ENNIS, Texas — The Temple High Varsity Girls Cross Country team showcased a strong performance on Saturday morning at the Ennis Lions Den Invitational, securing a third-place finish in the overall team standings with 69 points.

Leading the pack for the Tem-Cats was senior standout Azaria Staples, who claimed the individual championship title in the 5,000-meter race with a dominant time of 19:48.31. Staples crossed the finish line over 21 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, Forney's Ariel Scott (20:09.49).

Temple placed two runners in the Top 5 and in total had two athletes earn individual medalist honors by placing in the Top 20 overall. Ilana Desales delivered a medal-winning performance of her own, crossing the line fourth overall with a time of 20:39.96 to secure critical low points for the squad.

Forney won the overall team championship with a low score of 24, while Mesquite placed second with 63 points—just six points ahead of Temple.

Ennis Lions Den Invitational – Team Standings

1. Forney – 24 points
2. Mesquite – 63 points
3. Temple – 69 points
4. Ennis – 87 points
5. Red Oak – 153 points
6. Corsicana – 171 points
7. West Mesquite – 181 points
8. Dallas Molina – 191 points

Top Individual Performers (Overall Top 5)

1st Place: Azaria Staples (Temple) – 19:48.31
2nd Place: Ariel Scott (Forney) – 20:09.49
3rd Place: Brielle Howard (Wildfire HSA) – 20:21.93
4th Place: Ilana Desales (Temple) – 20:39.96
5th Place: Laianna Halley (Forney) – 20:42.69

All Temple Tem-Cat Performances

1st Place (Medalist): Azaria Staples – 19:48.31
4th Place (Medalist): Ilana Desales – 20:39.96
22nd Place: Kennedy Taft – 23:55.07
23rd Place: Bella Sahm – 24:00.70
26th Place: Madelyn Krumnow – 24:19.12

Looking Ahead

The Tem-Cats will look to build on their momentum as they prepare for their next competition on October 3 at the Georgetown/East View Invitational. The event will be hosted at East View High School in Georgetown, Texas, with racing scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m.