Boys
Team Qualifiers and Podium Contenders
District 1 Qualifiers:
Jackson St. Louis University High Parkway South Kirkwood
District 2 Qualifiers:
Kickapoo Raymore-Peculiar Rockhurst Joplin
District 3 Qualifiers:
Rock Bridge Hickman Capital City Francis Howell
District 4 Qualifiers:
Liberty North Liberty Lee's Summit North Blue Springs South
Top 5 Contenders
Liberty North
Liberty North has had a historic season as they enter this weekend's state meet as the heavy favorite to win it all. Led by phenom Sage Wilde, the Eagles have their entire top 5 under 15:55 and among the top 18 athletes ranked in Class 5. Their 15:31.60 team average is one of the best we've seen over the last decade, rivaling several of the state's premier squads in that time. With three senior in the mix, it may not necessarily be now or never for the squad, but it is certainly the perfect time for them to break out the championship belt one more time and earn the top spot in Class 5.
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Rock Bridge
It's been a historic run for the Rock Bridge Bruins since Coach Neal Blackburn took over at the helm. This squad should continue to carry the torch of the ones that have come before. It's a uniquely young group with two lowsticks up front and two other seniors providing insurance in other scoring positions. The biggest question for them is: How will their young guns fare on the biggest stage? It could play a major role in their finish as a team. But, like we've said before, 5 points or fewer from their first two will play an even bigger role.
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Kickapoo
A heavy, heavy favorite coming into the season, it seems like Kickapoo has been biding it's time leading up to this weekend's championship meet. They were a major player heading into last year's race and seemingly pulled off an upset, but this year, all eyes are on the repeat bid. Tyler Harris has improved this season, as has No. 2 man Grant Musick and No. 3 man Kyle Keltner, but it seems like Liberty North and Rock Bridge have opened a bit of a gap when looking at it all on paper. It's a lot closer than you would think, though, and the Chiefs won't be counted out as we head into Friday's showdown. It really is three juggernauts battling it out for one ultimate trophy. But they may not be alone...
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Rockhurst
Ho hum, here comes Rockhurst again. The Hawklets are once again putting all the pieces together when it matters the most and seem ready to grab themselves another state trophy. It's a tight 1-5 with 58 seconds separating frontman Henry Acorn (15:31.35) and No. 5 man Andrew Davis (16:29.40). Brian Humphrey is an important No. 2 man now. If he and Acorn can both grab top 20 finishes, and the rest of the crew can pack up near the 40-60 range, expect this Rockhurst squad to find themselves back on the podium.
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Raymore-Peculiar
Six teams fought for four spots at the District 2 meet and Raymore-Peculiar came out in second when the dust had settled, three points ahead of Rockhurst and 30 points behind Kickapoo. Their 1-5 pack is the best of any of the 16 teams (even better than SLUH!) with 30 seconds separating No. 1 man Carter Younger (15:53.82) and No. 5 man Andres Kemper (16:24.47). Their individuals are going to be fighting for a top 25 spot, but they could pull a "SLUH" and grab a trophy without an all-state individual if the pack stays tight. Watch out for those gold and black Panthers!