Brody Anderson has heard it all.
 
He’s been told he’s injury prone, which to be quite honest, the Burlington senior has been. A severely pulled groin wiped out the end of his sophomore track season and a torn rectus femoris prematurely ended his junior season, and also threatened ending his athletic career as well.
 
He’s been told he’d never be as good as his older brother, Ty. Which was a lofty standard to meet anyways with Ty holding Burlington’s school records in both the 100 and 200 and capturing the Class 3A state title in the 200 in 2022.
 
“I’ve been doubted my entire high school career, by myself and others,” Anderson said. “I’ve been told I’m injury prone. I’ve been told I live in my brother’s shadow. I’ve doubted myself a little bit. I didn’t know if I was built for sports with some pretty major injuries throughout my career, especially last year.
 
“It makes all the hard work and all the literal blood, sweat and tears pay off. Nothing feels better than this moment.”
 
The “moment” was the one Anderson got to experience not just once, but twice at this year’s State Outdoors Track and Field Championships in Wichita. Erasing all the doubts that both he and others had throughout his career, Anderson swept the Class 3A state championships in both the 100 and 200.
 
And just to leave no doubts, he won both in record fashion.
 
Anderson set Class 3A state meet records in each event in the prelims, streaking to a 10.52 in the 100 to easily top the old record of 10.63 set by former NFL and Riley County great Jordy Nelson in 2003. His came back in the 200 prelims with a 21.27 to break the old 3A mark of 21.43 set a year ago by Hayden’s Finn Dunshee.
 
If that wasn’t impressive enough, Anderson came back in Saturday’s finals and not only backed his prelim performances up, but broke both his records with a 10.49 in the 100 and a 21.18 in the 200. The 200 time also set the all-time state meet record, coming in .11 faster than the 6A meet record of 21.29 set by Kansas City Washington’s Wendell Gaskin in 1991.
 

 
The setbacks in his career have been significant, but the comeback was even greater.
 
“I put in the work and here I am,” Anderson said. “Last year was a beat-down for me. So coming here and breaking the state records, that’s something I never dreamed possible.”
 
Anderson admitted after getting the news about his rectus femoris tear last spring, he thought his athletic career was over. He had originally injured the quad three weeks into the season, but didn’t know the severity of it until it completely tore at regionals.
 
Even then, he received a misdiagnosis of the injury and by the time he was diagnosed correctly, it was too late to re-attach the muscle, the only quadriceps muscle that crosses the hip and knee joints.
 
“It’s basically a non-functioning muscle now,” Anderson said.
 
In learning of the severity of the injury, Anderson said he was “at his lowest.”
 
“About two weeks after I got the news, I was in a slight depression,” he said. “I didn’t have any motivation or hope. But that’s not who I am. After I came out of that slump, I was going to everything I could to get back. But yeah, there was a point if I wondered if I was cut out for athletics, getting injured, coming back, getting injured again and having to come back again.
 
“But I had some amazing coaches who helped me out with things with my body, lifting, running and given me freedom. I can’t thank them enough. I’ve got the best coaches I could ever hope for.”
 
Working with an overseas trainer through online Zoom sessions, Anderson began his journey from annual season-ending heartbreak to senior season-ending record-breaker. He started his senior season with a big football season that saw him earn All-Class 3A honors from KSHSAA Covered at receiver and that success carried over to the track season after he opted not to play basketball to focus on track by running an indoor season.
 
The decision paid off this spring as Anderson, who had gone under 11 seconds just once his junior season, spent all spring well under that mark. He broke his brother’s school records in both the 100 and 200 and went into the state meet ranked No. 3 overall in the state in the 100 with a season-best of 10.45 and No. 2 overall in the 200 with a best of 21.11, a mark that ranks No. 9 all-time in Kansas history.
 
“I wouldn’t be here without my brother, for sure,” Anderson said of Ty, who now runs for Emporia State. “I’ve seen him work so hard for the past seven years. I’ve always wanted to be like him and he’s made me push.”
 

 
Anderson had some serious push on the track on Saturday as well in the form of Wichita Collegiate sophomore Timmy Ritchie. In the prelims, the Spartan speedster was right on Anderson’s heels, winning his 100 heat in 10.58 and his 200 heat in 21.46.
 
The 100 final lived up to the billing as the two were side-by-side from start to finish and neither could tell who had won at the photo finish. But it was Anderson who barely prevailed with his 10.49 just .01 seconds ahead of Ritchie.
 
