Cross country requires equal parts physical and mental toughness to navigate multiple miles across various forms of terrain. Throughout his four years at Ellison, Ethan Carranza has proven steady in his pursuit through those tests of will.
Saturday, in the UIL State Championships, it was no different.
Battling both an illness that snuck up on the senior midweek and 151 of the top runners in Class 5A, Carranza pushed himself around the 5-kilometer course at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock to a 26th-place finish, capping a standout career with the Eagles.
Carranza, who made his second consecutive appearance in the sport’s grand finale, recorded a time of 16 minutes, 13 seconds –– shaving more than 1 second and 10 places off of his results in the 2023 event.
Standing a few feet from a large crowd of his supporters, a grateful and content Carranza, still feeling the effects of a sore throat, congestion and a cough yet remained all smiles, reflected on his final cross country race.
“The congestion kind of just caught up to me and during the race it was kind of hard to breathe,” he said. “But, I just kept thinking that this was my last year –– my last race –– doing UIL cross country. I had to suck it up and finish. And, I’m happy with my finish. I was 10 places better than last year, so that’s pretty good. I wasn’t too happy with my time, but that’s all right. Just have to throw that out the window because I was sick.”
Carranza, who won the District 16-5A individual title in Waco on Oct. 10 –– when the Eagles wrapped up a second straight team championship –– then finished fourth in Grand Prairie at the Region II meet Oct. 22, was ninth after the first mile Saturday under an overcast sky. He was 21st or so after Mile 2 and closed it out to place in the top 30.
Bryce Denton of Anna claimed the gold in 15:16.90. Friendswood’s Aiden Fitzgerald (15:32) was second and Miles Westbrook (15:39) of El Paso High was third. Lucas Lovejoy took home the team championship.
“I knew it was going to be a challenge,” he said. “There are some tough guys.”
Ellison head coach Jesse San Miguel put Carranza in that group of tough guys.
“He’s a tough kid,” San Miguel said. “He doesn’t talk a lot and internalizes a lot of things, but when it’s time to compete, he’s always come out with his best.”
Carranza said he’s looking forward to the track and field season, at the end of which he hopes to qualify for the state meet for the first time. He’s also anxious to watch his cross country teammates carry on an Ellison Eagles tradition of sending runners to Round Rock.
“I was proud to represent and I’m ready to pass it on to all the younger guys,” he said. “I know that they are going to continue the legacy.”
