LAWRENCE — The Rim Rock Classic brings out some of the best runners — not just from Kansas — but from across neighboring states as well.
It was the perfect time for Blue Valley Southwest senior Alex Roberts to take another step forward in his journey towards what he hopes ends with a state title. As he sprinted toward the finish line at the Rim Rock Farm course on Sept. 27, he found a familiar foe right by him.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Daniel Enriquez currently has the best time in Class 5A this season, but Roberts is right there behind him in third and the two were next to each other as they sprinted toward the finish.
Enriquez just edged Roberts for the title as he ran a time of 15 minutes and 26.87 seconds and Roberts was second in 15:28.04. It is a battle that could be reenacted again on the same course at the Class 5A state meet on Nov. 1.
“I thought Alex ran a nearly perfect race,” Blue Valley Southwest coach Aaron Ballew said. “He had a tough time at Olathe Twilight two weeks before, so for him to have a bounce back week and race so much better was really encouraging for him. Alex and Daniel have had a few good races over the last few years between track & cross country. I imagine that when they line back up at state in November it will be no different.”
Blue Valley Southwest is also chasing Kapaun in its quest for a team state crown. Kapaun won the Gold race with 92 points, Southwest was fourth at 167 and sandwiched in between were a pair of teams from Nebraska.
The Timberwolves had three other runners finish in the top 30 as Andrew Claar (16:32) was 22nd, Cameron Paschke (16:36) took 23rd and Wyatt McCulley (16:40) was 28th. Kapaun, on the other hand, had three runners finish in the top 15 and Ballew knows his team will have to improve if they want to get where they want to be.
“To be honest, and I think our boys would agree, I don’t think Rim Rock was anywhere near where we wanted to be on that day,” Ballew said. “While we can point to a handful of reasons like the heat & overcoming some sickness, I’m sure there are every other program can probably say the same things. Our hats are off to Kapaun and the other programs for doing so well in tough conditions.”
Olathe South's Luke Swearengin medaled sixth in the Gold Division last Saturday at Rim Rock.
Olathe South’s Luke Swearengin, who is the top returning 6A state medalist from a season ago, also finished strong in what was a competitive Gold race. The Falcon senior earned a top 10 finish as he took sixth overall in 15:50
On team side, the Blue Valley boys also fared well in the Gold Division. Although the Tigers took fifth with 233 points, it was the second-highest finish for the Class 6A teams that were represented in the combined three races.
Junior Carter Moser paced the Tigers with a top 10 finish of his own. Moser finished ninth with a time of 16:10.
Blue Valley's Carter Moser led the Tigers in ninth place.
“Carter has emerged as a 6A contender this year thanks to a 600 mile summer which produced consistent performances at Greg Wilson where he took second and Olathe Twilight where he was 11th,” Blue Valley coach Todd Moenster said. “At Twilight, Carter lost his shoe right after the start and still managed to stay on five-minute pace most of the race. He carried that momentum into Rim Rock and thankfully he finished with both shoes on.
“We probably surprised a few people with our top five finish at Rim Rock, but our team is starting to believe they can race at the highest levels.”
Shawnee Mission East's Charlotte Hardy (2257) took third in the Gold Division.
On the girls side, Shawnee Mission East’s Charlotte Hardy continued her impressive season as the Lancer junior took third overall in the girls Gold race with a time of 18:31.
Hardy currently has the fourth fastest time in the state at 18:12.68 and the second fastest in Class 6A next to Manhattan’s Gabrielle Converse.
“Charlotte is having a phenomenal season so far,” Shawnee Mission East coach Mallory Dittemore said. “She won the Belton and Shufelberger meets and finished top 4 at both Rim Rock and Twilight amongst incredibly competitive fields. She obviously has an outstanding work ethic in terms of training- she always gets in her mileage without overdoing things and consistently completes extra reps during workouts. In addition to those she is a kind person and great teammate to all. She's pretty much any coach's dream athlete.
“What really sets Charlotte up for success is her mindset. She is mature beyond her years and consistently has a cool, calm and collected aura about her. She doesn't let outside factors phase her or interfere with her goals. People can change their mileage, workouts, etc. but the hardest thing to fix in sports is your mindset. Charlotte has that part all figured out, and her champion mentality is what will make great things happen for her this season and far beyond.”
Baldwin's Irelyn Kennedy
Baldwin senior Irelyn Kennedy separated herself as one of the top smaller school runners in the race. Kennedy ran a time of 19:00.73 and earned a sixth-place medal.
That time is the top mark in Class 4A by more than 27 seconds as she leads a Bulldog team that is currently ranked No. 1 in the state.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed with Irelyn’s performance so far this season,” Baldwin coach Thomas Broxterman said. “She has shown tremendous drive and determination, which really started with the hard work she put in over the summer to prepare. That commitment has carried through every part of the season. She’s been a fantastic leader for our program- not just through her performances, but through the example she sets every day in practice. She embodies what it takes to compete at the highest level and does it with a positive attitude and genuine joy that lifts up everyone around her.”
Blue Valley West's Kate Larson also finished in the top 10 as she took ninth in 19:15, while Olathe South's Ari Allen was just outside the top 10 as she took 11th in 19:19.
Chanute's Jaron Powers
In the boys race of the Blue Division, Chanute powered to a third place team finish led by senior Jaron Powers, who finished 13th overall in 17:12. The Blue Comets also had a pair of runners finish in the top 25.
Tucker Applegate was 17th in 17:17 and Easton Colborn was 24th in 17:28 as the Blue Comets earned 314 points as they finished behind Hutch-Trinity Catholic and Christ Prep.
“I was super proud of how our guys competed at Rim Rock,” Chanute coach Brett Rinehart said. “I thought our guys ran very solid races; they had a good start, did not get mired back in the pack, and were able to either maintain or gain positions for the duration of the race. To have three medalists and four runners in the top-41 out of over 500 runners was pretty awesome, and with our previous best team finish at this meet being eighth last year, it was pretty special for them to finish third and bring home a trophy.”
St. Mary's-Colgan freshman Mariella Gilmore
In the blue girls race, a pair of freshmen emerged to earn top 10 finishes and medals in their first-ever Rim Rock race. St. Mary’s Colgan Mariella Gilmore was eighth in 20:28 and currently has the second fastest time in Class 2A.
Frontenac’s Emerson Albright medaled ninth in 20:34, which puts her as the 15th fastest time in Class 3A.
In the Crimson races, both Basehor-Linwood teams brought home second place trophies. The Bobcat boys finished second with 106 points, behind Andale was had 91.
Basehor-Linwood's Benjamin Karleskint
Junior Benjamin Karleskint led the Bobcats with a fifth-place finish in 17:14. Piper’s Quinn Hanson and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Lucas Richardson also had top 10 finishes in eighth and ninth, respectively.
The Bobcat girls were second with 191 points. Henley Erickson led Basehor with a 16th place finish in 20:50.
Other cross country standouts:
Gardner-Edgerton's Cade Halton