The Dragon Who Runs: Caden Leonard and the Quest to Break Four Minutes
There’s a wall inside the Southlake Carroll Athletic complex that reads, simply: Protect the Tradition. For most athletes, that’s motivational wallpaper. For Caden Leonard, it’s a creed — one he has lived, raced, and bled for across four remarkable years as a Dragon.
Now a senior, Leonard stands at the threshold of something even bigger than state championships. He is eight hundredths of a second away from becoming the third Texas high schooler in history to break the four-minute mile. And if the arc of his career says anything, it’s that he tends to get what he comes for.
Huntress, Cragnolino Claim Elusive 5A Cross Country Titles for AISD
It was a historic day for the Austin Independent School District (AISD) , as two of its runners, Eva Cragnolino of Austin LASA and Colby Huntress of Austin Anderson, claimed state cross country titles in less than an hour at Old Settlers Park. Remarkably, this marked the first time an AISD runner had won a state title in almost 40 years.
Cragnolino’s Record-Breaking Victory
The girls’ race began at a solid clip, with the expected front-runners hitting the first mile in 5:35. By the two-mile mark (11:18/5:43), the field began to stretch out, with a lead group of about eight girls establishing a small gap.
Bridgeland Girls Look to Dominate: Key Players at State
Defending champ Wingard is the favorite but the addition of Laney Barnes could make this interesting. Of course Easterwood could also play into the mix. I am curious how the Bridgeland girls will fit in. Will this be the race they dominate
| RUNNER | TEAM |
|---|---|
| Macy Wingard | Denton Braswell |
| Laney Barnes | Houston Cyp. Woods |
| Maya Easterwood | Coppell |
| Evangeline Williams | Wylie East |
| Hope Smith | Bridgeland |
| Naomi Weller | Conroe The Woodlands |
| Caroline Strong | Austin Westlake |
| Rowan Saacke | Bridgeland |
| Adeline Bennett | Flower Mound |
| Kylie Vega | El Paso Eastwood |
The team race looks like a slam dunk for Bridgeland but you can never count out the experience of Flower Mound. The way it looks though is that it won’t get interesting until after the top-3 podium spots.
Boys 5A State XC Championship Prediction
I went with a baker’s dozen runner here because my simulated times had a bunch of runners grouped together along 8-13. What initially stands out is the fact the top-3 runners from Region 3 sit at the top. They also happen to be the top-3 returners from a year ago. Fitzgerald (2nd), Huntress (6th) and Asbill (5th) have shown they belong and their performances a week ago at the regional meet only emphasize that fact. Malan was 12th a year ago and Arceneau was 9th.
Texas 6A Cross Country: Carroll’s Dominance Continues
For years now, Southlake Carroll has dominated the Texas 6A Cross Country landscape. Nobody has been able to knock them off their perch at the top. This year may be no different, but it looks like their usual challenger, Austin Vandergrift, will not be the team pushing them. This year it appears that Bridgeland will be the team pressuring the Dragons behind Griffen Saacke.
In my opinion, the individual race is a two-man race. Griffin Saacke and Caden Leonard. Anyone with common sense would pick Leonard in this scenario, however, the North Carolina commit has not raced much this season, having only competed at the district and regional meets, so it is hard to really know where he stands. The reality is this is probably a great strategy for Leonard considering he expects his XC season to last through early December. The two-time defending champion knows what he needs to do for the three-peat. Obviously the goal is NXN and maybe getting a U20 World Championships spot.