Boys could make it a historic day at '22 Gans Creek Classic

Southern Boone County then-junior Connor Burns won last year's Gans Creek Classic in excellent conditions in 15:05. A week later he ran 14:56 at the Chile Pepper Festival in Arkansas, joining Matt Tegenkamp, Jon Hatley, Wes Porter, Josh Thebeau, and Josh Mathis in the sub-15 club.  

Southern Boone County senior Connor Burns

Then at the state meet in Class 5, after a 3rd-place Gans Creek Classic finish, Rock Bridge sophomore Andrew Hauser ran 14:52 to capture the state title in great conditions. Not far back in 14:59 was Liberty North senior Ethan Lee in 14:59, dipping under the 15-minute barrier. Third in the race was Liberty North sophomore Sage Wilde in 15:06 while Rock Bridge junior Ian Kemey was 4th in 15:12. It was a spectacular day of performances from runners on the south edge of Columbia.

A week later Hauser won the Nike Cross Country Regional in Terre Haute, IN. while Kemey was 12th. Two weeks after that Hauser ran to a 12th-place Eastbay Midwest Regional finish in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Burns, recovering from the coronavirus, pulled off the course while struggling in the race, ending his season, and goal of a nationals berth.

December 4th, 2021 brought the RunningLane Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Alabama. Rock Bridge and a dozen or so Missouri boys made the trip to compete. Hauser, Wilde, and Kemey put an exclamation point on their seasons at a fast and fairly new course in northern Alabama.

While California's Newbury Park confirmed their status as the best U.S. boys high school team of all-time, a trio of Show-Me-Staters made some noise. Newbury Park went 1-2-3-6 with Colin Sahlman winning in an eye-popping time of 14:03, while a total of seven runners finished faster than 14:19. Those performances provided an initial reaction for some of questioning the legitimacy of the course's length. However, as mentioned, course and weather conditions can have a huge impact on performance.

If you put 300+ excellent high schoolers on the line at the end of six+ month training season, on a fast course, with the best and most publicized team of all-time, and with all that energy and excitement, it's going to produce super-fast times. It did just that for Hauser, Wilde, and Kemey.

Sophomore Hauser and Wilde blazed across the grass in Huntsville. Hauser, who just missed a national's berth after his 12th-place Eastbay Midwest finish, and whose Nike Midwest victory would have earned a trip to nationals except that there wasn't a Nike national meet for a 2nd straight year because of Covid-19, placed 25th in 14:38.15, the fastest ever for a Missouri boy.

Rock Bridge junior Andrew Hauser


Wilde wasn't far back. Wilde took 33rd, running 14:42.38, also getting under 2-time Olympian and American 2-mile record holder Matt Tegenkamp's Missouri High School Record of 14:47.72. Junior Kemey was 54th in 14:51.99, putting him 4th on the Missouri list.