Both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams took first place at the 36th annual Maverick Ramble on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Among the boys’ teams, junior Drew Woodfolk placed first in the 5,000 meter varsity black race with a individual record of 16:34, and senior Jayan Hanson placed third. Junior Samuel Ho and senior Jake Schick also placed in the top ten out of 91 runners.

“We ran well as a team and couldn’t have done it without Coach Mercado,” Woodfolk said.  “This year, we’ve got a pretty strong team again.”

Among the girls, senior Peyton Brown also placed first in the 5,000 meter varsity black race with a time of 18:57, over a minute faster than the second place runner. Juniors Jordan Kramer and Gracie Blue, sophomore Emily Feng and freshman Catie Beck also placed in the top ten.

“We had nine girls who medaled, so it was a good meet for us,” Feng said. “We’re still practicing in the morning and preparing for the last two meets of the year.”

Junior Jordan Kramer placed 4th at the Ramble. (Jared Margolis)

The Ramble is the Mavericks’ annual home meet, so the familiar faces in crowd added more pressure and motivation for some runners.

“It makes it more stressful because you want to make the school feel proud,” sophomore Juliette Draper said. “It’s more close to home, where your teachers and fellow classmates come out to watch and hold up signs.”

According to spectators, the turnout was surprisingly large.

“There were more people than I expected. I was never really alone,” sophomore Matthew Giordano said. “It was a great time and I look forward to going to other meets.”

Both teams will compete at the South Zone meet on Oct. 22 at Spring Creek Park, Tomball. Head Coach Richie Mercado stresses physical health as a key part of preparation.

“The team needs to get one athlete back healthy and a couple others to full strength. We must stay healthy, sharp and rested for SPC,” Mercado said.