Boys

5 Top Contenders

Riley Blay - West Nodaway

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Tyler, Riley Blay has taken off as the new face of Missouri's Class 1. Blay lost three times last fall - once to an Iowa state champion, once at the Gans Creek Classic, and then again at the Garmin RunningLane Championships where he ran his personal best 15:44.75 in the Bronze race. That mark puts him 49 seconds ahead of everyone else in Class 1. It makes him the favorite to run away with his 5th straight state championship after winning the 800, 1600, and 3200 meter championships this spring to go along with his 2021 cross country title. 

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Bennett Mantooth - Hermitage

Hermitage's Bennett Mantooth is Blay's biggest challenger this fall, though he's still a ways behind him. Mantooth enters with a personal best of 16:33.90 from last year's championship, which was good enough for 3rd overall that day. He was a state qualifier in the 300 hurdles and high jump this spring, but also posted personal bests in the 1600 and 3200 of 4:48.70 and 10:18.87, respectively. He'll be a key low stick for the Hornets in their team title defense.

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Kip Atteberry - Thomas Jefferson Independent

TJI's Kip Atteberry posted three big personal bests this spring in the distance races, running 2:03.56, 4:33.32, and 10:14.44. He earned state medals in all three events to go along with his 4th place finish from the 2021 cross country championships. A seasoned vet now, Atteberry will be among a large group of athletes challenging for that runner-up spot in the hopes that Blay falters down the stretch. He ran 17:00.10 last year and 17:03.40 on the Gans Creek course.

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Peter Roth - Valle Catholic

Valle Catholic is looking to keep the gravy train rolling after picking up their first team trophy since 2012. Peter Roth is the key as their top returner and the fourth fastest returner overall. He ran 17:04.30 for 5th last November and was the Class 1 District 1 champion. Roth holds personal bests of 4:45.76 and 10:20.23 in the 1600 and 3200 from 2021 and should be among the top 5 finishers again this fall.

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Caleb Phillips - Macks Creek

Caleb Phillips finished 22nd at last year's Class 1 State Championship in a personal best of 17:47.20, the lone sub-18:00 mark of his career. This puts him behind several other returners, but Phillips has vaulted himself into the top 5 conversation with a breakout track season this past spring. The rising junior brings personal bests of 4:34.17 and 10:17.07 in the 1600 and 3200, respectively, and should be in the 16s very soon. Only two Class 1 returners have run faster over 1600 and 3200, and they're both Riley Blay and Kip Atteberry. 

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Next 5 Up

Justin Horn - Hermitage

Another strong Hornet returner and key to their title defense, Justin Horn posted a personal best of 17:21.50 for 7th last year and is the far and away best returning number 2 man among all Class 1 teams. He added a 5th place medal in the 3200 this spring, going 10:22.78 in the event. 

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Landon Duchscherer - Marion C. Early

Presumably with the help of his older brother Gavin, or maybe on his own accord and talent, Landon Duchscherer made a massive leap from the 2020 to 2021 season. As a freshman, Landon was 91st at the Class 1 state meet in 19:38.20, and had posted a personal best of 18:40.91 a few weeks earlier. One year later, he crossed the line just behind Gavin in 17:27.40 for a 10th place finish. He added a 4:44.63 1600 and 10:40.14 3200 personal best to his resume and is set to continue climbing this fall. 

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Keaton Zembles - Mound City

Mound City's Keaton Zembles used a strong 2021 track season to vault himself into the top 10 at the 2021 State Cross Country championship. He earned an 8th place finish in his personal best of 17:25.30, 33 seconds better than he had run prior to it. This spring, he added more state hardware with a 5th place finish in the 800 and 6th place finish in the 1600. Zembles adds another runner to the large group of athletes who could finish anywhere from 2nd to 12th this November. 

