Lake Belton cross country season set to begin

July 17, 2025

By Clay Whittington

The Belton Journal

In less than a month, Lake Belton’s cross country season will be off and running. The Broncos and Lady Broncos laced up their sneakers and hit the trails for the first time Monday morning as the program held its first practice of the preseason, and while there is much work to be done before any hopes of district, regional or state championships begin materializing, Lisa DeHart already sees the potential for success. “I’m excited,” Lake Belton’s head coach said. “All of our varsity team is coming back from last year, and I’ve got some freshmen who are just amazing. So, we want to grow our team, but we also want to retain the kids we’ve had in the past. “This year, we are getting to do that with both the boys and the girls, and that is exciting.” The season-opener is set for Aug. 15 at the Temple Invitational, and DeHart intends to use these early practices to ensure all participants are physically fit and equipped for the rigorous regular-season schedule that will ensue. Fortunately, however, following only a few practices, her concerns are limited. During the summer, runners are encouraged to take part in a 100-mile buildup, where they log distances to accumulate points while also increasing strength and stamina. The program is already paying dividends, according to DeHart. “I’ve already seen a difference in their conditioning and the shape these kids are in,” she said. “It is a big improvement from where we were collectively at this time last year. They have all been pretty competitive about getting the highest point total. “You cannot be lazy and run cross country. That is for sure, but I’ve got some hard-working kids.” Approximately 40 runners have taken part in the initial practices, and numbers are expected to grow as family vacations and summer camps begin dwindling with the first day of school approaching. Many of the athletes involved use the sport as an opportunity to build their bodies for another discipline later in the school year, and DeHart welcomes their participation. “We’ve got several soccer players who decided they were going to come out this year and run cross country,” she said, “and that will help our numbers on the boys’ side. We’ve got multisport athletes on the girls’ side too, including soccer, volleyball and basketball players. “They all have talent too. They might be doing this mainly for their other sport, but they are working, and when they come out, they are representing Lake Belton well.” The Lady Broncos are looking to return to the Region II-5A meet after placing 14th at the event last season behind then-freshman Lucy Loa, who was 62nd individually. They entered the meet as the District 16 runners-up after finishing two points behind champion Belton in the final standings as incoming sophomore Teagan Pettijohn led the squad with a third-place performance. Only the top three teams from the district meet advance, and the Broncos are coming off a fifth-place showing last season despite three top-25 finishers, but junior Wyatt Potts is the only member of the trio remaining. This year, the expectations are elevated, though. “We definitely want to get the girls back to regionals,” DeHart said, “but our goal this year is to win district, and I think we have the talent, perseverance and grit to get it done. It has been several years since we made it to regionals with our boys, so we would like to do that.”