Woodland boys nip host Blue Jays for title

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- Jason Niswonger knew it would be close, and he was right.

His Oak Ridge boys cross country team battled with Woodland every step of the 3.1-mile course Tuesday at the Oak Ridge Invitational. In the end, Woodland's depth proved a little stronger as the Cardinals, led by Garret Reynolds' third-place finish, claimed the boys title with 77 points to Oak Ridge's 92.

"They ran really well," said Woodland coach Ryan Layton. "That wasn't their best race so far, but it's right up there.

"We went over our game plans on the way up here, and they did a good job of sticking to their plan and carrying out their plans."

Farmington dominated the girls race with four of the top five finishers for a near-perfect team score of 13. Jessica McKenzie of Farmington won the girls race in 21 minutes, 22 seconds, followed by Oak Ridge's Makenzie Elam in 21:34.

"It was a little bit more hilly than I'm used to," said McKenzie, a senior. "Since it's a smaller meet, I knew I would have to be in the front. Normally I don't take the lead. Our coach told us to stay in the pack the first mile, and then I went off."

Elam tried staying close to McKenzie, but couldn't overtake her down the stretch.

Woodland’s Garret Reynolds runs for the finish line during the Oak Ridge Invitational Tuesday at Oak Ridge High School. Reynolds placed third in the varsity boys race, leading Woodland to a first place team finish. (Adam Vogler)

"I heard she was fast, so I just focused on running the best time for the team and did the best I could," Elam said. "This is our course, and we've ran it before, but when you're running race pace it's a lot harder."

Elam had a simple strategy: pass the person ahead of her.

"Usually I start off slower and kind of work up to faster and I pass everybody I can. And if I passed her, then, 'Woo!' But it's all about working. As long as my coach is proud of me, that's all I can do."

Woodland’s Garret Reynolds runs during the Oak Ridge Invitational Tuesday at Oak Ridge High School. Reynolds placed third in the varsity boys race, leading Woodland to a first place team finish.

Saxony Lutheran finished a respectable fourth place, led by junior Grace Hannebrink's 14th-place finish in 24:04.

"I was really nervous going into it," Hannebrink said. "It was a hilly course. You just have to almost sprint up the hills to get them over with."

In the boys' race, Woodland had all its scorers finish among the top 23, a key to its win.

Reynolds had to work to hold off Woodland's Jake LeGrand, who finished fourth. Both finished in 18:09, but Reynolds edged LeGrand at the finish line.

"That's a tough course, with all the rocks and the sand," Reynolds said. "I ran pretty good. The hills, you just have to power up. Get your legs up high and go."

Reynolds said the pace of the race, especially at the beginning, was fast.

"I need to keep a constant time," Reynolds said. "I came out a little bit too fast, which slowed me down for the second and third miles."

LeGrand was pleased with both his and his team's showing.

"I feel like I ran fast and everyone else on the team ran fast, too," LeGrand said. "Coach was just yelling at me to hold my spot. I passed two guys [around the baseball field], and I almost caught Garret at the finish, but it was difficult. That downhill ... it's fast."

Valle Catholic had the top two finishers in Matthew Naeger (17:53) and Calvin Colbus (18:05), but failed to place any other runners in the top 40 and finished fourth in the team standings.

"The course is kind of difficult," Naeger said. "But I like it. I like having some hills, I guess."

Naeger took the lead with a half-mile remaining and won handily.

"I thought I heard someone right behind me going around the baseball fields," he said. "I knew I had to sprint the last part of the race. I felt pretty good."

The Saxony Lutheran boys placed sixth with 144 points, led by Greg Hapgood's fifth-place finish in 18:15.

"I've run faster times, but this time I really had to hold on," said Hapgood, a senior "I'm very happy. Our team finished very well."

Niswonger was thrilled not only with his team's second-place finish, but also with the number of teams and runners for the event.

"This race is getting more and more prestigious, bigger and better every year," he said. "More and more schools are coming. It's predominantly a small-school race. It's really competitive. We've got St. Vincent and Valle here, so the best in our conference and in our district are here. It's a great, great race."

Boys

Team scores: Woodland 77, Oak Ridge 92, Farmington 118, St. Vincent 143, Valle Catholic 144, Saxony Lutheran 147, Arcadia Valley 152, Dexter 260.

Individual results

1. Matthew Naeger (Valle) 17:53; 2. Calvin Colbus (Valle) 18:05; 3. Garrett Reynolds (Woodland) 18:09; 4. Jake LeGrand (Oak Ridge) 18:09; 5. Greg Hapgood (Saxony Lutheran) 18:15; 6. Isaac Baer (St. Vincent)18:16; 7. Aaron Koehler (Saxony Lutheran) 18:27; 8. Evan Reeves (Farmington) 18:28; 9. John Lipe (St. Vincent) 18:38; 10. Adam Griffith (Farmington) 18:47.

Local finishers

Woodland -- 3. Garrett Reynolds 18:09; 16. Kyle Davis 19:09; 17. Landon Thompson 19:17; 18. Logan Thompson 19:22; 23. Evan Grindstaff 19:46.

Oak Ridge -- 4. Jake LeGrand 18:09; 14. Nathan Bolin 18:57; 15. Zackry Moore 19:03; 26. Jacob Seabaugh 19:54; 33. Chris Seyer 20:33.

St. Vincent -- 6. Isaac Baer 18:16; 9. John Lipe 18:38; 27. Zach Shumer 20:07; 48. Sam Baer 22:11; 51. Alex Lambert 23:09.

Saxony Lutheran -- 5. Greg Hapgood 18:15; 7. Aaron Koehler 18:27; 22. Taylor Richmond 19:44; 53. Josh Vogel 23:26; 60. Zach Woodney 25:28.

Scott City -- 12. Jesse Perry 18:51.

Meadow Heights – 24. Chris Bollinger 19:45; 25. Josh Wilfong 19:53; 36. Ryan Foltz 20:53; 49. Ben Davie 22:56.

Delta -- 42. Jesse Nance 21:18; 43. Trevor Glaus 21:19; 47. Wyatt Kidd 22:06.

Girls

Team scores: Farmington 13, Crystal City 52, Valle Catholic 61, Woodland 85, Saxony Lutheran 96, Arcadia Valley 118, St. Vincent 124.

Individual finishers

1. Jessica McKenzie (Farmington) 21:22; 2. Makenzie Elam (Oak Ridge) 21:34; 3. Sophi Thurman (Farmington) 21:51; 4. MacKenzie Weakley 21:56; 5. Courtney Armon (Farmington) 22:09; 6. Sally Heil (Valle Catholic) 22:15; 7. Virginia Rice (Crystal City) 22:33; 8. Hodge (Delta) 22:49; 9. Sydney Neiter (Farmington) 22:53; 10. Cheyenne Wells (Woodland) 23:20.

Local finishers

Woodland -- 10. Cheyenne Wells 23:20; 15. Bailey Jones 24:04; 29. Taylor Toombs 25:53; 31. Rachel Eckstam 26:01.

Saxony Lutheran -- 14. Grace Hanebrink 24:04; 20. Breanne Etzold 24:34; 22. Kristen Gruenwald 24:49; 40. Kat Wollhausen 27:07.

St. Vincent -- 23. Shelby Schumer 24:56; 28. Courtney Brown 25:48; 32. Rachel Mudd 26:09; 41. Sara Geile 27:17.

Chaffee -- 24. Holly Rutherford 25:03; 26. HannahGlueck 25:15.

Delta -- 8. Jamie Hodge 22:49.