ROUND ROCK - The depth up and down the roster on HP"s girls cross country team gave it top results all season long. In their final race Saturday, it earned them a state title.

HP corralled two of the top three team placings and placed three of the top 20 runners to win the Class 4A state championship at Old Settler's Park in Round Rock. The one-two punch of senior Jenna Read and freshman Natalie Rathjen set HP up at the top, then Mary Beth Hamilton came through with a high finish to keep them there. 

Read, an anchor for the Scots for four seasons, placed as the state runner-up with a time of 11:09.39. Natalie Rathjen, who has been a season-long catalyst that ignited HP's run to the Region II championship, took fourth overall but third in the team placings in 11:14.23. Hamilton was 18th overall but counted ninth in the team standings. 

The Scots' depth took it from there. Madeline Crank crossed in 11:47.90, but effectively gave HP a fourth runner in the top 20 as her scored counted as 19th in the team standings. Placings earned by individual runners not attached to the 12 teams entered do not count toward the team points.

Maddie Weakley (55th- 34th- 12:22.87) and Laura Rathjen (61st-40th-12:27.49) held together in a pack, with Julie Parma (79th-57th-12:38.21) just behind. Weakley's 34th-place finish officially sealed the win, although Laura Rathjen and Parma both crossed the finish line ahead of the next athlete from Humble Kingwood Park, which came into the meet having won the last three 4A state titles.

"The race is usually determined by where you have the 4-5-6-7 runners placing," said Scots coach Jerry Sutterfield, who saw his team win its fourth state title of the past 10 years and first since 2004. "Our strategy worked getting our 1-2-3 runners out in front. Then the 4-7 runners just need to finish fast."

Natalie Rathjen placed ahead of Read in most of the meet during the regular season, as well as last week at the Region II-4A Championships. Read passed Rathjen during the second mile with Rathjen's compliments. 

 

"When she passed her, Natalie gave her encouragement and then kept going and fougth through to stay close behind her," Sutterfield said. "She had a hip injury and raced through it.

"What (Natalie) she did there was rare. Most runners that are used to being in front, once they get passed and aren't in their usual spot, shut down. She kept going because she's a great competitor and a hard worker."

Sutterfield also complemented Read's senior leadership and credited the five team captains that includes Read for keeping the team motivated and "laced together," which is the team's motto this season. 

"Every person on our team here, even our alternates, played their part," Sutterfield said. "From the minute we got here I know we'd run the best race we could."

HP, which was the state runner-up last year, is well set up for another trip to state next year. Read, Crank and Parma are the only seniors among the seven runners competing at the state meet.

2. Humble Kingwood Park - 81

3. Canyon - 98

4. Fort Worth Boswell - 102

5. Canyon Randall - 133

6. Boerne Champion - 161

7. Cedar Park - 161

8. Frisco - 175

9. Magnolia - 210

10. Houston Stratford - 244

11. Dripping Springs - 276

12. Bastrop - 278

1 (1). Karlee Kleiber, Canyon Randall - 11:06.10

3. Cali Roper, Willis - 11:12.62

5. Emily Perez, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln - 11:16.83

6. Meghan Shea, McKinney - 11:24.31

7. Maddie Zimmerman, Frisco Wakeland - 11:24.81

8 (4). Maggie Escobar, Fort Worth Boswell - 11:24.85

9 (5). Brittany Innis, Cedar Park - 11:29.71

10. Maya Hawkins, Mansfield Summit - 11:31.23

HP begins its postseason play Tuesday with high hopes of a return to the Region II-4A Tournament. The Scots (29-15, 12-2) enter the playoffs on a roll with sweeps in their last three matches, and having lost only to the state's top-ranked team, Richardson Pearce (twice), in the last month.

The Scots will also have an advantage of sorts when it faces Frisco Liberty (20-19) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Carrollton's R.L. Turner High School. HP beat Liberty, 2-1, in a first-round bracket game at the Byron Nelson Tournament on Aug. 21.

 

Liberty won five straight matches to finish in third place in District 9-4A, but never challenged district leaders Frisco Centennial or Frisco Wakeland for the title, never taking either team past four sets in the combined four matches.

HP, ranked No. 19 in the state and back at full strength with the return of two injured players, is the easy favorite going into the match. The winner of Tuesday's match will face the winner between South Oak Cliff and Bryan Adams later in the week.

The Scots reached the third round of the playoffs last season before losing to Frisco Centennial in five sets.

