Rafael Hernandez led a strong effort by the Carthage junior high boys cross country team Saturday as he posted a 10th place finish out of 125 runners at the Spring Hill Meet at Lear Park in Longview.
Hernandez ran the two-mile event in 13:58 to place in the top 10, while teammate Ethan Rymel posted a time of 14:57, which was good enough for 22nd.
"There was a very strong field of runners at the event," said Carthage boys cross country coach Adam Hambrick. "I was very proud of the way Rafael and Ethan competed and represented our school this weekend. They worked very hard during practice this past week and that was evident by their strong results at the meet."
In the junior varsity boys division, Carthage's Tanner O'Dell posted a time of 21:05 in the three-mile competition, placing him 50th out of 113 competitors.
"There was also a strong contingent of high school runners as well," Hambrick added. "Tanner worked extremely hard during practice and will only continue to improve throughout the season. He is only a sophomore and is already showing a leadership role with the program."
Carthage runners will take this weekend off before battling at the Stephen F. Austin Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17.