Every generation of Texas distance running has a “next one.” That runner who shows up before anyone expects them, does things that shouldn’t be possible at their age, and forces the conversation to shift from the present to the future. For this generation, that runner is Ruel Newberry of Denton Guyer High School.

He is a sophomore. He is already one of the most talked-about distance runners in the country. And he has spent the last two years living in the shadow of Caden Leonard — a shadow that, rather than diminishing him, seems to be making him stronger.