The Class 4 District 3 meet, hosted at McNair Park by Ft. Zumwalt South, saw an epic sweep from the Parkway Central Colts boys and girls teams and the Moresi siblings.
Parkway Central Ladies Pick Up Statement Victory
Starting with the girls race, sophomore Gabrielle Moresi pulled in her second straight victory and third of the season with her 19:50.01 victory. Over a minute slower than her win at the St. Louis Suburban Championships two weeks ago, it was apparent that Moresi was in it simply for the win and not for the time. Moresi was followed by Parkway North's Andie Hylan in 20:19.04, with teammates Danielle Burk and Penelope Hinkle coming across in third and fourth. Parkway North's Sophia Wong completed the Parkway sweep of the top 5 spots.
In the 65-athlete field, one of the smallest districts in the entire state regardless of class, the Colts scored 30 points and put their entire top 7 in the top 21. A podium contender, Central flexed their muscles in their final tuneup before Saturday's showdown with the rest of Class 4's best and clinched their first state berth since 2016, believe it or not. Parkway North clinched their first state berth since 2021 and second since 2007 with their 67-point showing. Tied for third were the ladies from Kirksville and Ft. Zumwalt South, though Kirksville won the tie-breaker and finish third. The Tigers will be headed to State as a team for the first time 2001 and were led by first year cross country runner and junior Concillia Kunseviko in eighth. Ft. Zumwalt South ended their 13 year drought in 2020 and has qualified for State now in 2020, 2022, and 2024. Tess Harper led the charge with her sixth place finish.
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Parkway Central Boys Put 5 in Top 15 For Big Win
It was more of the same in the Boys race for Parkway Central as Alexander Moresi pulled in the individual win and the Colts put together a point total in the 30s for the easy victory.
The race featured several top Class 4 athletes and several individual lead changes, but ultimately, Moresi would make his move at the 4K mark, much like his sister before him, and open up an impressive and insurmountable lead over the final kilometer. His first win of the season was a big one as he reasserted himself as one of Class 4's top runners heading into the season finale. De Smet's William Poelker, the fifth ranked athlete in Class 4, was second in 16:18.59. Lutheran St. Charles's Milo Rush had a massive final half of the race to take out Class 4 No. 2 ranked runner Brendan Alfonso and freshman phenom Lucas Amador for third. The second and third members of the Parkway Central trio came across fourth and fifth, respectively. De Smet was second as a team with 79 points, 46 behind Central's total. The led a trio of private schools across for the final three qualifying spots with Lutheran St. Charles and Westminster Christian picking up the last two spots.
Sibling Sweep
Parkway Central sophomore Gabrielle Moresi won the Class 4 District 3 Girls race while leading the Colts to the team title, then cheered on big brother and Parkway Central senior Alexander Moresi who won the Boys race and led the Colts to the team title.
