Last weekend saw the start of cross country season as Pflugerville and Hendrickson competed at the Inks Lake Invitational in Burnet. This week Connally and the Hawks head to Temple for the Early Bird Meet and every Saturday after that will see local cross country runners competing with an eye on reaching the state meet.

Pflugerville and Hendrickson return a strong corps of veteran runners while Connally will break in a new coach and compete in a new district along with the Hawks. Here’s a brief look at how the local squads shape up.

Connally Cougars

Coach: Shane Chambless

Last year: Fifth in district.

Returning: Alyssa Hernan-dez, Katie Samples, Sal Gutierrez and Xavier Malveaux.

New faces: Dadrian Gage, Blair Anderson, Darel Walker, Deon Gaddy, Marcel Pimpton, Gio Terry, Ivan Gutierrez, TJ Rush, Dana Ruffalo and Josefina Mancilla.

Strengths: “The team works hard and encourages each other,” Chambless said.

Outlook: “The team this year has a lot of competitors that have a strong desire to succeed at whatever they are doing,” Chambless added. “We will work to build stamina and endurance.”

Hendrickson Hawks

Coach: Felipe Castro

Last year: Boys and girls second at district.

Returning: Senior Michael Crow, juniors Hector Flores, Anthony Guzman and Juan Vargas. Girls:  Juniors Cameo Buckner and Stephanie Ramirez and sophomores Lexie Bradburn, Kayla Brown and Tyane Ramos.

New faces: Seniors Luis Grimaldo and Oliver Smith-Perrin; juniors Austin Evans, Andres Ruiz and Tinh Pham and sophomores Aaron Betschart, Richard Clore, D.J. Kirby and Daniel Valdez and freshmen Chris Felder, Matt Baca and Morgan Gurley. Girls: Sophomores Chelsea Williams, Sade Triplett and Ebony Graves and  freshmen Kristin Leo and Claudia Rodriquez.

Strengths: These runners are still young and have gained experienced the last two years and have tasted victory on the JV side and now hopefully they can make that transition to the varsity level,” Castro said. “They have good team chemistry and have a special bond amongst them.”

Concerns: “Having more runners buying into the philosophy of being dedicated and that hard work can beat talent if given time,” Castro added. “If we can do that, we can make history this year in Hawk Country that they can be proud of.”

Pflugerville Panthers

Coach: Jeremy Smith

Last year: Boys third and girls fourth, boys qualified for region.

Returning: District champion Yusuf Khan. “We only lose one girl from last year, all the other runners will return along with a couple fresh faces,” Smith said. “On the boys side have had very promising practices but have obviously not been tested.”

Strenths: “Our team has run together for the entire summer,” Smith said. “They’re beginning to depend on one another and are turning into pretty inpressive teammates. The girls side is pretty competitive and loaded with talent, they should be interesting to watch.”

Concerns: “Grades and injury are always concerns,” Smith added. “However, if everyone is smart, responsible in the classroom, and dedicated to our goals we’ll be fine.”

Outlook: “I’ve seen these runners grow from freshmen to seniors,” Smith said. “We’ve got solid leaders that have come up through the ranks and are proud of their team. It’s an absolute pleasure to be a part of their season.”