Round Rock Boys Deliver Strong Showing at Vista Ridge Invitational

CEDAR PARK, Texas — The Round Rock High School boys cross country program turned in another strong early-season performance at the Vista Ridge Cross Country Invitational on August 21, highlighted by team championships and impressive depth throughout the Varsity Gold, Varsity Silver and Junior Varsity divisions.

The Dragons were especially dominant at the front of the Varsity Gold 5K. Senior Andrew Esparza captured the individual championship in 15:35, while junior Leo Brasil finished runner-up in 15:44, giving Round Rock the first two finishers across the line. Esparza and Brasil were followed by a deep group of Dragons that helped secure the varsity team championship.

Varsity Gold — Round Rock Top Five
Andrew Esparza — 15:35 — 1st overall
Leo Brasil — 15:44 — 2nd overall
Jackson Sanchez — 16:17
Cameron Pav — 16:19
Ezekiel “Zeke” Guerra — 16:36

The performance showed the strength of Round Rock’s front five, with only about a minute separating the Dragons’ first and fifth runners. Esparza and Brasil gave Round Rock an immediate advantage at the front, while Sanchez, Pav and Guerra provided the depth needed to complete the scoring lineup. The 16:17, 16:19 and 16:36 performances are also reflected in subsequent 2026 entry data using Vista Ridge performances as season marks.

Varsity Silver — Round Rock Top Five

Round Rock’s second varsity group also produced a strong showing, demonstrating the depth of the program beyond its Gold squad.

Gavin Shalem — 17:09
Henry Lynn — 17:23
Anthony “AJ” Dumpit — 17:25
Jayden Gomez — 17:56
Aryan Vavadiya — 17:56

The Silver group gave the Dragons another competitive lineup. Shalem led the group just over 17 minutes, followed closely by Lynn and Dumpit. Gomez and Vavadiya completed a top five separated by less than 50 seconds.

Those performances were consistent with the progress already shown earlier in the season. At the Legacy Hill two-mile race, Dumpit ran 10:45, Lynn 10:48, Sanchez 10:53, and Shalem 10:56, showing the depth that carried into Vista Ridge.

Junior Varsity — Round Rock Top Five

The Dragons’ depth was perhaps most evident in the Junior Varsity division, where Round Rock again competed for the front positions and ultimately captured the JV team championship.

Round Rock’s leading JV performances included:

Rowan Adams — 19:04
Joshua Samuel — 19:04
Ewan McEwen — 19:39
Arnav Dhar — 19:44
Ethan Lin — 19:45

The JV group packed its scoring runners tightly together, another positive sign for the future of the program. Subsequent Westlake entry information lists Adams at 19:04.50, Samuel at 19:04.70, McEwen at 19:39, Dhar at 19:44, and Lin at 19:45 in the 5,000 meters.

Depth Defines the Dragons

Round Rock left Vista Ridge with championships at both the Varsity and JV levels, but the larger story was the depth displayed across all three boys divisions.

At the front, Esparza and Brasil provided an elite 1-2 combination. Behind them, Sanchez, Pav and Guerra strengthened the Gold scoring group. The Silver team placed another group of Dragons in the 17-minute range, while the JV squad demonstrated that the program continues to develop runners capable of moving into future varsity roles.

The overall performance gave Round Rock another important early-season benchmark and showed that the Dragons possess both the front-running talent and roster depth necessary to compete as the season progresses toward the district, regional and state championship meets.