The Woodland boys cross country team won the SEMO Conference Small Schools cross country meet for the first time at Cape County Park on Tuesday.
Woodland defeated four-time defending conference champion Oak Ridge 46-66 to take the title.
"The guys have been working hard all year and they've been running strong all year, but obviously today was a little bit special being the conference meet and you could tell in their performance -- they stepped it up a little bit," Woodland coach Ryan Layton said.
Woodland's Garret Reynolds won the boys race with a time of 18 minutes, 30 seconds, and was hopeful his team had done well enough to top the boys standings.
Reynolds was in third place at the beginning of the race but took a commanding lead at the one-mile mark.
"Form as big of a gap so no one can catch me," Reynolds said about his strategy.
Also earning all-conference honors for Woodland were Logan Thomsen, who finished ninth in 19:49, followed by Landon Thomsen in 10th (19:51).
"Woodland's a tough, tough program," Oak Ridge coach Jason Niswonger said. "Coach Layton has done an awesome job with them. The team's growing in numbers. They're so much faster. Zalma is coming on, so our conference is really, really good, so for us to get second in a strong conference like that is really good on the boys side."
Oak Ridge finished first in the girls standings, beating Woodland by just five points.
Oak Ridge's McKenzie Elam won the girls race in 22:16. She led most of the race, but pulled out of reach after the first half of the race.
"My coach told me to relax the first mile and a half and then to surge," Elam said, "so I tried to do that and I guess it worked."
Elam's teammate and defending Class 2 District 1 champion Alexis Wunderlich was the next closest competitor, finishing second in 23:04. Oak Ridge coach Jason Niswonger was glad that Wunderlich was able to compete in the race because she's been suffering from tendonitis in her foot.
"On the girls side it was a nailbiter and I had a couple of girls -- Kaitlin Shallow, my No. 4 -- really stepped up and made a huge difference and probably allowed us to win," Niswonger said.
Maci Jo Schamburg also earned all-conference honors for Oak Ridge, finishing fifth in 24:33 and Shallow was honorable mention, finishing 13th in 26:08.
"Winning conference is awesome, but more important is districts down the road," Niswonger said. "I just wanted everybody to make it through healthy, and it seems like we did."
Oak Ridge will compete against Advance, Bunker, Crystal City, Delta, Ellington, Kingston, Marquand, Meadow Heights, St. Vincent, Valle Catholic, Viburnum and Zalma in the Class 1 District 1 meet on Saturday, Nov.2.
"McKenzie Elam, she just runs as fast as she wants to," Niswonger said. "I think she has a great chance in districts and look out for McKenzie at state. Holy cow, she's amazing."
Woodland will compete against Arcadia Valley, Carnahan, Grandview, Hancock, Herculaneum, Jefferson, Kelly, Saxony Lutheran, Scott City, St. Pius and Valley Park in the Class 2 District 1 meet.
BOYS
Teams -- 1. Woodland 46; 2. Oak Ridge 66; 3. Zalma 70; 4. Meadow Heights 112; 5. Saxony Lutheran 112; 6. Advance 129; 7. Delta 182
Top five finishers
WOODLAND -- 1. Garret Reynolds (18:30); 9. Logan Thomsen (19:49); 10. Landon Thomsen (19:51); 11. Kyle Davis (19:52); 15. Evan Grindstaff (20:17)
OAK RIDGE -- 6. Jake LeGrand (19:19); 7. Zack Moore (19:38); 14. Nathan Bolin (20:07); 16. Jacob Seabaugh (20:34); 25. Jarrett Seabaugh (21:45)
ZALMA -- 4. Alex Steinberg (19:15); 5. Peyton Ford (19:18); 8. Jacob Steinberg (19:49); 27. Wyatt Lemons (21:51); 31. Quentin Little (22:01)
MEADOW HEIGHTS -- 12. Josh Wilfong (20:00); 13. Chris Bollinger (20:02); 24. Ryan Foltz (21:40); 36. Alex Foltz (22:28); 37. Bryan Kempfer (22:32)
SAXONY LUTHERAN -- 2. Greg Hapgood (18:52); 3. Aaron Koehler (19:07); 30. Jacob Yantis (21:57); 44. Josh Vogel (23:25); 56. Zach Woodney (25:43)
ADVANCE -- 20. Matt Adams (21:17); 22. Richard Nixon III (21:31); 23. Cade Long (21:36); 32. Creighton Miles (22:07); 47. Jared Owens (23:49)
DELTA -- 26. Trevor Glaus (21:49); 39. Jesse Nance (22:58); 45. Wyatt Kidd (23:26); 50. Charlie Ledbetter (24:29); 57. Daniel Hester (26:18)
GIRLS
Teams -- 1. Oak Ridge 32; 2. Woodland 37; 3. Saxony Lutheran 53
Top five finishers
OAK RIDGE -- 1. McKenzie Elam (22:16); 2. Alexis Wunderlich (23:04); 5. Maci Jo Schamburg (24:33); 13. Kaitlyn Shallow (26:08); 16. Alexis Simon (26:51)
WOODLAND -- 4. Cheyenne Wells (24:15); 7. Kathlyn Cooper (24:49); 9. Rachel Eckstam (25:03); 10. Taylor Toombs (25:19); 12. Aiyana Storie (26:04)
SAXONY LUTHERAN -- 6. Kristen Gruenwald (24:39); 8. Grace Hanebrink (24:54); 11. Breanne Etzold (25:34); 19. Danielle Childers (27:13); 20. Grace Mirly (27:17)
DELTA -- 3. Jamie Hodge (24:03); 22. Krista Valentine (27:49)
CHAFFEE -- 14. Holly Rutherford (26:13)
ADVANCE -- 15. Daisy Burnett (26:26); 30. Anne Lanpher (29:05)
MEADOW HEIGHTS -- 26. Kassy Henson (28:25); 32. Becky Mayfield (31:37); 34. Brittany Shrum (31:48)
ZALMA -- 33. Katelynn Wheetley (31:46)
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