Boys
Team Qualifiers and Podium Contenders
District 1 Qualifiers:
Hillsboro Festus Webster Groves Farmington
District 2 Qualifiers:
West Plains Willard Webb City Rolla
District 3 Qualifiers
Lutheran St. Charles DeSmet Parkway Central Ft. Zumwalt East
District 4 Qualifiers
Platte County Smithville Lincoln College Prep Kearney
Top 5 Contenders
Hillsboro
Friday is the big day. All eyes are on the Hillsboro Hawks as they look to end the most illustrious state championship streak in state history. They enter the Class 4 meet undefeated except for a 15 point loss in the Gans Creek Gold Division to Class 5 favorite Liberty North. They've beaten Festus all five times they've faced off with them, including a victory at the JCAA meet (the first time a non-Festus team has won in 15 years), but the Tigers have narrowed the gap in the last month. Their top 3 is top notch and could bring in 15 or fewer points on their own. Number 4 man Gavin Vaughn is also strong with a 16:08 personal best, but they're going to need number 5 man Landon Pogue to bring it home if they hope to nail down the top spot. With 4 seniors in their top 5, now is the time for Hillsboro to earn their first ever team championship and take out their inter-county rivals once and for all.
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Festus
In the words of the famous college football analyst Lee Corso: "Not so fast, my friend." Festus is primed to bring it all together once again and bring home their 9th straight state championship in Class 3/4. Ian Schram has his buddy Cullen Krieg back. Whether he can match his 15:30.70 best from last year remains to be seen, but a 16:14.20 at District 1 for 5th and 16:02.20 at Chile Pepper show that he could drop under 16:00 which is important for the Tigers' success. Tate Riney will be strong regardless of whether he's 2nd or 3rd for his squad. After those three seniors, though, it's a freshman and three sophomores. Much like Rock Bridge, that lack of experience at state could be the difference between 1st and 2nd overall, but we could also see a major breakthrough. We've been waiting for the really big performance from Carson Driemeier, after all. Either way, expect a small margin of victory for either Hillsboro or Festus in one of the most anticipated matchups in state meet history.
West Plains
Lost among the Festus/Hillsboro saga has been the growth of one of the biggest up-and-coming teams in the state. Now, we know about West Plains already. We know the history. The 45 straight trips to the state meet as a team. The red and white candy stripes with a trophy case that is overflowing with state-shaped awards. But did you know that they're in the driver's seat to add another one with 3 sophomores and 2 freshmen among their top 5? Only Ridge Smith is graduating this spring, but their number 1 man - Hoyt Stiner - is a sophomore and is looking to start his own legacy as one of the Zizzers' all-time greats. This could be the beginning of another stellar run for West Plains as the continue chugging along as the premier cross country dynasty in Missouri history.
Webster Groves
Also lost among the Festus/Hillsboro saga on Saturday was the District 1 finisher Webster Groves. They're not the flashiest team, but Coach Petter has the Statesmen looking strong at the right time. Brennan Ulrich is their solid number 1 with a 16:20.86 personal best and Corbin Cole provides important insurance at number 2. Ulrich should find himself in the top 20 on Friday which will be important for their podium bid. Webster Groves hasn't seen a state trophy since 1970 so it's been a long time coming, but could finally come to fruition 52 years later.
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Lincoln College Prep
Friday will be a historic day for Lincoln College Prep regardless of whether or not they end up on the podium. Their rise over the last two years has been truly meteoric as they now find themselves in contention for a state trophy in only their first year even bringing a team to the state meet. Isaac Rivera will score very low, and they'll have a tight pack of 3 in the 16:30-17:00 range, but where they'll need help is at 5. If they can't overcome that 1:00+ gap between 4 and 5, it will be hard to pull in the trophy. But put it all together and they certainly have a shot.