2022 Gans Creek Classic Boys Report


The 4th edition of the Gans Creek Classic marked the 3rd anniversary of the world class Gans Creek Cross Country Course's opening. The meet also marked the anniversary of the Greg Hall Champions Plaza dedication, where awards were handed out for the second straight year. Weather conditions were good as Fall had officially arrived, bringing with it more autumn like temperatures. The temperature for the first couple of races were close to ideal. Rain on Friday afternoon made for some sloppy conditions as some of the flat portions of the course were thoroughly soaked.

The course path and its mixture of grasses continue to thicken up while the native Missouri grasses and plants have grown in to decorate the landscape and provide a natural and pretty backdrop for competition.

The meet marked competition week #4 for some and #5 for others, serving as a marker of progress and possibility, with just 5 weeks until Districts and 6 weeks until state. The top-2 teams in each race earned trophies as did the top-25 individuals in each race.

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Varsity Boys White Division

The Varsity Boys White Division race was the second race of the day and first boys race. Kearney's Kyler Chappell led at 1k and 2k before not finishing. That left it a two-man then three-man race for individual glory. Centralia's J.R. Lesher and West Platte's Charlie Kinslow battled early behind Chappell, clocking 3:05 at 1,000-meters.

St. Michael the Archangel's Sam Rosenberg bided his time and moved to the lead at 3k in 10:04, just ahead of Kinslow and Lesher. Rosenberg and Kinslow dropped Lesher in the 4th kilometer, making it a two-man race for gold. That didn't last long though. Kinslow kicked it into high gear and posted a 3:01 final 1,000-meters to blow open a huge lead and finish in 16:33 for a 26-second+ win.

 West Platte's Charlie Kinslow runs a turn at 3,100-meters, battling St. Michael the Archangel 's Sam Rosenberg (right), while Centralia's J.R. Lesher (middle), and Monett's Julio Cruz try to keep pace in the Varsity Boys White Division race.

Rosenberg held off Monett's Julia Cruz to take 2nd in 17:00 to Cruz's 17:02. Rosenberger was the first St. Michael's Guardian to fly down the homestretch in under 18-minutes. After Dexter's Chris Stone finished 4th, St. Michael the Archangel's Johnny Joyce, Oliver Hotop, Xavier Collins, and David Rogge finished 5th, 10th, 11th, and 24th, giving the Guardians 5 medalists.

Sam Rosenberg (left #2892) and St. Michael the Archangel won the Varsity Boys White Division, scoring just 49 points.

They controlled the race from start to finish, having a smallest lead of 9-points at the five checkpoints. They finished with just 49 points to easily win the team title and had a #1-5 split of just 51-seconds. Dexter was 2nd with 77 points, getting 3 medalists, with Cameron Bell and Ben Dowdy taking 9th and 12th. The Bearcats kept Centralia (125 points) from a 2nd varsity 2nd-place team trophy on the day as the boys settled for 3rd after the Lady Panthers were 2nd.

Knob Noster was 4th with 218 points, Priory 5th with 229, and West Platte 6th with 241. The race featured 250 runners and 33 scoring teams.