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