JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Lamar junior Kaden Overstreet came close to a state title last year with a second-place finish, so he was not going to miss another opportunity.
Overstreet charged to the front of the Class 2 field and held the lead throughout the race to win the title in 16:35.22. He never faltered or gave up any ground to the challengers, even when he thought they might be gaining on him.
“It’s been my goal all year; I stepped up training a bit more,” Overstreet said. “My strategy was to hang with the top five for a little bit and then the last mile kick it in, but I just felt good the first mile and felt it was going too slow for me. I was more nervous at the end when I could hear everyone cheering for Henry (Huff). I knew people were cheering for him, so I figured he was catching up.”
Huff, a Lutheran-St. Charles junior, was actually locked in a battle for second place with Whitfield junior Nate Gelber. The two were even coming up Firehouse Hill, but Gelber used his momentum at the summit to pull away for the runner-up finish (16:43).
Gelber said he learned a lot about Overstreet that he will use when they race again next year.
“I knew Kaden was going to go out fast considering he got second last year. He was hungry for first,” said Gelber, who ran a PR. “I know he’s a front runner now, and I’ll use it for next year and try to beat him next year.”
Huff finished third in 16:51.