By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High's boys cross country team edged USD 501 rival Topeka West in a tiebreaker to win West's Joe Schrag Invitational Saturday at Kanza Park.
Both the Trojans and Chargers finished the meet with 65 team points, but Topeka High took the title by virtue of a higher finish by its sixth runner (28-36).
Junior Easton Davis paced High with a fifth-place individual finish in a five-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 42.17 seconds while the Trojans also got an eighth-place showing from junior Oliver Snethen (18:58.41), a 16th from junior Amir Eljammel (20:16.07), a 17th from Nicholas McDonald (20:18.76) and a 19th from senior William Toland (20:51.08).
Topeka West was led by senior Ezra Phelps' ninth-place finish (19:02.67), while sophomore Cameron Parrett finished 11th (19:24.98), sophomore Maks Rodriguez 13th (19:48.40), junior Rhys Green 14th (20:01.18) and sophomore Elijah Hernandez 18th (20:43.80).
Shawnee Heights sophomore Miles Hadley finished second individually in 18:12.62 to lead the T-Birds to a fourth-place team finish.
Heights also got a seventh-place finish from Andrew Schulte (18:51.28), and a 12th from junior Deyton Coufal (19:46.78).
Shawnee Heights' girls finished second as a team behind Lansing (25-55) as sophomore Hazel Rondash paced the T-Birds with a 10th-place finish (25:31.35).
Heights freshman Claudia Memmet finished 11th (26:00.89), sophomore Kendall Lewis 12th (26:17.09) and freshman Charlotte Richards 15th (26:34.07).
Topeka High junior Emma Womack was the top city girls finisher in eighth place (24:53.37) while High senior Victoria Reynaga was 13th (26:19.32).
Rural, Seaman compete in loaded Olathe Twilight
Washburn Rural competed in the meet's premier Blue division in Saturday's Olathe Twilight at the Olathe District Activities Center, with junior Clayton Fink and sophomore Alyson Hinck pacing the Junior Blues.
Alyson Hinck, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]
Fink finished 17th among 167 runners in 16:02.21 in the boys race while Hinck placed 28th among 173 competitors in the girls race (19:15.80).
Rural junior Duke Graf added a 22nd-place finish (16:13.70) and junior Jaxson Adams a 36th-place showing (16:26.70) in the boys race.
Junior Reese Beardslee finished 34th for the Rural girls (19:28.40) while sophomore Morgan Munson placed 43rd (19:53.00).
Seaman senior Brynn Spencer finished 37th in 19:31.40).
Seaman's boys competed in the Red division, with sophomore Trindon Jones placing eighth individually out of 124 runners (16:45.20), sophomore Weston Kennedy 14th (17:11.20), senior Conner Bloom 27th (17:32.60), junior Maddox Moore 45th (17:55.90) and sophomore Tate Oliva 48th (17:57.90).
Ali Gerber, Silver Lake [Submitted photo/Silver Lake cross country]
Gerber paces Eagles at Wamego
Silver Lake senior Ali Gerber finished 18th among 142 runners in the Class 3A-1A division of the Wamego Invitational in a time of 22:18.37 as the Eagles finished ninth among 18 teams.
Eagle freshman JessiLyn Mohler placed 36th (23:55.57) while Rossville senior Madilyn Wonnell finished 40th (24:18.26).
Junior Cason Kraus placed 25th among 185 runners in the 3A-1A boys race (19:33.11) while senior Lane Ray was 30th (19:41.71) as the Eagles finished seventh as a team among 17 schools.
Hayden junior Nick Newkirk competed in the 4A boys division, turning in a 22nd-place finish among 233 runners in 18:02.14.
