Coming off a state meet appearances last season, the Clifton boys and girls cross country teams running strong at Midway, West Invites
Coming off a strong finish to last season, the Clifton boys and girls cross country teams picked up right where they left off by jumping out fast at the starting line of the 2025 Texas high school season.
Running in their third meet of the season, the Clifton boys won their second straight team title, capturing the Class 4A-1A Division of the Midway Hewitt Kiwanis Invitational at the HOT Soccer Complex in Waco last Thursday.
Led by the individual bronze medalist performance of senior Brayden Stone, the Class 3A Cubs took first place with 103 points, outrunning Class 4A Lorena with 115 and Class 4A China Spring with 127. Other Clifton top 25 finishers included junior Giovanny Garcia (19th) and junior RJ Hikel (24th), followed by senior Tristan Ward and freshman Jack Domel.
Running in their first meet with a complete team, the Lady Cubs placed sixth with 152 points behind meet champion Lorena (32) and Class 4A runner-up Stephenville (33) competing among 18 teams.
The Lady Cubs were led by junior Alli Hunt with a top 25 finish (23rd), followed by junior Natalia Cathcart (26th), sophomore Scarlett Kennedy (35th), senior Sophia Ritzmann (39th) and junior Natalia Gaona (51st).
“Everyone keeps getting better week to week,” Clifton cross country head coach Ryan Hunt said. “We have a month until the district meet, and the focus is on trying to be the best we can possibly be when we get to that meet. Our kids show up early every morning and put in a lot of work and you can see that in their performance.”
After competing in the West Invitational Wednesday, Clifton will run in the Hoka McNeil Invitational at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock on Sept. 19, followed by the Rio Vista Invitational Sept. 24 before competing in the District 17-3A Championship Oct. 4 in McGregor.
With four returning varsity boys and five returning varsity girls, Clifton entered the 2025 season with high expectations. After all, the Lady Cubs have placed second the last three years at district and posted their best finish at regionals last season with a sixth place showing.
On the other hand, the Clifton boys will be aiming for their third straight team district championship and third straight state meet appearance, finishing second as a team at regional last year and seventh at the state meet.
“I really like both of our groups so far,” Hunt said. “We lost some good runners to graduation, but I already see others stepping up to fill the roles. Every season is different, and it’s fun to watch the kids meet the challenge.
“The expectations for our program are high. The kids have set a high standard for themselves. I’m excited to watch them compete and continue to work toward making our program the best it can possibly be.”
Photos by DALLAS PFEIL & courtesy of the CLIFTON HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK STAFF
©2025 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
