Day 1 of the MSHSAA State Cross Country Championships is in the books.
The cool weather early Friday morning provided some key ingredients for Riley Blay to make a little bit of history in the first race.
The Nodaway Valley product - though he's listed as West Nodaway on the official results - ran 15:48.2 to win the Class 1 boys title.
It was the third year in a row making him the first Class 1 runner to accomplish that feat and the second ever in MSHSAA history in the boys' cross country record book. West Plains runner Chris Zinn first accomplished that feat from 1981-83.
Blay's lone high school loss came as a freshman when he came in behind his brother, Tyler, who won the race.
In the girls' Class 1 race, Mya Wray won for the Platte Valley co-op to give Northwest Missouri a sweep of individual titles. She ran 19:11.9 and won the race by more than a minute ahead of last year's champion Mallory Shaw of Stoutland.
FIVE OTHER NOTES
Here's a quick rundown of what other important things happened at Gans Creek. Look for more in-depth and expansive coverage of the state meet in the coming days and weeks.
Hermitage - The Hornets, led by Coach Mark Sabala, won their third straight Class 1 boys title. It marked the second time the program did that - following 2014-16.
Chadwick - On their first trip to the state meet, the Cardinals won the Class 1 girls' title with 60 points. The 1-2 punch of freshmen Emily Landry (5th) and Macy Landry (7th) gave the team a total of 7 points.
Reed Layton & Woodland MO - The Southeast Missouri school had only one boys trophy ever in school history prior to Friday - a fourth-place showing in 2016. The Cardinals made history on Friday by winning the MSHSAA State Cross Country Championship Class 2 title, only the school's second-ever title and the first since volleyball won the 1994 Class 2A championship. Reed Layton won the boys' Class 2 title and became only the second-ever state champ in school history, joining Bruester Young, who won the javelin in 2017.
Kensington Curd - The sophomore became her school's first-ever cross country champion and only the fifth girl to claim a title in school history. The other four have come in track and field.
Lafayette County - The Higginsville school is one that often was in the conversation for state titles in many other sports - a combined 22 trophies between basketball, football, track and field and wrestling. However, the girls cross country became the first to break through with the 1st-place trophy. Coach Colby Brand's squad had a score of 111 to win by 27 points.