The Middle School cross country team picked a great time to run their best. At the HJPC conference championship, the team earned 4 medals, which was a season high, and set more personal records than at any other meet this season. These accomplishments are a testament to their hard work, determination, and commitment to improving. Among the 4 medalists were: Derin S, Elisabeth S, Maria S, and Nelly B. These 4 runners finished top 10 in their district for their division. We would also like to thank our 8th grade runners for an outstanding middle school career. We will miss you, but look forward to seeing all of your accomplishments when you transition to the high school team. Great season and Go Vikings!

Midway through the cross country season, the Viking harriers are beginning to hit their stride. Having survived 5:30 am practices and running mileage most have never done before, everyone’s meet times have come down and are poised to get much faster. Highlights have been a first place finish for Boys Varsity at the Lutheran South Invitational as well as Alex A-E and Doris M taking individual honors there. As we move to the second half of the season, Charlotte S will be back in the lineup to bolster the Girls Varsity team. A dozen boys are now in contention for the coveted 7 Varsity spots that will represent Village at Districts and State. The next 5 weeks will prove to be very exciting!

On Saturday, September 10th, the high school Cross Country team competed in the Lutheran South Invitational. It was their second meet of the year, and one that featured a number of teams from varying TAPPS classifications. The boy’s Varsity dominated the race, finishing in first place while capturing 4 of the top 9 spots. Among those finishers was Alex A-E, who came in 1st place overall with a time of 17:06.0. Eduardo G, Kaushal P, and Marco S were also in the top 10 overall. This was a historic achievement as it marked the first Village High School’s first meet win ever. Coach Mastro was incredibly proud of his team and all of the hard work they have put in so far this year. Once it was realized the team had won, Coach Mastro was jumping around yelling, “we’re getting hardware, we’re getting hardware!” Coach Mastro later went on to say, “This was important for me. Not simply because I enjoy winning, but because I know the sacrifices made by the parents, student-athletes, dorm parents, and coaches are large. So I want to take this time to thank everyone for the efforts they have been putting in and to recognize some accomplishments and individual improvements that have occurred in a very short period of time.”

“First, congratulations to Doris M and Alex A-E for winning their respective Varsity races yesterday. Other Varsity medalists were Eduardo G (3rd), Kaushal P (8th), Marco S (9th), and Mack H (20th). Lance V earned a 6th place medal in the Boys JV race. Congrats to all medalists.

Regarding notable improvements(there are many but these standout) and in no particular order:
1: Max S took two full minutes off of his 2 Mile time from last week.
2: Manasi R took 48 seconds of her 2 Mile time last week.
3: Reuben W took almost a full minute off of his 2 Mile time from last week.
4: Chris B took 43 seconds off of his 2 Mile time.
5: Mack H has slashed over 2 minutes off of his 2 Mile time vs last year at this time.

The high school Cross County team is back at it again this weekend as they compete in the 2nd Baptist Soaring Eagle Invitational. The meet starts at 8:00 AM at the 2nd Baptist West Campus. Good luck to all of our runners and keep up the great work!

Go Vikings!

Head Coach, Scott Mastro, is in year 2 as the Head Coach of the Cross Country program. After a successful first season, the team has grown in size with over 40 runners on the high school team. The philosophy is no different. “Our philosophy is to develop a student-athlete’s aerobic power over the course of their high school career. We do this by emphasizing discipline, effort, skill, teamwork, and self-control. There are no magic workouts. The magic is in consistency. We believe if we create a family environment and provide a structured, progressive, goal-oriented plan, athletes will form strong bonds with each other, and want to come to practice everyday.And the team that practices everyday, works hard with great focus, and has fun along the way, is difficult to beat in competition.”

The Vikings had a successful year in TAPPS 4A last year, producing a State Champion on the girls side, Charlotte S. The Vikings are now jumping up to TAPPS 6A and competing against some of the best competition the state has to offer. When asked about his expectations for the season, Coach Mastro said, “My expectations are for both Girls and Boys Varsity to begin the season in the top half of our district, and finish in the top two.”

The team is returning some key pieces from last year’s team. “The Viking Boys’ harrier squad returns two from last years state meet team, but has almost doubled in size. Many of these new athletes are freshman and taking training very seriously. Between these freshman and our returning veterans, there will be intense competition for the Boys number 4-7 spots. I expect great things from this group this year. Our girls team returns four runners from last year’s state meet team. While injuries have been a problem for three of them, two appear healthy and are beginning to train hard again. And with the addition of a couple of talented freshman, the team looks to be competitive in its new large school division, TAPPS 6A.”

More to come from Coach Mastro and the growing high school cross country team. The team’s first meet is on Saturday, September 3rd. Good luck and GO VIKINGS!

Houston Methodist West Hospital will be holding physicals at The Village School Moore Gym on May 18 from 3:00 P.M. – 6:30 P.M.. Cost of the physical will be $25; we ask checks be payable to The Village School.

Students must bring the following forms correctly completed by both student and parent: Physical Evaluation and Medical History Form, Physical Assessment Form, Houston Methodist Physical Consent Form, and the Impact Testing Form. All forms can be found on The Village Athletics website under the tab Student Resources, or click the link below.

As a reminder, students do not need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian but must have all forms correctly completed and signed by parent/guardian in order to be able to have a physical completed.