Eagles and Mavericks Cross-Country Teams Host Thomas Valles of McFarland USA Fame
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2024
Eagle Pass High School Eagles and C. C. Winn High School Mavericks Cross-Country teams hosted Thomas Valles, national cross country champion in 1997 from McFarland High School in California, as keynote speaker to their Summer Dinner Reception held on June 25, 2024 at the Eagle Pass Independent School District Raul A. Gonzalez Fine Arts Center in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Thomas Valles was a cross-country athlete at McFarland High School, a predominantly Latino student school in the Central Valley of California, in 1997 whose team went on to win the California state championship against all odds and obstacles, which became a Walt Disney movie.
Valles attended the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California and was on their cross-country team. He also attended California State University at Bakersfield. He returned to McFarland, California to teach and is now a national motivation speaker.
Valles presented an inspirational speech to the Eagles and Mavericks Cross-Country team members, inspiring confidence and self-esteem among them in their lives. Valles received a joint Eagles and Mavericks Cross-Country Team Shirt from the students and participated with them in a practice session at the Cozel Foster-Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Valles was honored with a dinner reception following his motivational speech to the Eagles and Mavericks Cross-Country Team members. Students learned important values and traits from Valles’ presentation, particularly that “Champions can come from anywhere.”