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Bradley Shaw - Stoutland

Stoutland's Bradley Shaw returns with a 17:12.51 personal best from the Houston Tiger Trail Invitational and ran 17:28.90 for 11th at the Class 1 State meet. While these were his only two marks under 18:00, he's still shown he will be competitive for a top 10 spot at this year's Fall Classic. He went 4:43.69 for an 8th place finish at the Class 1 State Track meet this spring. 

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Eli Ford - Zalma

Zalma's Eli Ford had always been right on the cusp of a breakthrough and finally got it when he ran 17:35.90 for 16th at the 2021 Class 1 State Cross Country meet. Ford had a quiet track season but still returns as a major player for a top 10 spot at this year's state meet. 

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Dark Horse to Watch

Colton Ellingsworth - Galena

We're watching for Colton Ellingworth of Galena to have a big cross country season this fall. He finished 32nd last year, but returns with a 17:42.65 personal best from East Newton. He was a state qualifier in the 3200 this spring and posted personal bests of 4:46.88 and 10:42.33 in the 1600 and 3200, respectively. 

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Incoming Freshmen to Watch

Coby Tagtmeyer - Smithton

Personal Bests: XC - 12:06.32 (3200m); Track - 2:27.71 (800), 5:23.02 (1600)

Jared Owens - Sacred Heart

Personal Best: Track - 5:26.13 (1600)

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5 Team Title Contenders

Hermitage

The most impressive thing about Hermitage is that in a school of roughly 80 students, the Hornets have listed 18 boys on their official roster. Darn near HALF of their male student body is running cross country. That is a big part of what makes the Hornets the favorite to repeat this fall. What's bigger is that crop of athletes returning, led by Bennett Mantooth and Justin Horn. They scored 61 points last fall, 72 more than 2nd place Oak Ridge, and look poised to win in a similar fashion this year.

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Van Buren

Van Buren gets a jump in the rankings by virtue of their home meet from last year, which ran exceptionally fast for everyone involved. But even looking at their season average from last year, Van Buren is going to be competitive for a top 4 finish led by Caleb Ricker. Ricker was 12th at last year's state championships and is another runner in the mix who could finish as high as 2nd on the day. Their depth will be challenged, but they did make a few additions this fall and should be competitive for a 2nd place team finish. 

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Valle Catholic

Last year's 4th place team, the Valle Warriors should be competitive for another trophy this fall. They return all seven from that podium squad led by Peter Roth and Braden Coleman. Valle Catholic has a solid foundation to make another run and, if they were to finish in the top 4 again, would be their last year in Class 1 for a while. 

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Oak Ridge

Oak Ridge has never really had the front-runner individuals, but they have been a stalwart near the top of the Class 1 ranks for the last 10+ years and broke through again in 2021 for a runner-up team finish. It was their 4th straight year in the top 5 and 3rd year in the top 2. In 2022, they return their top 3 led by Brock Hobeck, who finished 23rd in 2021. They'll need help from newcomers as their depth was punished by graduation, but expect the Blue Jays to retool and be near the top once again this year.

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College Heights Christian

This graphic is a bit misleading as Rolen Sanderson has moved on to Kentucky, but College Heights Christian still returns as a top team based on average bests from 2021. They're led by Caleb Quade and Derrick McMillan now, who finished 54th and 56th at the state meet last year, respectively. 

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Dark Horse to Watch

McAuley Catholic

Rising sophomore Michael Parrigon leads McAuley Catholic into the 2022 season with a shot at making a major jump in the team standings. Parrigon ran 18:16.10 before finishing a second slower at the 2021 state meet in 38th place. He ran 4:45.29 and 11:28.12 and leads the way for a sneaky solid squad heading into this fall.

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Preseason Pick: Who will win the MSHSAA Class 1 boys cross country team title this fall?

MileSplit Picks

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Preseason Pick: Who wins the MSHSAA Class 1 boys XC team title?

Hermitage

Oak Ridge

Wellsville-Middletown

Valle Catholic

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