Here is the complete Region II-4A bracket and first-round pairings:

 

Woodrow Wilson (18-8) vs. Seagoville (14-12)

Frisco Wakeland (30-10) vs. Wylie (19-15)

Richardson Pearce (40-3) vs. Carrollton Creekview (17-22)

Molina (18-9) vs. Hillcrest (21-12)

Elgin vs. Forney (21-19)

Denison (22-15) vs. Tyler J. Tyler

Hallsville (36-5) vs. Texarkana Texas (18-20)

Waxahachie (27-12) vs. Hutto

South Oak Cliff (15-10) vs. Bryan Adams (12-10)

Frisco Centennial (33-8) vs. Rockwall-Heath (26-10)

Lincoln (16-11) vs. North Dallas (9-14)

Red Oak (36-7) vs. Bryan Rudder

Longview Pine Tree vs. Greenville

Royse City (26-11) vs. Whitehouse

Pflugerville Connally vs. Mesquite Poteet (22-16)

The area playoffs are Nov. 4-6.

HP opened its charge toward the UIL Championships on Thursday by winning the District 10-4A title at Wylie High School. The Scots aced the rest of the field with 23 points and placed six of their seven runners in the top 10.

The Scots now move on to the Region II-4A Championships next Saturday, Nov. 6, at Arlington's Vandergriff Park. If HP places in the top three there, it would advance to the state meet and try to improve on last year's second-place finish.

Natalie Rathjen won the district title in 11:07, followed closely by Jenna Read in third (11:37) and Mary Beth Hamilton (12:12) in fourth. Madeline Crank (6th, 12:24), Maddie Weakley (9th, 12:25) and Laura Rathjen (10th, 12:31) also placed in the top 10. Julie Parma took 13th in 12:59.

HP's 23 points were far better than runner-up McKinney's 62. Rockwall took the third regional-qualifying spot with 93 points.

The Scots were perfect in the junior varsity race, scoring 15 points to blow out McKinney's runner-up 195 score. The first 21 runners to cross the finish line were from HP. The Scots' top five were district JV champion Laura Bassel (in 12:48), Piper Vaughn, Anne Leonard, Madeline Bruner and Kelly Taylor.

Complete results are below:

 

