It was time for Eli Gaeddert to test himself in a new way.
 
Already Goessel’s school cross country record holder as well as a two-time Class 1A state placer, Gaeddert was ready for a different challenge. So this season, Bluebird coach Donna Washmon presented him with the ultimate one by adding the prestigious Rim Rock Classic to his race schedule.
 
And Gaeddert couldn’t have been happier.
 
“I was very excited because a lot of the meets I usually run in around here aren’t that big,” Gaeddert said. “With all that competition that I was going to see, it really got the blood going and really allowed me to unlock some more potential.”
 
Gaeddert certainly rose to the occasion at last Saturday’s meet at Rim Rock Farm just outside of Lawrence. Competing in the Blue Division against a field of 503 runners, Gaeddert bested all of them but one, finishing runner-up to Caney Valley’s Simeon Sanchez.
 
His time of 16:37.18 was the second-best mark of his career, just nine seconds off his school-record time of 16:28.24 run last year at regionals.
 
“That was really awesome,” Gaeddert said. “Going into it, I didn’t really know if I would even medal. I just had no expectations how I would do and what the times would be. I just got out there and was excited to see what I could do and I proved myself out there.”
 
Gaeddert sandwiched his strong showing at Rim Rock with the first two wins of his high school career. He picked up his first victory at the Swather Special, winning the junior small-school division with a time of 17:52.50 that also would have own the large-school race as well.
 
He then followed up his runner-up finish at Rim Rock by winning Tuesday’s Bennington Invitational in 17:05.80. Gaeddert added a runner-up finish at Thursday’s Berean Academy Invitational, taking second to Augusta’s Jase Thomas in 16:39.59.
 
“I’m very proud of what I’ve been doing,” he said. “I’ve been putting in the hours and its been really good for me this year and I’m really excited to see what I can keep running.”
 
Gaeddert’s time at Rim Rock ranks him third in Class 1A this year behind Blue Valley-Randolph’s Titus Cobb (16:32.45) and Clifton-Clyde’s Cohen Girard (16:34.38) with the Twin Valley League rivals turning in their 1A-leading times at the Onaga Invitational. Neither competed at Rim Rock, but Ness City’s Broxton Gall – last year’s 1A state runner-up – did and he finished a distant 15th in the Blue race with a time of 17:16.24, well off his season best of 16:37.67 that ranks just behind Gaeddert on the 1A leaderboard.
 
Gaeddert was fourth at state last year behind two-time champion Caleb Durst of Lebo, Gall and Quinter’s Elliot Churchwell. With Durst having graduated last May, the 1A title will be up for grabs this year and with Gaeddert among five returners who finished second through sixth, a dogfight.
 
“I’m hoping to be up there with those guys and I hope I can take it,” Gaeddert said of the 1A title. “It will depend on what the day is looking like I guess. (Rim Rock) shows me I’ve got some faster times in me and I’m hoping to see those come out later this year.
 
“Last year at Wamego, it wasn’t great conditions. But I’m thinking low 16s will be what it takes this year and I’m hoping I can get there by state.”
 
Santa Fe Trail’s Bryce Roberts took third in the Blue Division behind Sanchez and Gaeddert, while Riley County’s Jeter Adams was seventh and West Franklin’s Caul Johns was eighth.
 
In the Crimson Boys’ race, Emporia’s Xaden Delgado finished fourth. Spartan Madison Evans was sixth in the Crimson Girls’ race, while Junction City’s Brittney Dibben took ninth.
 
In the Gold Girls’ race, Manhattan’s Gabrielle Converse took seventh, Zara Koehn was eighth and Isla Spreer finished 10th as the Indians won the team title with 78 points.
 
In the Blue Girls’ race, Northern Heights’ Ellei McCrory placed fourth while Wamego’s Elsie Rickstrew took sixth and led the Red Raiders to a runner-up team finish. Hiawatha’s Pauly Rockey just missed the top 10 in 11th.
 

