Odessa High’s Joseph Flotte knew that Midland Legacy’s Joey Almanza was close.
He found out how close with a quick glance to his right as the duo sprinted for the finish line at the Odessa XC Invitational.
“I didn’t hear him so I didn’t think he was that close,” Flotte said. “Then I looked down and saw his feet and thought ‘I need to speed up’.”
He did, just enough to edge Almanza by three-tenths of a second to earn the victory in the Boys Division I race Thursday at UTPB Park.
Flotte, one of the Bronchos’ captains, stopped the clock in 17 minutes, 1.2 seconds.
Almanza was second in 17:01.5, with Lubbock Coronado’s Roman Martinez finishing third in 17:24.9.
San Angelo Central and Odessa High tied for the team title with 67 points, with the Bobcats earning the crown courtesy of their sixth-place runner’s finish (32nd to 39th).
Permian was third with 95 points.
Flotte used his strategy to perfection, running near the front of the pack the entire race as it wound around the park, content to run at his own pace while maintaining position.
It wasn’t until he was in the final mile of the three-mile trek that he began to put some pressure on his competitors and pull away, leaving just Almanza alongside.
“I was just trying to run my pace and stay near the front,” he said. “It feels great to win.”
Alex Camacho finished sixth for Odessa High in 17:33.8, with Miguel Lujan 15th (18:10.7), Jordan Flotte 17th (18:34.4) and Jeremiah Casas 28th (19:04.3) rounding out its top five.
The course was the same that the District 2-6A Championships will be contested over on Oct. 13.
The result gives head coach Cody Valenzuela and the Bronchos good reason to feel confident about their chances of advancing to the postseason.
‘He (Joseph Flotte) and Alex Camacho are our captains and they were pushing together out there,” Valenzuela said. “And our fifth, Jeremiah, he’s closing the gap and getting better.
“This was according to plan and we should have a great race next week.”
The Panthers also have reason to believe after their third-place showing, led by Devin Martin’s 12th-place showing in 17:59.5.
Teammate Davin Merrill (18:29.0) was 16th, with Dylan Chico (18:41.1) in 20th, Pool Nicholas (18:58.4) in 23rd and Braden Young finishing 24th in 18:59.1.
Martin, Merrill and Chico are all freshmen, while Nicholas and Young are sophomores.
“They were great,” Permian first-year coach Jasmin Torres said. “It was close between all of our district teams that we’re running against.
“It’s just trying to get them to go that little extra bit. I have high hopes for this group.”
>> Follow Lee Scheide on Twitter at @OALeeScheide
ODESSA XC INVITATIONAL
Thursday, UTPB Park
BOYS (3 miles)
Team Standings
1. San Angelo Central, 67; 2. Odessa High, 67 (tie broken by sixth runner); 3. Permian, 95; 4. Lubbock Monterey, 96; 5. Midland Legacy 118; 6. Lubbock High, 118; 7. Lubbock Coronado, 148; 8. Lubbock-Cooper, 156; 9. Midland TLCA, 247.
Top 10 Individuals
1. Joseph Flotte, Odessa High, 17 minutes, 1.2 seconds; 2. Joey Almanza, Midland Legacy, 17:01.5; 3. Roman Martinez, Lubbock Coronado, 17:24.9; 4. Angel Rodriguez, San Angelo Central, 17:27.0; 5. Lahtan Myers, Lubbock Coronado, 17:32.4; 6. Alex Camacho, Odessa High, 17:33.8; 7. Elias Gonzales, Lubbock High, 17:38.6; 8. Jamison Jurado, San Angelo Central, 17:44.4; 9. Christopher Banks, San Angelo Central, 17:47.1; 10. Tripp Gray, Lubbock Monterey, 17:48.0.
Other Area Runners
Odessa High: 15. Miguel Lujan, 18:10.7; 17. Jordan Flotte, 18:34.4; 28. Jeremiah Casas, 19:04.3; 39. Leland Gonzalez, 19:54.5; 41. Evan Sanchez, 20:12.7. Adam Briones, 21:10.9.
Permian: 12. Devin Martin, 17:59.5; 16. Davin Merrill, 18:29.0; 20. Dylan Chico, 18;41.1; 23. Nicholas Pool, 18:58.5; 24. Braden Young, 18:59.1; 31. Julian Cruz, 19:19.8; 34; Llanez Noah, 19:20.8; William Zamorano, 19:29.9; Jovany Olivas, 20:08.1; Flint Stephens, 20:54.6.
Midland Legacy: 11. David Ruvalcaba, 17:54.7; 29. Gavin Rochelle, 19:07.3; 33. Aiden Montes, 19:20.3; 43. Hadrian Urquidi, 20:34.5. 54. Preston Evans, 23:12.4; 56. Jonah Allen, 23.51.5.
Midland High: Jose Zubia, 19:06.6; Rosendo Carrasco, 20:27.6.
