Knights Run to Boys, Girls TAPPS Titles
By Mike Waters / Contributor
WACO — Buoyed by sophomore Noah Verdin’s individual gold medal, Covenant captured its ninth consecutive TAPPS boys cross country state championship on Monday at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course.
Meanwhile, the Covenant girls added a title of their own, the first for the team since 2017 and the first ever in the league’s 4A classification.
“I just wanted to start fast, and keep pace,” said a jubilant Verdin, who finished ninth last year and became the fourth individual boys state champion for the Knights, with a time of 16 minutes, 51 seconds.
Covenant had five of the top 21 runners in the race. Gibson Walker placed third and Cade Shepelwich (18.15.70) was 12th. Freshmen Caden Jolly and Henry Moore also competed well.
Covenant head coach Michael Golden said the windy conditions were conducive to “running as a pack.”
“Our guys did a great job of running together,” Golden said. “I cannot be more proud of these guys. They even exceeded expectations.”
Covenant earned four straight 3A titles from 2016 to 2019 before moving to the 4A classification, where the Knights have taken five consecutive crowns. The streak of nine in a row equals a TAPPS record in any division.
“I credit our success to the culture that has been built,” Golden said. “Passed down grade to grade.”
All seven runners in this year’s state meet were non-seniors for Covenant, which should be a heavy favorite to extend the streak again next fall.
“We are going to enjoy this one,” Golden said. “Gonna get some sleep. And then we move forward.”
In the girls race, all seven Covenant runners placed in the top 23, with the first five accruing team points. Individually, sophomore Margaret Graham led the way with a sixth-place finishing time of 13:30.
“They were able to find each other early on and ran so very, very well,” Golden said. “Tremendously proud of them. This team also exceeded expectations.”
Everly Coley came in 13th, followed by a tightly bunched group of teammates including Chloe Thomas, Ella Coley, Madeline Shaw, and Corinne Morgan.
Meanwhile, in the 2A girls race, Alcuin sophomore Keely Aguilar ran a fourth-place time of 13:30 to finish just off the medal podium.
