This weekend the Roosters and Chicks competed at Belton in the Cass County Invitational. The race was approximately 2.05 miles and was run on rough and uneven terrain. Weather for the boys’ varsity race was near perfect for this time of year but as the sun began to rise so too did the temperatures.
The top seven boys for the Rooster squad was nearly identical to last week but included senior Kolton Kincaid. Kincaid’s addition to the top 5 runners helped bridge the gap between us and conference rivals, Warrensburg. Landon Fatino continued to impress passing though the mile in 5:03 and crossing 2 miles in 10:12. He finished 3rd overall behind a pair of talented runners from Ray-Pec. Tobin Wise and David Rivera once again had strong runs with both passing through the mile under 5:20. Their pace faded in the second half of the race but they both held on for top 15 finishes. Kolton Kincaid and Rustin Branstetter rounded out the Rooster finishers both placing in the top 25. Going in, we knew Ray-Pec had the fire power to run away with the meet. Our goal was to match up against Warrensburg and earn a second-place finish. In the last half mile, I knew team scores with be close with their entire squad fitting between our 3rd and 5th runner. When the dust settled, we had accomplished half of our goal. Pleasant Hill narrowly took down Warrensburg 78-80. However, my new dark horse team of the year snuck ahead of both squads by placing 4 runners ahead of Warrensburg’s number two. Grandivew High School has shown consistent improvement in the last two years and are now a team to be taken seriously in the Class 3 district scene. Next up in the day was our varsity Chicks. Aubrey Scott led the way passing through the mile in 6:34. She held on to Warrensburg and Ray-Pec’s talented squads for as long as she could before fading to 12th place. Senior Megan Swinney continued her theme of the season which is shattering last year’s times. Her 15:52 finish time was over a full minute faster than last year’s effort and placed her 20th overall. Stephanie Conway and Jasmine Brown both showed off their strength and determination by moving up the pack in the last half mile. Both newcomers will be tested next week as the race distance increases to 5k. The boy’s JV race was a display of depth from our large neighbors to the west. Ray-Pec put 11 runners in the top 13 places. Behind their pack, our JV athletes displayed great teamwork and pack running. Caden Walker showed improvement from last week’s performance leading the Roosters with a 17th place finish in 13:13. Returning lettermen Keagon Madison and Dakota Middleton closely followed. Newcomer and senior Wesley Tibai competed in his first cross country race of the year. He looked strong throughout the course and is a promising prospect to join the previously mentioned athletes in the hunt for a varsity spot. Jackson Hunt, Johnathan Rivera, and Parker Elkins were exciting to watch in the last mile as the pack of three runners continually passed opposing squads en masse. Freshmen Brenden Bunch showed solid improvement from last week by covering the 2.05-mile distance faster than his 2-mile time from last week. Closing out the Rooster’s finishers was junior Jackson Crouse who impressed with a gutsy performance in his first cross country race. Jackson passed through the mile in 8:45 which set a personal record by 8 seconds from our first mile time trial at the beginning of the season. However, this time he kept on running for another 1.05 miles to finish in 19:07. Last up were the JV girls who had to battle through the hottest part of the day. Freshmen Avery Lawrence and Kat Hoffman worked together and had strong finishes placing in the top 15. Avery, who fought with knee pain throughout the race was only one position from medaling! Senior Sarah Watson ran a brave race by navigating the rough terrain coming off an ankle injury. She kept her stride throughout the whole race and finished with a sprint. Today our boys showed that they have the potential to repeat as MRVC West Conference champions. However, both our girls’ and boys’ squads will need to maximize their recovery and heal from the aches and pains of our first few weeks to be successful. Next week we travel to Raymore-Peculiar to compete in our first 5k of the season. Results: Varsity Boys 3 Landon Fatino 10:48 13 Tobin Wise 11:32 15 David Rivera 11:38 22 Rustin Branstetter 12:08 25 Kolton Kincaid 12:36 30 Carson Case 12:57 32 Mavrick Crider 13:04 1 RayPec 19 2 Grandview 67 3 Pleasant Hill 78 4 Warrensburg 80 5 Harrisonville 131 6 Van Horn 168 Varsity Girls 12 Aubrey Scott 14:39 20 Megan Swinney 15:52 24 Stephanie Conway 16:25 26 Jasmine Brown 17:25 JV Boys 17 Caden Walker 13:13 19 Keagon Madison 13:19 22 Dakota Middleton 13:21 23 Wesley Tibai 13:23 29 Jackson Hunt 13:58 30 Johnathan Rivera 14:07 32 Parker Elkins 14:17 46 Brenden Bunch 15:06 68 Jackson Crouse 19:07 RayPec 17 Grandview 57 Pleasant Hill 72 Ruskin 108 JV Girls 11 Avery Lawrence 17:35 15 Katherine Hoffman 18:09 27 Sarah Watson 22:09
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Coach Paul StahlHead Cross Country and Assistant Track Coach at Pleasant Hill High School Archives
November 2019
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