After Ritchie went out and broke the 4A state meet record in the 400 with a time of 47.00 that ranks No. 5 all time in state history, he pushed Anderson to the limit in the 200 as well, settling for second by .28 seconds in 21.46.
 
“Timmy, he’s next up,” Anderson said. “He’s going to be the next great sprinter in Kansas if not the history of Kansas with the times he’s running as a sophomore. Some people were telling me coming into this meet, “Oh, you’ve got the 100 and 200.’ But never once was I sure I was going to come away with them at all. You saw the 100, I kind of tensed up at the end and it was super-close.
 
“Respect to Timmy. He’s the next big thing.”
 
But Saturday, Anderson held that title, completing his improbable journey.
 

 
SCHMITZ, SCHMELZLE LEAD AXTELL TO DOMINANT CLASS 1A THREE-PEAT
 
Call it the final jewel for the Kings of Class 1A.
 
In winning the Class 1A boys team title at this year’s state meet, Axtell completed its three-peat in convincing fashion. The Eagles won six events, sweeping all three relays titles, and finished with 90 points for the second straight year, capping a dominant three-peat.
 
It also concluded a triple crown of a different fashion for the school. Axtell also won state championships in football and basketball during the 2024-25 school year.
 
“Freshman year, we just put in the work, knowing we’d have something special going into high school with the guys we had coming in and the guys we had coming up,” Axtell senior Brandon Schmelzle said. “There are a lot of people that stepped up over the years. For this senior class, it shows what kind of leaders we have. It’s not one leader, there’s seven eight leaders.
 
“It was a dynasty and this was the last time to prove that we were special.”
 
Special indeed. Axtell’s senior class, which included six members on this year’s track team, accounted for eight team state championships throughout their careers. 
 
Four undefeated Eight-Player Division II state titles as well as an eight-man state-record 52-game winning streak that the Eagles will take into next season. One Class 1A Division II state basketball title, secured this March after two straight top-four finishes the previous two seasons.
 
And three straight Class 1A state track and field championships with the Eagles scoring 90 points for the second straight season after winning a tight battle with Kiowa County and Quinter in 2023.
 
“It speaks for itself and it feels amazing to do all that we’ve done,” Landon Schmitz said. “It just shows how hard Axtell and our team works.”
 

 
Schmitz did the heaviest of lifting for this year’s dominating title performance as the Eagles finished a whopping 56 points ahead of runner-up Kiowa County. The junior had a hand in four gold medals on the weekend, sweeping the 110 and 300 hurdles titles and running the lead-off leg on the Eagles’ winning 400 and 1,600 relays.
 
In doing so, Schmitz found a little bit of personal redemption.
 
A year ago, Schmitz was well on his way to sweeping the hurdles titles as a sophomore. He cruised to victory in the 110 hurdles to start the meet and was in position to add the 300 hurdles crown as well, leading going into the final hurdle and looking to upset favorite Bradley Bogert of Quinter.
 
But Schmitz clipped the final hurdle and that knocked him off stride for a step or two. The minor stumble was just enough for not just Bogert but Osborne’s Sam Kendig to bolt past him, relegating him to a third-place finish.
 
“I had it and then I clipped the hurdle,” Schmitz said. “Ever since that day all season, I was thinking about that. I should have won.”
 
Even with Bogert and Kendig both graduating last year, Schmitz’s path to the title that eluded him a year ago was anything but a lock. Bucklin’s Lucas Kirk had posted the best time in 1A in the 300 hurdles during the regular season with his 38.56 just slightly ahead of Schmitz’s best of 38.69.
 
Schmitz was right on his season-best time in qualifying with a 38.86 while Kirk qualified in 39.58.
 
“He gave me some competition,” Schmitz said of Kirk. “I just had to believe in myself and do what I do.”
 

 
Schmitz fought off a push from Kirk to defend his title in the 110 hurdles, winning in a season-best 14.72 to beat Kirk by .28 seconds. In the 300s, Schmitz took control of the race from the start and even in running a half-second slower than he did in the prelims, still beat Kirk by .70 seconds to get the sweep he narrowly missed out on a year ago.
 
“I wanted it bad,” he said. “I won it, but it wasn’t a very good race. I kept stuttering, but I got the win and that’s all that really matters.”
 
