Cross country is on the rise in Houston.
The number of participants in the sport grows every year in the school district, and results in competition are often good and sometimes even great, as in the three individual state championships recently garnered by middle school runners (one in 2023 and two this year).
Back in 2019, when cross country was resurrected in Houston after being axed in the mid-1980s, I shared my fondness for the sport that I acquired covering it for the newspaper in Cleveland, Georgia. Before that experience began, I basically knew nothing about cross country. But as the years went by, I grew increasingly aware of how cool it is and eventually realized I thoroughly enjoyed being around it.
Back then, I did a bit of explaining regarding how teams score at meets. Considering the ever-increasing popularity and success of the cross country program head coach Justin Brown is rapidly building in this neighborhood, I thought it might be a good idea to revisit the scoring aspect, partially in hopes of creating interest among members of the community – especially kids who might be drawn to giving it a shot.
While there are no stiff-arms, slam-dunks, walk-off homers or other situations familiar to most fans of team-oriented sports, cross country is definitely a team sport. And scoring is actually pretty simple, and similar to golf, because lower scores are better.
The way it basically works is that the first five runners to finish for a given team score points based on where they finish, and the team with the lowest score wins. In other words, a first-place finisher in a race scores one point while the 22nd place finisher scores 22, and so on.
That means every placement by every one of those five finishers can be crucial to the team’s score. In the past, I’ve witnessed high school teams win meets with nobody placing in the top 10, but everyone finishing in the top 30. Conversely, I’ve also seen teams have two runners finish in the top 10 but not win a meet because their fifth runner came in near the back of the field.
The way cross country teams become lethal is when they have a bunch of good runners, and having one or two great ones in the mix is just bonus. The term “bunching” is even used in cross country jargon, having to do with a team’s runners being as tightly grouped as possible, rather than spread out through a given meet’s field.
That means it’s important for a team’s fifth runner to stay as close as possible to the fourth, for the third runner to stay in close proximity to the second and so on. And it’s not only about bunching, but teammates pushing each other.
If a team’s No. 4 runner appears to be ready to pass the No. 3, that No. 3’s reaction is usually to find another gear and stay ahead of his or her cohort, which in turn typically results in a benefit to the team score. Of course, if the No. 4 does go by, that’s usually a sign of someone getting better, which is obviously also good for the team.
It even goes beyond the scoring five; a good No. 6 runner will always give the No. 5 a good push, which can and will lead to the 5 finishing higher.
In my past, I’ve also seen a cross country program grow, and watched as kids sell out to working hard and realizing their full potential. I believe this is a sport in which hard work can and does pay off in a way that isn’t quite as possible in other sports. With the right approach and attitude, a runner can shave several minutes off his or her “personal best” time – and that can happen in a matter of months, let alone years.
The bottom line is, a good cross country team (boys or girls) consists of athletes who are dedicated to improving and who aren’t opposed to giving their teammates a friendly run for their money, so to speak. And, of course, a coach who can pry that dedication from the depths of those athletes’ beings.
Anyway, best wishes to Coach Brown and the kids who follow his lead to further advance Houston cross country. As he recently said, “Houston isn’t just a football or volleyball town, we’ve got runners here.”
From the looks of things, that’s an accurate statement and Houston cross country’s best days are yet to come.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
