After previewing the top individuals to watch this season, it is time to take a look at the top teams in each class.
Check out the storylines we are following with each of the top Class 5 Boys' and Girls' teams heading into the 2026 season. Numbers in parentheses are point totals based on a state-wide virtual meet and must be taken at face value as classification changes have yet to take effect.
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5 Boys Teams to Watch
1. Liberty North (50)
Top Returners:
Nathaniel Haberlach - 15:23.00
Joseph DeRouchie - 15:23.90
John Gray - 15:31.00
Beckett Andreasen - 15:53.82
Preston Cogan - 15:58.90
Liberty North had a season to remember in 2025, taking the state by storm with a massive victory over Bentonville (AR) at the Gans Creek Classic Twilight and rolling all the way to their second team championship in program history at the Class 5 State Championships. They return 5 boys under 16:00, the only team in the state who can say that, but if even one of those boys has a setback, their depth is certainly wanting. A 35.8 second 1-5 split can turn into 2 minutes very quickly. Luckily, freshman Eric Lee is on the way and apparently ran a 4:45 mile in their recent time trial.
Expect the Eagles to contend for a second team title in a row. No one has ever won back to back team titles in Class 5 and no one has done it in the highest enrollment class since Lafayette in 2014 and 2015.
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2. SLUH (79)
Top Returners:
Jackson Miller - 15:07.00
Warnicke Beatty - 15:50.26
Michael Luna - 15:55.30
Benjamin Yoffie - 15:57.66
Nathan Khouri - 16:05.20
SLUH was firing on all cylinders this spring led by rising senior Jackson Miller. Miller won his first career State title in the 3200 this spring and crossed first in the 1600 before an unfortunate disqualification took that away. He also picked up a State medal in the 800. He ran 15:07.00 last fall and appears poised to become the first Jr. Bill to break 15:00 in their illustrious history.
His supporting cast is frightening. Beatty, Luna, and Yoffie all had breakout track seasons in their respective events. Khouri added another sub-9:50 3200 to the mix, and John Paul Wildermuth added another sub-9:55. Their big freshman addition is Connor Helbig - yes, you read that correctly: Helbig. He ran 4:44.07 for 1600 meters this summer and has a 13:50.90 4K to his name already (17:12 5K pace). This could be quite the year for SLUH, potentially the best the six-time State champions have ever had.
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3. Rock Bridge (162)
Top Returners:
Baron Carratura - 15:38.30
Hayden Jokerst - 16:00.80
Forrest Connell - 16:05.00
Jackson Soete - 16:12.70
Henry Steele - 16:33.42
Graduation hit Rock Bridge hard as the departure of Luke Sievers and Matthew Kim, among others, will hit their front-end depth hard. Surprisingly, their only sub-16:00 returner is an 800 specialist in Baron Carratura, but he showed time and again last fall that he can run 5K with the best of them, too. Hayden Jokerst and Forrest Connell took a major step forward in the 3200 this spring which should push them forward on the cross country course. How will their stable of sub-18:00 JV athletes progress to pad their depth? How will their incoming freshman class impact the crew this year? While their roster is not finalized on the MSHSAA site yet, it is worth noting that Bryan Walker could be their top addition.
Continued progression into the fall and throughout the season should put Rock Bridge back in contention in 2026. They are the only team in the state who can say they have been on the podium every year since the fifth class was added (2020).
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4. Kickapoo (198)
Top Returners:
Gavin Blaine - 15:30.22
Dawson Blaine - 15:57.53
Preston Gegg - 16:18.14
Matthew Burton - 16:35.50
Matthew Ellis - 16:42.71
The gap continues to grow between the top two teams and the rest of the field, but Kickapoo is looking to take a leap forward and bring the Class 5 State championship back to Springfield like they did in 2021.
The Blaine brothers lead the way with Gavin Blaine contributing important low points for the Chiefs. Dawson Blaine made some growth in another shortened track season, but heads into the season as one of 23 boys in Class 5 under 16:00 to start the season.
Gegg, Burton, and Ellis are important role players, with Gegg showing the most potential for growth after an impressive run in the 800 this spring (1:57.48). Watch out for a potential step forward from sophomore Nathan Stanley or a breakout freshman season from Ari Richardson or John Roberts.
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5. Rockhurst (216)
Top Returners:
Jack McGovern - 14:44.70
Jack Morrison - 15:34.20
Charles Sullivan - 16:26.40
Jack Grisolano - 16:34.80
Jack Neely - 16:56.80
Jacks are wild for the Rockhurst Hawklets and look to lead them back to the top of the Class 5 ranks in 2026. Graduation hit them hard in 2025 and, even with the 1 point from Jack McGovern at the State meet, they ended up eighth in a "rebuild" year.
McGovern is obviously the low-stick for his squad and has done little to cast doubt on his chance at a repeat individual title as a junior. Jack Morrison will be one to watch as he is another year older and wiser and has that 9:21.04 personal best in the 3200 to his name still.
Charles Sullivan is one of our biggest breakout candidates this spring, though. As a freshman this past spring/summer, he ran 4:19.96 for a full mile and won the Nike Outdoor Nationals freshman race. A McGovern-esque rise from his freshman to sophomore season from him would push Rockhurst way up the rankings this fall.