West Platte’s boys and girls cross country teams extended their seasons another week after an impressive showing at the Class 1 District 4 meet on Oct. 31 in Platte City.
The Blue Jays’ boys team defended its district title once again, winning its 22nd title in the program’s 27-year history.
West Platte junior Charles Trease won his first individual district championship on Oct. 31.
Charles Trease, a junior, led the way by winning the individual championship. Trease finished the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 46.6 seconds, more than 20 seconds ahead of second-place Reece Sickler of Westran.
West Platte’s boys team finished first in the team standings with 76 points, outpacing East Buchanan (128), Trenton (131), North Platte (133) and Lafayette County (156).
Joining Trease as all-district runners are Collin Frederick (14th; 18:10), Samuel Miller (17th; 18:15.9), Camden Frederick (20th; 18:20.4) and Zachary Carletti (24th; 18:27.6). The Blue Jays’ team was rounded out by Lochlan Bailey (36th; 19:14.1) and Michael Deffet (44th; 19:36.2), completing an impressive lineup that all finished in the top third of runners.
On the girls side, West Platte used four all-district runners to qualify for State as a team with a third-place finish in the team standings. They scored 127 as a team, edging out Harrisburg (134) and South Shelby (144) while Lexington (23) easily won the girls’ title with Lafayette County (57) finishing runner-up.
Charlott Gillis led the way for the lady Jays, placing 11th overall in 22:03.3. The trio of Jersey O’Neal (20th; 23:15.5), Hana Hoover (21st; 23;15.6) and Avery Reber (22nd; 23:17.6) also earned all-district medals with neck-and-neck finishes, while Marsali Mullens placed 53rd overall in 26:52.7.
North Platte’s boys team also qualified for State with four all-district runners.
Trey Heckman took the Panthers’ No. 1 spot with a 15th-place finish overall in 18:12.2. He was followed by William Schaffart (23th; 18:24.9), Carter Kreifels (25th; 18:28.2) and Charles Root (29th; 18:47.4), while Devin Navarro (41st; 19:27.7) was the team’s final scorer.
The Class 2 State Cross Country Championships will take place Friday, Nov. 6, at Gans Creek in Columbia. The girls will race first at 9 a.m. before the boys go at 9:45 a.m.
West Platte’s boys team aims to earn a first State trophy since 2013, while the girls hope win a State trophy for a third consecutive year. North Platte’s boys team is looking for its third State trophy, previously finishing fourth in 2022 and 2023.
South boys XC qualify for State Park Hill South’s boys cross country team is headed back to the Class 5 State Championships for a second straight year after beating out Liberty for the final spot.
The Panthers edged out Liberty 144-163 for the last spot out of the Class 5 District 4 meet on Oct. 31 at Lee’s Summit North High School. Blue Springs South (35) took the district title, narrowly beating out Liberty North (39) while Lee’s Summit (64) took third.
Park Hill South used a quartet of all-district honorees, led by Eli Berry’s 16th-place finish in 16 minutes, 41.5 seconds. He was followed by Marshall Chenoweth (19th; 16:44.1), Eli Hurst (25th; 16:46.3) and Joshua Petry (29th; 16:52.9) while Nicholas Gianoulakis (54th; 17:45.6) rounded out the Panthers’ scoring.
The area’s top performer was Park Hill senior Colton Hardy, who was a top-10 finisher in the 5,000-meter race with a new personal record time of 16:09.5, shattering his old record by nearly 13 seconds. The eighth-place finish guarantees him a spot in the State Championships for a second straight year.
Platte County junior Tate Stone also became a state qualifier for the first time in his career, placing 21st overall in 16:44.5. Platte County junior Evan Backer (31st; 16:54.7) narrowly missed the cut for State, finishing just a second behind a top-30 finish.
In the girls’ race, three Platte County-area runners qualified for State.
Park Hill South qualified freshman Mia Sulzen (24th; 20:23.1) and sophomore Morgan Johnson (29th; 20:34.5), while Platte County advanced junior Tyler Stambersky (17th; 19:51.1) for a third straight year.
The Class 5 State Championships are slated for Saturday, Nov. 7, at Gans Creek in Columbia. The girls’ race will begin at 9 a.m. before the boys take off at 9:45 a.m.