West Platte put together another strong performance in the final tuneup ahead of the postseason. Max Davies recorded his fifth individual victory of the season, and the Bluejays were second in both races of the Richmond Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 18 in Richmond, Mo.
Davies led most of the race by a wide margin and finished in 17 minutes, 36 seconds — just off his career best set earlier this season. He finished nearly a full minute in front of second place.
Phillip Pattison (fifth), Andy Cicha (10th) also earned medals for West Platte, which finished second to Kansas City Christian East Academy in the 10-team standings. Justin Howard came in at a career-best 19:43 (20th), and sophomore Coy Taylor rounded out the team score, also posting a career best (21:17) to place 45th.
West Platte sophomore Lexi Elmore again led the Bluejays with a fifth-place showing, while freshman Sophia Rush (seventh) finished just behind. Lindsay Goodwin set a new PR of 23:09 to claim the 10th spot in her second race since the end of softball season.
Overall, West Platte came in just four points back of team champion Christ Prep Academy. Lea Moose (19th, 24:17) and Katy Tharp (23rd, 25:07) rounded out the Bluejays’ score with season-best times.
West Platte next runs in the Class 1 District 8 race Saturday, Oct. 28 at Smithville Lake in Smithville, Mo. The Bluejays’ boys will be seeking to add to their state record, going for an 18th straight Class 1 district title.
On the other side, West Platte’s girls have a shot to bring home their first district title since 2012. The top two teams advance to the Missouri State Cross Country Championships scheduled for the following weekend in Jefferson City, Mo.