BELTON — The Temple High Junior Varsity Girls Cross Country team took to the 3-mile course at Heritage Park on Tuesday morning for the Pro-Fit Last Chance Invitational. Serving as the final tune-up of the season, the event gave runners one last opportunity to build momentum before heading into the District Meet.

Because Temple fielded three runners, the squad did not meet the five-runner threshold required to register a score in the team standings. Comal Canyon dominated the team division, capturing a victory with 15 points after sweeping the top six individual scoring spots. Lake Belton finished as the team runner-up with 65 points, followed by Cedar Park in third with 106 points.

Temple Tem-Cat Individual Performances

Freshman Elianna Casanova led the way for the Tem-Cats, delivering a team-best performance by crossing the finish line in 24:28.20 to capture 31st place overall in a deep field of nearly 150 competitors.
Close behind was freshman Layla Ramos, who secured 39th place with a clocking of 24:46.47. Rounding out the Temple trio, junior Frida Franke completed the 5K course in 25:44.79 to earn 58th place.

Elianna Casanova (FR) — 24:28.20 (31st place)
Layla Ramos (FR) — 24:46.47 (39th place)
Frida Franke (JR) — 25:44.79 (58th place)

While none of the Tem-Cats finished in the Top 20 to earn individual medalist honors at this meet, all three runners put forth solid efforts to establish a strong foundation ahead of their championship finale.

Top Meet Performers

Comal Canyon swept the top spots individually, led by junior Natalie Rosas, who claimed the individual title with a winning time of 20:13.29.

The top 10 individual finishers included:

Natalie Rosas (JR, Comal Canyon) — 20:13.29
Maddyn Werth (JR, Comal Canyon) — 20:31.90
Sloan Kubenka (SO, Comal Canyon) — 21:01.17
Evangeline Burrus (FR, Comal Canyon) — 21:20.95
Valentina Bernal (JR, Comal Canyon) — 21:41.17
Sophie Zapata (JR, Comal Canyon) — 22:00.61
Rose Brown (FR, Manor) — 22:06.74
Kimberly Solis Colon (FR, Lake Belton) — 22:28.87
Lauren Baker (SO, Comal Canyon) — 22:36.21
Naima Jones (SO, Manor) — 22:47.57

Team Standings

1. Comal Canyon — 15
2. Lake Belton — 65
3. Cedar Park — 106
4. Belton — 127
5. Liberty Hill — 140
6. Killeen Harker Heights — 173
7. Waco University — 214
8. Killeen — 234
9. Legacy Ranch — 236
10. Round Rock Stony Point — 255
11. Waco — 355
Temple — Incomplete (Did not qualify for team points)

Next Up: District 12-6A Championships

With the regular season invitational schedule now complete, the Tem-Cats shift their full focus to the District 12-6A Cross Country Championships. The meet will take place on Thursday, October 15 at the HOT Soccer Complex in Waco, with races scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM. Because there is no postseason advancement beyond the district meet for junior varsity runners, the District 12-6A showcase will serve as the final competition of the season for the JV squad.