Class 3 Boys

Can Anyone Stop Klaiber?

El Dorado Springs sophomore Wyatt Klaiber laid the groundwork for what could a hall-of-fame level high school career with this 2024 season. A perfect 10-for-10 with 7 marks under 16:00, Klaiber has run away from the Class 3 field all season. He enters the meet with a 15:25.50 from his first meet of the season, but should still be in consideration to best that and grab the first of what may be many state championships for the Bulldog.

Can anyone take him out, though? Possibly - Bradley Deering has the best case. Deering was the Gans Creek Classic Blue division winner in late September in 15:58.30. He was also the small schools winner at the Raymore-Peculiar Invitational, the winner at the Mt. Ayr Invitational and, most recently, the winner at the District 4 meet. One could argue that Southern Boone's Brian Burns has an even stronger case coming off his fourth win in a row at the District 3 meet. He ran 15:54.30 on the Gans course in the Elite Twilight race and looks strong heading into the finale. 

If anyone will take out Klaiber, it will most likely be one of those two, but expect Klaiber to hang on for the win on Saturday.

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Centralia, Notre Dame, Dexter, Herculaneum Are All In Team Title Contention

It is going to be a tight race for the team title on Saturday with four teams within reasonable striking distance. According to our virtual meet, only one point separates the freshmen-led Centralia and Notre Dame Cape Girardeau squads. Only of these teams can earn the championship, though, and at this point, it's splitting hairs. 

One the one hand, you have the District 3 champions Centralia, who have been running solid all year with wins at Bowling Green,  their home meet, Clarence Cannon Conference, Fulton, and the Mexico Fall Invitational. Their lone losses have come in the Gans Creek Gold Division, and by four points to rival Southern Boone at the Father Tolton Invitational. But they have two races on the State course this season now - a big deal for one of their leading men, Nolan Spickert, who had never run there before this year - and should be more than familiar. Senior Carter Moss is the frontman with his 16:38.34, though Spickert is only 2 seconds behind. They come in with a 17:01.35 1-5 average and 66-second spread.

On the other hand, Notre Dame Cape has the frontrunner in freshman phenom Aidan Morris, who is coming off an incredible 15:48.77 performance at the District 1 meet. His single point in the virtual meet is massive for his team, but where they will need to make up ground is in that Centralia's third man is ahead of their second. District 1 is rife with talent, as usual, and the next two teams behind Notre Dame are Dexter and Herculaneum. Dexter and Notre Dame have gone back and forth all year, seeing each other enough times to tell us that this will be a tight race in the end. Cameron Bell and Ben Dowdy lead the way for the Bearcats. The Blackcats of Herculaneum are looming, though, led by Nathaniel Wright. They are looking for team trophy number 29 and will have to hold off Southern Boone and the Burns brothers to do so, most likely. 

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Class 3 Girls

Krueger, St. Charles West Appear Poised For Individual Win, Three-Peat

A wire-to-wire dominant season has St. Charles West poised for the three-peat this weekend...and it really isn't all that close, according to our virtual meet feature.

The Lady Warriors have been seeking out the best of the best meets throughout the season and appear ready to hold off any potential challenges led by one of the best runners in the state regardless of class, sophomore Brianna Krueger. Krueger has picked up impressive wins in the Forest Park Green division, and at the Parkway West Invitational, GAC XC Championships, and Class 3 District 3 meet. She was the runner-up in the elite race and top Missourian at the Gans Creek Classic and fourth in her personal best of 18:09.58 at Missouri Southern. Since September 5th, only the deceptively tough Parkway West course has produced a mark over 19:00 - nobody else in Class 3 has broken 19:00 this season period. 

St. Charles West nearly doubles the second place team's score (Herculaneum, 130) in our virtual meet. By season best, they have 3 girls in the top 8 and 5 in the top 34 and a 1-5 average 66 seconds ahead of the next closest team. 

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Seniors Versus Freshman In The Top 5

Behind Krueger is a hodge-podge of experienced seniors and excellent freshmen. 

Notre Dame Cape Girardeau's Martina Ressel and Notre Dame de Sion's Kelly Frank are among those freshmen, with Owensville's Ilene Limberg and Lutheran St. Charles's Madalyn Mahoney among the seniors. Ressel was the District 1 champion while Frank won District 4. Limberg was well ahead of Mahoney in District 3 with Miley Jackson finishing in between the two. Limberg appears poised to break her personal best from her freshman year, though freshmen Ressel and Frank are looking for runner-up finishes in their first tries on the State course. It will be experience versus raw talent to determine the next four spots, most likely, though anyone could sneak up and surprise us, as we have seen in the past. 

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