WAMEGO – Caleb Muehler said the quiet part out loud.
 
“I think every runner thinks they have the strongest kick,” the McPherson senior said of not only himself but his fellow cross country runners.
 
Well, Muehler’s belief in his kick was put to the ultimate test in Saturday’s Class 4A boys state championship race at Wamego Country Club. Already a the two-time defending state champion in the race, Muehler’s three-peat was very much hanging in the balance when he made the turn for the final stretch to the finish.
 
Not only did Muehler have some competition in Wamego’s Peyton Parker, but he was in the position of having to track his Red Raider rival down in the final 100 meters. If a third title was going to happen, Muehler was going to have to back up that firm trust he had in his kick.
 
Which he did. Mueler found some extra juice to pull slightly ahead of Parker as they made their way toward the finish and had just enough of it to hold of Parker to pull off the three-peat. Muehler won in 15 minutes, 54.28 seconds, less than a second ahead of Parker, who crossed in 15:55.25. 
 
“Peyton really pushed me,” Muehler said. “The last stretch, it was just grit.”
 

 
With the three-peat secured, Muehler joined an exclusive club of three-time state champions in state history. Haskell’s Billy Mills was the first to do it from 1954-56 and was joined by Hesston’s Dave Warders (1983-85), Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Steve Fein (1992-94), Riley County’s Ben Sigle (1994, 1996-97), Lawrence’s Chris Williams (1997-99), Baldwin’s Matt Noonan (1999-2001) and Fredonia’s Lane Boyer (2004-06).
 
And now Muehler.
 
“Once you do it once, there’s a certain expectation and that’s the new level,” Muehler said. “You just have to embrace it to live up to it. It’s just a testament to consistency and being patient and trusting yourself.”
 
Muehler’s patience was also put a bit to the test in Saturday’s race. In winning his first two state titles at Wamego, Muehler had traveled somewhat different paths.
 
His sophomore year was remarkably similar to this year’s race as Eudora’s Zach Arnold held the lead for much of the race before Muehler out-kicked him over the final 400 meters to win by .85 seconds for his first state title.
 
Last year was more about surviving the nasty conditions with a water-logged and sloppy course as much to overcome as the competition. Muehler pulled away from the pack over the first two miles and then held off a late charge by Chapman’s Drew Elliott to win by nearly four seconds.
 
After taking the title for the first time at the Wamego Invitational earlier this fall – beating Parker by nearly 10 seconds -- Muehler knew the plan he wanted to execute to make his run at a three-peat perhaps a little bit stress free. But Parker had other ideas.
 
“Honestly I had planned to go for it early on, like at the mile like I did earlier this year,” Muehler said. “But he was really just pushing it there. At that point, I knew I just needed to hang on at the end. The last 1,000 was really concerning, but I knew as long as I was there, I could pull it through.”
 
Parker never went away and was in position to pull the upset as they made the final turn. But 
 
“My strategy was to stick on with him the whole race and I did,” Parker said. “He’s just so hard to beat. He’s really good at this course. Up the hill, I thought maybe I’d broken away but then I heard Caleb coming right back.
 
“I thought I got him and I was feeling great, but he has another gear.”
 

 
Muehler began his career entirely new to the sport, not having run cross country in middle school. But with some prodding from coach Nik Rempe, he gave it a try his freshman year and fell in love with it immediately.
 
After a solid freshman season that saw him place 27th at state, Muehler went all in and the result is his place in state history.
 
“I think there’s been a big mentality shift for me,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I was surprised per say when I won it my sophomore year, but at that point I believed I could do it. But to actually do it was a whole other thing.
 
“Every year is different. I think this year I was able to be at peace with whatever happened and just trusted myself.”
 
Muehler and Parker finished well ahead of the field with Buhler’s Gavin Lindahl coming in third in 16:16.11, more than 20 seconds behind the lead duo. Augusta’s Jase Thomas finished fourth in 16:25.54 while Santa Fe Trail’s Bryce Roberts was fifth in 16:41.13.
 
Eudora’s Grayson Masterson (sixth, 16:43.88), Wamego’s Logyn Evans (16:45.80), Chanute’s Tucker Applegate (eighth, 16:48.39) and Jaron Powers (10th, 16:50.09) and Andale’s Jack Cutler (ninth, 16:49.96) rounded out the top 10 individuals.
 
Parker led Wamego to its second straight team championship as the Red Raiders put three runners in the top 12 and all seven runners in the top 24 to finish with 54 points, 45 ahead of runner-up Andale, which had two in the top 17.
 
CLASS 4A BOYS
 
INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
 
1. Caleb Muehler, McPherson 15:54.28; 2. Peyton Parker, Wamego, 15:55.25; 3. Gavin Lindahl, Buhler, 16:16.11; 4. Jase Thomas, Augusta, 16:25.54; 5. Bryce Roberts, Santa Fe Trail, 16:41.13; 6. Grayson Masterson, Eudora, 16:43.88; 7. Logyn Evans, Wamego, 16:45.80; 8.. Tucker Applegate, Chanute, 16:48.39; 9. Jack Cutler, Andale, 16:49.96; 10. Jaron Powers, Chanute, 16:50.09; 11. Easton Colborn, Chanute, 17:01.89; 12. Braxton Williams, Wamego, 17:03.47 13. Liam Johnson, Rock Creek, 17:03.92; 14. Ryan Cherry, Buhler, 17:04.51; 16. Carlito Lara, Pratt, 17:09.89; 17. Roman Lubbers, Andale, 17:10.14; 18. Luke Wylie, Wellington, 17:12.97; 19. Griffin Bloemker, Bishop Miege, 17:13.34; 20. Ethan Hakins, Mulvane, 17:18.32.