 
OTHER CROSS COUNTRY STANDOUTS

• Nemaha Central freshman Cora Langill picked up the first win of her career in running away with the title at the Thunder’s home meet. Langill won in 21:17.01, 40 seconds ahead of runner-up finisher Belle Smith of Doniphan West. Centralia captured the team title, led by a 5-6 showing from Kya Franklin and Kaylee Olberding.
• St. Mary’s Academy’s Ambrose Childs took the boys title at Nemaha Central in 16:53.60 nine seconds ahead of Blue Valley-Randolph’s Titus Cobb.
• Perry-Lecompton’s Ethan Tolbert ran away with the boys title at the Royal Valley Invitational, winning by nearly 50 seconds in 17:58.80. Host Royal Valley put three runners in the top seven, led by a 2-3 finish from Hunter May and Kadyn Pugh to take the team title with 43 points, three ahead of Silver Lake, which was led by a fourth from Miles Burgess.
• Royal Valley’s girls cruised to the team title at their home meet, putting five in the top nine to finish with 16 points, 37 ahead of Bishop Seabury. Josie Shelton led the Panthers’ 1-2 individual finish, crossing in 21:37.80 to beat teammate Addilyn Lefferd by 38 seconds.
• Clifton-Clyde’s Cohen Girard raced to the title at the Republic County Invitational, winning by 50 seconds in 17:09.08. Republic County’s Dakota Clausen-Peters was the girls’ champion in 20:44.49.

 

VOLLEYBALL STANDOUTS

• Wabaunsee captured the title at the Olpe Invitational, going 5-0 on the weekend. Talen Orton had 19 kills in the championship match against Goessel and finished the weekend with 60 kills and 32 digs. Grace Zeller added 45 kills and 48 digs while Elise Ford had 22 kills and 40 digs. Reese Michaelis finished with 80 assists, picking up the 1,000th of her career at the tourney.
• Valley Heights picked up a big Twin Valley League sweep of Centralia (29-27, 25-21) and Hanover (25-12, 23-25, 25-20) to remain undefeated in league play at 10-0, while moving to 20-6 overall. The Mustangs have a slim league lead over Linn, which is 8-1 in league play after a sweep of Washington County (25-15, 25-15) and Frankfort (25-19, 25-17).
• Hanover was fresh off winning the title at the Axtell Invitational, beating Axtell 25-19, 18-25, 25-21 in the finals to cap a 5-0 showing. 
• Clifton-Clyde took the title at the Wakefield Invitational, going 6-0 on the day and beating Bennington 25-21, 26-24 in the finals.
• Marais des Cygnes Valley stayed unbeaten in Lyon County League play with a big sweep on Tuesday, handing Olpe its first league loss with a 25-16, 28-26 win. The Trojans also topped Waverly 27-25, 25-16, giving the Bulldogs their first league loss as well, to improve to 20-1 overall.
• Silver Lake has opened up a two-game lead in the Big East League after sweeping Royal Valley and Riley County on Tuesday, improving to 24-1 overall. The Eagles are 8-0 in league play while Jefferson West, Holton and Riley County all have two league losses. Holton and Jefferson West split on Tuesday night with the Tigers winning 27-25, 24-26, 25-17 and Holton taking a 25-9, 25-13 win.

 

• Osage City’s Jewelia Kitselman surpassed 1,000 career digs on Tuesday night.

 

• Abbie Ringel reached 1,000 career assists as Onaga swept Axtell and Washington County on Senior Night last week.

 

• West Franklin’s Kaylee Williams and Berkley Love each surpassed 500 career digs on the same night.

 
BOYS SOCCER STANDOUTS

• Washburn Rural went 2-01 at the Great River Fall Classic in Quad Cities, Iowa, a tournament that features some of the top teams in the Midwest. The Junior Blues beat Metea Valley (Ill.) 4-1 behind two goals apiece from Dylan Willingham and Brandon Hamilton and then took a 3-0 win over Evanston (Ill.) with Miles Cook getting the shutout. Rural capped the tourney with a 2-2 tie with Naperville North (Ill.), which is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Chicago. Willingham and Brodye Kocher-Munoz each scored in the contest. Rural has gone to the tournament 14 years and this year’s trip is just the fourth time the Junior Blues have come away without a loss, owning a 26-12-4 overall record at the tourney.
• Shawnee Heights’ Camden Granado has scored 17 goals in leading the T-Birds to a 7-1 start. He had hat tricks in back-to-back games last week and is more than halfway to Heights’ school record of 30 goals.
• Highland Park’s Jose Rivera Carrillo has 2 goals and 4 assists and Jose Hernandez has 2 assists and 17 steals.