A year ago, Schmelzle had gotten a title of his own that had just been out of his reach when he won the long jump crown by two inches over Rock Hill’s Nate Meyers.
 
Coming into state this year with a best of 23-4 – a foot farther than any other 1A jumper had gone this season -- Schmelzle had his sights set not just on a title, but the meet record – a 23-0 set by Baileyville B&B’s Ed Broxterman in 1992.
 
He got off to a strong enough start, going 21-7.25 on his first attempt, a mark he wasn’t able to improve upon over his next four attempts, but still had held up as the top jump through five rounds. But the last round of the finals proved a little nerve-wracking as his fellow competitors took aim with Satanta’s Isaiah Manriquez and Otis-Bison’s Gavin Alloway both hitting 21-0 or better on their final attempts but falling short.
 
Spearville’s Ian Melendez, last year’s 1A high jump champion, however found his mark. On his final attempt, he soared 21-11.25, snatching the event lead away from Schmelzle.
 
“Before he jumped, I was back there getting ready to do, and I told coach, ‘Tell me if he passes me,’” Schmelzle said. “And he gave me the ‘2’ sign.”
 
The “2” became a “1” as Schmelzle answered the challenge and came up with a jump of 22-3.75 on his final attempt to secure his second straight championship.
 
“I had a bunch of adrenaline and that’s what I used,” he said. “I hit the mark just right and it felt really good. I had run the 400 before it and that’s the first time I’ve run the 400 so my legs were dead for long jump. I was a little worried.
 
“I was shooting for that state record since I’d jumped past it the week before. I was out here jumping 21s so it was a relief to get that 22 and win again.”
 

 
Schmelzle had added the 400 to his repertoire late in the season, running only a handful of times throughout his first three seasons and at just two meets this season before opting to give it a shot at state. After winning it at regionals, he was right in the hunt for a state title as well, but didn’t quite have enough to keep up with 1A leader RJ Allen of Ingalls, who took the title in 49.42, almost a second ahead of Schmelzle’s runner-up time of 50.31.
 
The 400 was one of three new events at state for Schmelzle, who last year placed top-eight in the 100 and 200 and also competed in the triple jump. This year, he turned his attention to relays and it was a golden decision.
 
He teamed with Schmitz, Eli Broxterman and Rilyn Buessing to win the 400 relay with the Eagles pulling out the win by the scantest of margins. With Buessing on the anchor, Axtell had the lead on the final straight away but Frankfort’s Carter Olson was charging hard.
 
Olson, the 1A champion in the 100, caught Buessing at the finish line, but Buessing was just able to out-lean his Twin Valley League rival to win in 43.60, .01 ahead of Frankfort.
 
“I was expecting him to be close to me, but I didn’t think it would be that close,” Buessing said. “It really scared me. I heard him coming and I knew I had to speed up. I got the lean in and being able to finish it off feels amazing.”
 

 
Schmitz, Broxterman and Schmelzle were joined by Lucas Talbot on the 1,600 relay that closed the meet with a victory as well, finishing in 3:27.33 to win by a second over St. John.
 
Axtell’s other event title came in the 3,200 relay early on Saturday as Wyatt Detweiler, Daltyn Heinin Colin Shaughnessy and Gavin Shaughnessy successful defended the Eagles’ title in the event from last spring, even losing distance standout Grady Buessing to graduation.
 
Gavin Shaughnessy added a third in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600 while Logan Sandmann took second in the high jump, losing out on the title on misses to Hutchinson Central Christian’s Jayden Linscheid. Detweiler and Broxterman also picked up medals with top-eight finishes in the 110 hurdles and javelin, respectively.
 

 
PRIME TIME PERFORMERS: RURAL’S 1,600 RELAY SHOWS CROWD WHAT IT MISSED IN 2024
 
When Washburn Rural won the Class 6A boys 1,600 relay title at last year’s state meet, there was something missing.
 
A crowd.
 
A lightning strike in the vicinity of Cessna Stadium occurred just before the running of the final race of the state meet, forcing the 6A field to wait out a weather delay that ultimately lasted three hours. Only seven of the eight teams opted to stay and run and only a handful of parents and coaches were on hand as Rural pulled off a minor upset in taking the title with a season-best 3:19.56.
 
With ideal weather conditions holding true throughout this year’s state meet, Rural had a sizable crowd on hand as it looked to cap the meet in golden fashion again. And boy did the Junior Blues put on a show for the fans.
 
