Saylor, Park Hill South take Suburban Mid-6 Conference Meet titles
Raytown South's Steve Saylor -- one of the best runners in the KC area -- found himself in 9th place at the mile mark of Friday's Suburban Mid-6 Conference Meet at Lake Jacomo.
He was 17 seconds behind the leader.
No problem. That was right where Saylor wanted to be. And he passed the 2-mile mark at 11:09 -- still 5 seconds behind the leader.
Exactly at the 4k pole -- with a lead of just a few meters over three other runners -- the Raytown South junior kicked it into high gear. He ran the final 1,000 meters in around 3:05.
Saylor took the first place medal in 17:04, comfortably ahead of all competitors.
Afterward, Saylor said he had wanted to keep up a "good steady pace" through the first two miles or so, then finish with a blazing kick. Mission accomplished.
As for the upcoming State Series, Saylor said he hoped to "blow through Districts" by working hard through the Oct. 20 race, also at Lake Jacomo. Saylor said he doesn't want to taper too early.
On Friday, Park Hill South's Brady Jacobs finished behind Saylor in 17:32 and Sean Fullerton placed 3rd in 17:36, leading their team to the Mid-6 crown.
Park Hill South compiled 24 points, and Belton was second with 62.
Luke Abouhalkah of Raytown finished 4th in 17:43 and Patrick Caulfield of Belton placed 5th in 17:54.
In the girls race, Kelcy Vanarsdall of Fort Osage led from the first mile (6:03) on, then fended off challenges during the middle part of the race to take the individual title in 19:56.
Erin Edwards of Raytown South took second in 20:07, followed by teammate Christina Owensby in 20:30.
Fort Osage nabbed the team title with 42 points, followed by Park Hill South in 53.
Yael T. Abouhalkah