Sachse sophomore Dominic Richardson won the boys division in the District 9-6A cross country meet with a time of 15:55 last Thursday at Wylie High School. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Coming off a track and field season that featured six district titles and 11 regional berths, Sachse’s long-distance runners told head coach Kacey Laughery they had one goal for cross country: win district.
The Mustangs delivered.
Both the Sachse boys and girls captured the District 9-6A championships Thursday morning at Wylie High School, marking the first time since 2016 that both programs have won district titles in the same year. The boys scored 31 points, while the girls tallied 35.
Wylie and Wylie East also qualified both teams for the Region II-6A meet. The Wylie East boys placed second (47 points), narrowly edging the Pirates (54 points), ending Wylie’s streak of eight straight district titles. The Lady Pirates took second with 44 points, topping Wylie East (49) by five.
“It’s just surreal,” Laughery said. “The kids put in so much work over the summer — waking up early, running every morning, building that family atmosphere. After track season, they set a goal for both the boys and girls to win district, and they did it.”
Sachse also produced the boys’ individual champion. Sophomore Dominic Richardson overtook Wylie East’s Kaleab Endale with a mile left and crossed first in 15:55, ahead of Endale’s 16:08.
“He’s always had the potential,” Laughery said. “The Wylie East kid came out fast, but Dominic stuck to his plan and caught him in the last mile.”
The girls’ race was just as tight. Wylie East sophomore Evangeline Williams (18:11) pulled away from Sachse junior Abigail Leonard (18:40) about two-thirds through the race.
“The Wylie East kid is an exceptional competitor,” Laughery said. “Abigail used her to pull her along and still got a 12-second PR.”
Sachse’s girls showed impressive depth, placing six runners in the top 12. Arora Dinh Ngo (fifth, 19:54), Alicia Payne (seventh, 20:12), Kaitlyn Herrera (10th, 20:25), Adeline Moss (11th, 20:33) and Maicen Keefer (12th, 20:34) joined Leonard in the top pack.
The boys were equally consistent, with Samuel Ledbetter (third, 16:13), Sadiki Mburu (seventh, 16:29), Henry Lesley (eighth, 16:31), Roman Rabel (12th, 16:48), Ozzy Heredia (15th, 17:00) and Grayson Redden (26th, 17:52) all scoring strong finishes.
The Region II-6A meet is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Harold Patterson Sports Complex in Arlington. The girls’ race begins at 9 a.m., followed by the boys at 9:30 a.m.
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