By Clay Whittington
The Belton Journal
Ben Bralley’s objective is to win, but that is not his ultimate goal.
When the Dragons and Lady Dragons begin their seasons in several weeks, every participant will be aiming to capture gold medals en route to earning the District 19-3A championship in October before extending the postseason run to the state meet.
Even if New Tech achieved the feat, however, the program’s head coach is entering the season with other intentions.
“My whole goal is to teach all these kids something about running and how they can enjoy it for their entire lives,” Bralley said. “It is not necessarily about just winning. Instead, it is about where they started and where they finished.
“I just want these kids to improve.”
Bralley completed last season with more than just improvement as his runners were among the top of the field at the district meet.
Competing as a junior varsity program, New Tech placed two boys – Desmond Long and Alex Miranda – among the field’s top 10, while Lady Dragons standouts Isabella Barnett and Kathleen Traweek were 30th and 31st overall, respectively.
Long emerged from the meet with a silver medal, completing the five-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 24.8 seconds, and Miranda was sixth (21:46.0), helping the Dragons to a fifth-place showing.
The Lady Dragons were fourth.
Now, Bralley believes his teams are equipped to build on the performance.
“This will be our first senior class,” he said, “and we’ve got a couple in Alex Miranda and Colton Fry to help lead us. We don’t have any senior girls right now, because we were primarily a freshman-heavy team.
“So, I’m excited to see what summer running did for them and to see how they all do.”
After navigating their way through the regular-season schedule, New Tech will contend with district foes Cameron Yoe, Franklin, Lexington, Little River Academy, Rockdale, Rogers and Thrall for the opportunity to reach the regional meet.
Regardless of how the season unfolds, though, Bralley is eager to reunite with his athletes following the summer break.
“It’s always exciting to get back into the swing of things and have the kids come back,” he said. “I look forward to getting to see them all again and hear about the adventures they had. It’s just always fun.
“I’m also excited about seeing all the new kids we will have coming in and finding out who wants to run cross country.”