2. McKinney - 62

3. Rockwall - 93

4. Rockwall-Heath - 100

5. Rich. Pearce - 142

6. Wylie East - 156

7. McKinney North - 194

8. Wylie - 197

1. Natalie Rathjen - 11:07

3. Jenna Read - 11:37

4. Mary Beth Hamilton - 12:12

6. Madeline Crank - 12:24

9. Maddie Weakley - 12:25

10. Laura Rathjen - 12:31

13. Julie Parma - 12:59

2. McKinney - 195

3. Rockwall - 277

4. Rockwall-Heath - 321

5. Wylie - 466

6. Rich. Pearce - 493

1. Laura Bassel - 12:48

2. Piper Vaughn - 12:55

3. Anne Leonard - 12:55

4. Madeline Bruner - 13:01

5. Kelly Taylor - 13:02

6. Katie West - 13:05

7. Ellen Elder - 13:06

8. Cassidy Tanner - 13:09

9. Paige Jubinsky - 13:09

10. Catherine Williams - 13:11

11. Lollie Ogden - 13:17

12. Kay Hitzelberger - 13:21

13. Lauren Addington - 13:24

14. Erinn Wright - 13:26

15. Claire Sorrels - 13:27

16. Meredith Scudder - 13:31

17. Eliza Martin - 13:31

18. Tamara Hyndman - 13:36

19. Megan McDermett - 13:38

20. Katherine Ray - 13:39

21. Madeline Coke - 13:40

23. Shannon Flaten - 13:41

24. Madisyn Miller - 13:41

25. Allison Horn - 13:49

26. Lily Alexander - 13:52

27. Cassi Carlton - 13:52

28. Laine Stebbins - 13:54

29. Hailey Briggs - 13:55

30. Lindsey Whitmeyer - 13:58

33. Audrey Toledo - 14:04

34. Olivia Testa - 14:06

36. Kennedy Wolfsberger - 14:08

37. Mary Alice Adair - 14:09

38. Samantha Greer - 14:09

39. Allie Bergeron - 14:10

41. Melissa Galvin - 14:13

44. Elizabeth Keckeisen - 14:16

47. Meredith Hull - 14:20

48. Katheryn Kelley - 14:21

50. Ann He - 14:22

53. Ellie Lewis - 14:29

54. Kate Kellogg - 14:29

55. Elle Milkes - 14:30

56. Sophie Franks - 14:30

57. Gillian Vanderslice - 14:31

58. Maddie Smoot - 14:32

59. Madeline Orr - 14:35

60. Lindsey McCartin - 14:37

61. Lauren Bagwell - 14:38

62. Nicole Williams - 14:39

63. Elizabeth Hill - 14:39

64. Catherine Keith - 14:40

66. Brooke Moore - 14:40

67. Rachel Theilmann - 14:42

68. Samantha Cade - 14:43

72. Alexa Messman - 14:50

74. Annie Williams - 14:51

75. Ashley Corrigan - 14:53

78. Sally Gray - 14:57

79. Kate Arvesen - 15:00

80. Jacqueline White - 15:00

81. Mary Catherine Keckeisen - 15:01

82. Bentley Borrego - 15:01

83. Emily Barge - 15:02

86. Peyton Prichard - 15:04

88. Sarah Yeager - 15:08

89. Audrey Fields - 15:08

92. Caroline Cavender - 15:10

93. Sarah Stiles - 15:10

94. Courtney Lewis - 15:11

96. Story Slaughter - 15:11

97. Emily Walter - 15:14

98. Lilly Kopita - 15:16

101. Kristine Albachiara - 15:24

102. Paige Carter - 15:24

104. Emily Wilhite - 15:27

109. Margaret Hill - 15:34

110. Stephanie Scudder - 15:35

111. Caroline Ball - 15:37

112. Caroline Thomas - 15:38

115. Bronwyn Geyer - 15:43

116. Kelly Click - 15:44

119. Isabelle Pierce - 16:01

120. Steele Padgett - 16:02

124. Allison Smith - 16:13

126. Olivia Turgeon - 16:23

128. Meaghan Viveros - 16:30

136. Ally Wagner - 17:03

137. Sawyer Salvino - 17:05

138. Emily Atkins - 17:06

139. Helena Maurer - 17:06

140. Byers Petty - 17:14

142. Erika Wiggs - 17:30

143. Morgan Cody - 17:31

147. Shannon Hill - 17:50

The Scots have their bi-district playoff set, facing Frisco Liberty at 7 p.m. next Tuesday at Carrollton R.L. Turner. HP (29-15) already faced Liberty once this season, coming from behind to take a 21-25, 25-17, 25-15 win over the RedHawks in the championship bracket of the Byron Nelson Tournament two months ago.

That was about the same time we last saw the Scots at full strength. The return of Isabel Herndon to the back row, along with Tayler Robertston up front, has HP in a different groove now with the playoffs ahead. They proved that Tuesday night as the wiped out Wylie East in three easy sets. 

 

Granted, the competition facing a team that was winless in district play was less than stellar, as HP's 22 aces displayed all too well on the scoresheet. But it was one of the Scots' best performances in weeks despite the weaknesses on the other side of the net.

And it plays right into the momentum a team wants to have heading into the postseason. HP is back at full strength with its defense and its depth, and is driven by a chance to play the state's top-ranked team, Richardson Pearce, a third time after coming oh-so-close the first time and enduring a disappointing defeat two weeks ago.

The biggest difference between the Scots and RedHawks is their schedule. HP has been battle-tested all season, most recently in the two matches 

against Pearce. Before that, it was a tough grind against some of the state's top Class 5A programs. Which is why HP's overall record isn't pretty, winning not even two out of every three matches thus far.

Looking at Liberty's body of work, the RedHawks (20-19) haven't beaten a team better than they are all season. That they've played 39 matches shows they played deep into the brackets at their three tournaments, but Liberty has yet to rise up and beat someone they shouldn't have been able to. 

 

Liberty lost at home to Wylie, 3-2, a team HP beat in a close match on the road (also 3-2) and 3-1 at home. And when it counted most for them in district play, the RedHawks were swept twice by co-district champion Frisco Wakeland, and lost twice by 3-1 counts to co-champion Frisco Centennial. Much like HP's District 10-4A, wins against the rest of 9-4A don't count for much.

So there's the bi-district prediction: HP wins in three. The Scots have momentum, a playoff pedigree behind them, their serving as a team is on fire, and they're far more battle tested than Liberty. 

 

The other side of HP's opening quadrant has South Oak Cliff playing Bryan Adams. Neither of those teams would place in the top six in 10-4A, so go ahead and advance the Scots into the regional quarterfinals. There it will likely be a battle against another Frisco school, either Centennial or Wakeland. 

