Update Oct. 12:

The Red Oak Middle School girls team placed 15th and the boys team placed 11th at the final meet of the season Oct. 10. The top girl finisher was Marissa Najera in 131st place at 16:52. The top boy finishers were Alex Lutrick in 30th place at 12:44, Scott Rennie in 40th place at 12:59, and Jose Flores in 47th place at 13:19.

With one meet left in the season, Red Oak Middle School’s cross country team is pushing itself harder than ever, according to coach Bryan Rogers.

The boys team has placed second out of all teams, while the girls have placed fifth of 11. The top times have been 13:02 for Samuel Arnold, 13:19 for Scott Rennie and 13:16 for Jose A. Flores.

Rogers noted that all of the runners have improved throughout the season.

“Some of them have taken more than three minutes off their time,” he said. “It’s a matter of working hard. Once you reach the point to where you want to give up, you push yourself a little further. I tell them, ‘If your legs hurt and you’re breathing hard, that means you are working. Easy don’t make you better.’”

Flores, who has emerged as one of ROMS’ top runners, takes pride in the improvements he’s made.

“I’m proud of myself, kinda like a role model for the seventh graders,” Flores said. “I love running; it’s the beginning of my running career.”

The final meet is set for Saturday, Oct. 10, in North Dallas.