West Platte junior cross country standout Charles Trease finished his regular-season campaign in style, winning both individual titles at the West Platte Invitational/KCI Conference Championships on Oct. 17 at Platte Ridge Park in Platte City.
Trease was among the front from start to finish and eventually found an extra burst late in the race to separate himself from second-place Austin Hill of St. Joseph Christian. Trease finished in 16 minutes, 17.6 seconds, setting a new West Platte course record at Platte Ridge Park.
“Honestly, I didn’t have too much faith in myself until I reached about the 400-meter mark,” Trease said. “Then I said, ‘give it heck,’ and I left it all out there.”
Junior Charles Trease is the first Blue Jay to win the West Platte Invitational since Charlie Kinslow in 2021.
After finishing sixth overall at last year’s meet, third in conference, Trease’s record-setting time earned him his first home invitational and conference cross country titles. He won the conference title with ease, beating out teammate and runner-up Collin Frederick by 54 seconds.
“I felt really in control in that race,” Trease said. “The plan was to stick up with the second guy. It was awesome with me and (August) Hill going back and forth, but then it was give it all you have the last mile, and I really feel like I did that.”
The first-place finish on Oct. 17 was his third of the season, following wins at invitationals hosted by Raymore-Peculiar and St. Pius X last month. His lowest finish came on Sept. 26 in Columbia, when he placed sixth and set a personal record time of 15:55.2 in a highly competitive race at the Gans Creek Classic.
West Platte’s boys team, running one short of their seven-runner varsity roster, also got pivotal contributions elsewhere to win a third consecutive conference title and a runner-up finish in the invitational. West Platte, which scored 84 points in the invitational, was beaten only by Christ Prep (76) in the team standings, while the Blue Jays (28) finished another 28 points ahead of KCI runner-up North Platte.
Frederick (17:11.7) was also a double medalist for the Blue Jays, finishing third overall and second in the conference. The trio of Samuel Miller (17:57.6), Zachary Carletti (18:00.6) and Camden Frederick (18:07.4) also earned all-conference medals to cap the scoring, with Lochlan Bailey finishing 17th in the KCI with a time of 19:05.8.
West Platte’s girls team also won the conference title in commanding fashion, sweeping the top four individual spots in the conference competition.
Sophomore Charlotte Gillis won the KCI girls’ championship with a time of 21:41.2.
Sophomore Charlotte Gillis led the way with a first-place KCI finish, placing seventh in the invitational with a time of 21:41.2. A three-pack of Jersey O’Neal (22:43.3), Avery Reber (22:50.5) and Hana Hoover (23:11.6) crossed more than a minute later to round out the top four conference spots.
Marsali Mullens secured West Platte’s conference title in 26:12.3 with a 16th-place KCI finish.
The Blue Jays finished with a score of 26, beating Lawson (43) and East Buchanan (55). West Platte’s focus shifts toward districts, slated for Oct. 31 at Platte Ridge Park.
Trease enters as a two-time state qualifier, hoping to crack the top five in districts for the first time. A top-30 finish would guarantee him a chance to earn his first Class 2 state medal next month in Columbia.
“I think it’s just going to come down to finding a guy who’s better than you, and see if you can hang on as long as possible,” Trease said. “Whoever that is, even at districts, if its me and the first-place person, it will be another give it all you have in the last mile kind of deal.”