By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Saturday was business as usual for Washburn Rural's boys cross country team, which rolled to its 18th straight city boys team title at Kanza Park.
Seaman junior Brody Anderson captured his first city boys individual cross country championship Saturday at Kanza Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But there was also some new in the city championships, with Seaman junior standout Brody Anderson winning his first city individual crown after finishing second in 2023 while freshman Henry Laubach made an immediate impact in his first city meet with a third-place finish to pace the perennial-champion Junior Blues.
Matt Swedlund's Washburn Rural team used its pack mentality to produce a decisive 30-79 margin over Topeka West in the team race, with Laubach leading the way as Junior Blues put three runners in the top five and all of their top five in the top 10 places.
Anderson clocked a winning five-kilometer time of 15 minutes, 36.7 seconds in his second city meet, winning by a 21-second-plus margin over Topeka West senior standout Adrian Lehman (15:58.3).
"It was good,'' Anderson said. "I went out pretty fast. I knew the course changed beforehand (approximately 80 meters longer) and I went out and walked it. It was good to see something a little extra on Kanza and I still ran a great time.
"It's championship season and I've been looking forward to it all season. I came out guns a blazing I feel like and it's paid off and I keep seeing some great times.''
Freshman Henry Laubach finished a team-high third in Saturday's city meet as Washburn Rural won its 18th straight boys team title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Laubach continued his outstanding rookie campaign for the Junior Blues with a third-place time of 16:17.0.
"He's so natural,'' Swedlund said. "He's just a natural talent and having the middle school right there and being ablt to watch him compete and seeing him in the summers and stuff, he's where we thought he'd be.''
Junior Brooks Kehoe finished fourth (16:38.0) for the Junior Blues while senior Bodie King was fifth (16:42.8), senior Connor Olsen eighth (16:59.0) and freshman Duke Graf 10th (17:17.2) to complete Rural's top five.
"I was happy,'' Swedlund said. "Our two through four, five, that's right where we wanted them to be so I was happy with that.''
Swedlund said maintaining its long city title streak is a priority for the Rural program.
"It's one that all the alumni are paying attention to and check in about and want to see the streak continue,'' Swedlund said.
Shawnee Heights senior Evan Carter placed sixth individually (16:44.3) while West senior Mark Wilkie was seventh (16:57.3) and Hayden junior Connor Baldwin finished ninth (17:04.2).
Topeka West senior Adrian Lehman posted a runnerup finish in Saturday's city meet, leading the Chargers to a second-place team finish, the Chargers' best showing in 15 seasons. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Lehman and Wilkie helped runnerup Topeka West post its best finish in the city meet since 2009.
Washburn Rural, Hayden and Topeka High will be at Washburn Rural next Saturday for the Centennial League meet while Seaman, Shawnee Heights and Topeka West will compete in the United Kansas Conference championships on Thursday, hosted by Kansas City-Turner.
CITY BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
At Kanza Park
Team scores
Washburn Rural 30, Topeka West 79, Seaman 83, Shawnee Heights 94, Hayden 104, Topeka High 117.
Individual results
1. Brody Anderson, Seaman, 15:36.7; 2. Adrian Lehman, Topeka West, 15:58.3; 3. Henry Laubach, Washburn Rural, 16:17.0; 4. Brooks Kehoe, Washburn Rural, 16:38.0; 5. Bodie King, Washburn Rural, 16:42.8; 6. Evan Carter, Shawnee Heights, 16:44.3; 7. Mark Wilkie, Topeka West, 16:57.3; 8. Connor Olsen, Washburn Rural, 16:59.0; 9. Connor Baldwin, Hayden, 17:04.2; 10. Duke Graf, Washburn Rural, 17:17.2; 11. Max Esquibel, Shawnee Heights, 17:21.5; 12. Clayton Fink, Washburn Rural, 17:23.2; 13. Stuart Campbell, Topeka High, 17:30.3; 14. Nick Newkirk, Hayden, 17:31.0; 15. Easton Davis, Topeka High, 17:33.8; 16. Wyatt Shorb, Washburn Rural, 17:34.6; 17. Alex Newell, Seaman, 17:34.8; 18. Eli Replogle, Washburn Rural, 17:39.3; 19. Conner Bloom, Seaman, 17:39.8; 20. Tony Lloyd, Topeka West, 17:45.3.
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