Franklin's Matthew Engle looks for strong finish at state cross country meet

Franklin cross country runner Matthew Engle is a major part of history at Franklin.

While the Cougars' girls team has been the headliner in recent years, this year the Franklin boys team has made headlines of its own and Engle has been front and center. Engle helped the Franklin boys qualify for the state meet on Friday in Round Rock for the first time in school history.

He was fourth at the District 1-6A meet, helping lead the team to the district team title. At regionals, he placed 10th in helping the team to a top four finish by placing 10th, the best finish for any Cougars runner.

"This season has gone well for both the team and myself," Engle said. "I couldn't have asked for a better season. The team really came together and we ran well. We got better as the season progressed and we're hoping for a strong showing at state. Individually, it felt good to be healthy and to place in top 10 at regionals was certainly a goal of mine this season."

Last year, an ankle injury slowed Engle down and forced him to miss a good portion of the season. But this season, he has been consistent in his effort and is running well at the best time of the year."

"Matthew has done a great job for us and he's been a leader," Franklin coach Anthony Laspada said. "He's been really consistent for us and he ran a big race for us at regionals."

Engle was one of three El Paso runners in the top 10 at regionals, joining regional winner Luis Pastor of Coronado and third-place finisher Omer Ibrahim of Pebble Hills.

"Luis is someone who I look up to and he's been a great competitor in our district," Engle said. "Running in this district of ours helps me so much. We have a lot of talented runners and hopefully Luis and Omer do great and of course, I'm hopeful our team does great."

El Paso runners, teams to watch at state

Pastor and Ibrahim have legitimate shots to win a state title or at least find the medal stand in Class 6A.

San Elizario's Christopher Moreno has the potential to medal as an individual and as a team, San Elizario hopes to defend its state championship in Class 4A.

Hanks'Alejandro Tarin is making his fourth straight trip to state and he believes this is his best shot at a medal in Class 5A.

Tornillo's Angel Torres and Daniel Romero have high hopes after finishing second and third in their Class 3A regional meet.

The Franklin girls earned a state state bid out of a competitive Region 1-6A meet and are hopeful of another strong finish at state.

Eastwood's Adelynn Rodriguez is headed to state for the second straight year and has her sights set on a top 10 finish.

State meet info

This year's state meet will be a two-day event on Friday and Saturday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. Classes 2A, 4A and 6A will compete on Friday and Classes 1A, 3A and 5A on Saturday. Races will begin at 8:30 a.m. CST each day.

Tickets will be sold by car. The price paid by car for parking will be considered entry into the event. Tickets will be available on-site. Tickets are $25 for vehicles with up to two persons and $40 for vehicles with two or more persons.

The state meet will be available live on the NFHS Network. Live coverage of the UIL Cross Country State Meet begins on Friday at 8:30 a.m. CST. Fans, family and alumni unable to attend the event can watch the Cross Country State Meet live online with a subscription at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/uil/cross-country Subscribers can also watch on the go by downloading the NFHS Network app for iPhone and Android devices.

More: EPCC runners fare well El Paso Community College men's cross country team wins regional title

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at 915-546-6167; fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Runners to watch from El Paso at 2022 UIL State Cross Country Meet