Boys
The Chase Pack
Woodland's Reed Layton had a big breakthrough at the District 1 meet this weekend. On the Arcadia Valley course, Layton distanced himself from some major Class 2 contenders to grab the win in his personal best 16:37.83. He's had a solid season overall, with victories at the Heartland and SCAA meets, and a runner-up at his home meet, behind only Class 4 phenom Ryan Seabaugh. Layton was 9th at last year's State meet and should easily be top 10 again this year. He could very well challenge for the top 3, don't be surprised.
--
Jaxson Jobe - Calvary Lutheran
Often the bridesmaid, never the bride - Calvary Lutheran's Jaxson Jobe has finished runner-up to his teammate Kyle Hagemeyer a whopping 5 times this fall. His personal best of 16:37.00 came in a second place effort at Smithton, which is his only sub-17:00 performance of the year, but that shouldn't take away from his ability to race up front. He'll be a member of the top group on Saturday as he vies for an improvement on his 23rd finish from 2021.
--
Don't mind the Ray-Pec jersey, it's the best we could do for Rydan Deckard. A member of the Class 5 team qualifier Panthers last year, Deckard transferred down to Alton where he has torn it up for the Comets. He's picked up victories in 5 of the 7 meets and was 2nd in the other 2. He was the District 1 runner-up in his new personal best of 16:44.97, behind only Woodland's Reed Layton. He is no stranger to running with the best the state has to offer and should show the fruits of his experience this Saturday.
--
A sophomore standout, South Shelby's Noah Wilt has enjoyed a stellar second season. He has five victories this year, four of which in the month of October, including a big win over Class 1 and 2 foes at the Brian T. Simpson Invite at Gans Creek and another one at the Centralia Invitational. His personal best of 16:47.30 puts him in range for a top 5 finish this year. Even though he took a month off from racing mid-season, he looks to be in the right form to compete on Saturday, especially after a 3rd place finish in District 4 this past weekend.
--
An all-state triple jumper in the spring, Elsberry's Dashaun Dodson is showing quite the range as he comes in as a contender for a top 10 finish at the Class 2 cross country state meet. He doesn't have a key victory to his name this season, but has finished runner-up three times: the EMO Conference, Clopton Hamburger Meet, and North Callaway Invite. He's run 17:00.00 this season so you know he's hungry for that sub-17:00. After finishing 35th last year, he looks poised to bring home only the second all-state medal in school history.