A short synopsis of the regional bracket shows this: there are five clear-cut favorites in the bracket, plus two sleepers. Put down Pearce, HP, Red Oak, Elgin and Hallsville as favorites within their quadrants. Waxahachie and Hutto might surprise and reach the semifinals. Regardless, everyone's chasing Pearce right now, and there's only one team in the region that has threatened them to this point - HP.

Here is the Region II-4A pairings in the opening round, although multiple tiebreakers have yet to be played. In those cases, both teams playing for a certain spot are mentioned. The UIL will release the full bracket on Saturday.

 

Woodrow Wilson vs. (Seagoville or North Dallas)

(Frisco Centennial or Frisco Wakeland) vs. Wylie (19-15)

Richardson Pearce (40-3) vs. Carrollton Creekview (17-22)

Molina (18-9) vs. (Hillcrest or Lincoln)

Elgin vs. Forney (21-18)

Denison (22-15) vs. Tyler J. Tyler

Hallsville (36-5) vs. Texarkana Texas (18-20)

(Waxahachie or Mesquite Poteet) vs. (Pflugerville Connally or Hutto)

South Oak Cliff (15-10) vs. Bryan Adams (12-10)

(Frisco Centennial or Frisco Wakeland) vs. Rockwall-Heath (26-10)

(Hillcrest or Lincoln) vs. (Seagoville or North Dallas)

Red Oak vs. (Bryan Rudder or Pflugerville Hendrickson)

Longview Pine Tree vs. Greenville

Royse City (26-11) vs. Whitehouse

(Pflugerville Connally or Hutto) vs. (Waxahachie or Mesquite Poteet)

The area playoffs are Nov. 4-6.

HP served notice to the rest of the regional field Tuesday night with one of its best performances of the season, while also serving Wylie East out of Highlander Fieldhouse in both teams' regular-season finale.

The Scots (29-15, 12-2) scored 22 aces in the match, of almost one of every three points they scored in the 25-5, 25-14, 25-7 win. HP enters the playoffs next week as the second-seeded team out of District 10-4A, and will face Frisco Liberty (20-19) in the first round next Tuesday. Game details as to the site and time will be determined Wednesday. The winner of HP-Liberty will face the winner of South Oak Cliff-Bryan Adams in the second round.

In a night set aside to honor HP's five seniors, it was a junior who set the tone in the opening moments. Catherine Ken came to serve after the Scots took a 1-0 lead, and ran off a string of nine consecutive points, five of them aces. Ken's jump serve targeted Wylie East's back row, and the defensive specialist scored a string of four aces in a row until the last of her 10 serves sailed long out of bounds. 

Senior Night - the final home match for HP seniors Caroline Culwell, Brittany Fersing, Isabel Herndon, Hope Ogden and Margeaux Mendenhall - was a dominating night against a Wylie East team that went winless in district play. Each of the Scots' first six servers scored at least one ace, and it took only four rotations for HP to win the first set, 25-5. By the time the serving string of aces was broken, the Scots had an 11-2 lead in the second set.

Ken led the way with seven aces, followed by Culwell, Mendenhall, Elizabeth Lee and Herndon with three each, and Ogden with 2.

HP posted some offense inside the serving line, too. In a sign of things to come, Herndon's return to the court sparked the Scots' back row. She had been injured the past two months. Herndon entered the match to start the second set, and scored an ace on the second point of the set. She had two aces in a five-serve string that gave HP a 4-1 lead to start the set. 

Mendenhall made the most of her limited opportunities because of the aces and a quick sweep to lead the Scots with 10 kills. Tayler Robertson also returned from an injury and entered the match in the second set in time to register a block and a kill. 

 

The return of Herndon and Robertson bolstered the Scots and gave a handful of scouts in the crowd something else to look at beyond the lineup they've used the past month. It was the first time HP has used its full lineup at full strength since the opening tournament of the season.

HP used an all-senior lineup in the third set along with Lee, the junior setter. Fersing appeared fully recovered from an injury that sat her down for two weeks earlier this month, and scored two kills during a 7-2 HP run that started the third set. 

Culwell moved up to be an outside hitter late in the match, sure to be a surprise note on any opponents' scouting sheets, and registered three kills. 

The match also marked only the fifth and sixth times this season that HP has held an opponent to single digits in a set. Two of those also came in separate matches against Rockwall earlier in district play.