points) were the top four.

Abigail Bray, Paige Orr, Autumn Boyd, Kyler Eiben, Jackie Cooke and Sevyn Galvez also ran for the Pirates, with Bray placing 37th (20:15.1).

Wylie East also sent its boys and girls teams to the regional meet, with both teams placing 19th overall. Oluwabusayomi Ojo was the top runner for the Lady Raiders, crossing the finish line in 65th (21:13.11). Alessandro Garcia placed 75th (17:35.16) for the Raiders.

All state qualifiers will run in the 6A state championships on Nov. 4 at Old Settlers’ Park in Round Rock.

For the full story, see next week’s issue or subscribe online.