By Mike Waters
Last October at the TAPPS state cross country meet at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course, the Dallas Covenant boys contingent unfurled a “Perfect 10” banner to commemorate their incredible double-digit consecutive team championship.
A year later, no “special” banner was needed as the Covenant harriers engineered another dominating performance in securing its 11th consecutive boys team championship.
Covenant’s 63 points easily out-distanced second-place finisher Lubbock Trinity Christian (124) in the 4A competition.
Senior Noah Verdin led Covenant’s strong showing, running 16:21.8 to earn silver for the second consecutive year after winning gold in 2024.
The top five Covenant runners which count in the team scoring all finished in the top 26 individually, and the Knights sixth and seventh runners even finished 29th and 42nd, respectively, individually.
“It is the culture the program has created at Covenant,” Verdin said. “Every runner is accountable. We push each other to be the best for the team.”
The Covenant squad had a nice blend of three seniors and four underclassmen.
Junior Henry Moore (7th), freshman Bennett Walker (13th), sophomore Carter Smith (21st), and senior Zach McLaney (26th) teamed with Verdin to account for Covenant’s scoring.
“I’m so very proud of this team,” said Michael Golden, Covenant head coach. “The guys have a lot of trust in each other and hold each other accountable. It makes for a winning strategy.”
Equally impressive were the Covenant girls, who also dominated en route to gold, totaling 46 points, far ahead of second-place San Antonio School at Castle Hills (119).
A senior trio of Chloe Thomas, Lily Koerner, and Margaret Graham led a very balanced Knights quintet to easily claim its second team gold in the past three years. Thomas ran a 12:42.5 to capture bronze, while Koerner and Graham finished ninth and 11th, respectively. Freshman Stella Stimson was 12th individually, while senior Everly Coley was 25th. The team’s sixth and seventh runners, seniors Annie Martin (26th) and Eleanor Breed (29th), rounded out a strong Covenant unit. Martin was just 0:00.1 of a second behind teammate Coley.
Senior Chloe Thomas ran a 12:42.5 to capture bronze to lead the very balanced Knights showing.
“It was amazing,” Thomas said on winning gold. “All our runners set a great pace. It’s an awesome feeling, especially for the seniors to go out this way.”
Verdin and Moore, joined Thomas and Koerner, to earn all-state accolades, as the top 10 individual runners in each division are honored.
Golden has been at the helm of Covenant cross country during this remarkable 11-year span with the girls claiming the top spot four times (2017, 2018, 2024, 2026), while adding silver twice and bronze three times.
Golden’s leadership has led to championships while navigating movement in classifications, winning four 3A boys crowns with the last seven titles in 4A; two each in 3A and 4A on the Girls side.
The boys dynasty that Golden has created is staggering.
Its 61-point differential over the second-place team has been the norm during this 11-year streak. Nine of the 11 gold-winning performances have been by at least 41 points.
Golden cites trust and accountability in developing a consistent, winning culture.
“Our runners, the entire roster, trusts each other, and they push each other to be better,” he said. “They have set the standards and maintain those standards.”
On claiming the boys 11th consecutive championship and the girls fourth during that run, a smiling Golden said “it never gets old”.
Ursuline captures team bronze
Jenna Priest clocked a 12:15.0 for a fifth-place finish as 17-time state champion Ursuline finished fifth in the 6A Girls team standings with 148 points.
Parish Episcopal’s Blake Durham was eighth in the 6A Girls competition.
Priest and Durham earned all-state recognition with their top-10 individual finishes.
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