The foursome of Matthew Houser, Liam Morrison, Draden Chooncharoen and Isaiah Terry wowed the fans with a winning time of 3 minutes, 16.23 – a mark that not only shattered the 6A meet record of 3:17.04 set in 2014, but also replaced the Hawks as the fastest 1,600 relay in state history. 
 
“You hear everyone yelling your name, it gives you that speed boost,” Terry said of having a crowd to perform in front of this year. “I think we were a second faster because of it.”
 

 
The Junior Blues had to replace one member off last year’s championship relay with the graduation of Shane Jueneman. But Terry got all the indication he needed as to how the new piece would fit when Houser approached him in the offseason.
 
“I run year-round because I want to improve every single year,” Terry said. “When Matt told me he wanted to run year-round with me too, I was like, ‘Let’s get this record.’ Sophomore year, we said we wanted to win state and junior year we won it. So this year, it was going for that state record.”
 
Houser drew the leadoff leg and pushed Rural out to an early lead before handing off to Morrison, who stretched the lead to nearly a full second over Wichita Heights. The Falcons closed the gap only slightly on Chooncharoen’s third leg, but once Terry got the baton in the lead, it was all over after he had already won the 6A state title in the 400.
 
His winning time in that was a 47.92, which gave him more than a half-second cushion over runner-up finisher Ryan Hartz of Olathe East. His anchor leg on the relay was even faster.
 
Spurred by the electric crowd, Terry sped to a 47.12 final lap the bring home the title and state record.
 
“When you put in the work day after day for an entire year – it means coming out and night and running workouts when it’s pitch-black out, running when it’s 20 degrees out,” Terry said of his progression as a 400 runner after placing just fifth at state in the open 400 last year. “When you do all that, racing is easy. After how I performed last year, I wasn’t going to lose again.”
 

 
“Terry’s just amazing,” Morrison said. “We lost one guy from last year and missed him a lot, but Matthew came in and replaced him. I got faster, Draden got faster. Everybody got faster and it was something we wanted to do. We got close (to that time) at league and knew this was the last chance to do it. We had to put it together.”
 
Right after Terry was putting the wraps on his 400 title, Morrison was in the blocks for the 300 hurdles. Unlike Terry, Morrison didn’t come in as the 6A leader in the 300 hurdles, that distinction going to Dodge City’s Elliott Williams.
 
But the margin between the two was slim with Williams’ season best a 38.64 and Morrison’s a 38.83. The race was just as tight as those numbers suggest.
 
Morrison and Williams were neck and neck coming down the stretch. But on the next-to-last hurdle, Williams’ trail leg clipped the hurdle in adjacent lane, knocking him a bit off stride. The Red Demon sophomore then stumbled coming over the final hurdle, and that was the opening Morrison needed to pull just ahead for the win.
 
He finished in 37.68 to edge Williams by .28 seconds.
 
“It was just like last year, I was in first, not supposed to win, Dodge City kid behind me,” Morrison said of a year ago when he battled Dodge City’s Carter Williams for the title with Williams taking the win. “This year I came out on top. All that work I put in on hurdling and endurance, getting over that last one, I kicked in and got the win.”
 

 
The victory was a major dose of redemption for Morrison, who had reached the finals of the 300 hurdles in each of his first two seasons.
 
As a freshman, he fell over a hurdle on the curve and wound up taking eighth. Last year as a sophomore, he was battling Carter Williams for the title going into the last hurdle where he again crashed and wound up finishing eighth.
 
Those shortcomings certainly served as fuel for this year’s title, but took some time getting over.
 
“It was a mental battle for sure,” said Morrison, who let his emotions out after he crossed the finish line. “Freshman year over there, last year on the last hurdle. I put in so much work the past two years and not being able to get it done, I’ve been dealing with that all year so it all just came out.
 
“At the end of the day, I had a victory over myself. I know I can do it now and next year we’re going to go even faster. Break 37. Just get better from here.”
 
Morrison also finished sixth in the 110 hurdles.
 

 
PEEK PERFORMANCE: HOLTON SENIOR GETS RECORD ON WAY TO DOUBLE GOLD
 
Brayden Peek said the blue arrow painted onto his bleached-blonde hair had no significance.
 
“It’s an Avatar symbol,” the Holton senior said. “It was just something we did for fun.”
 
Then again, it was also fitting. Blue arrows signify the mastery of all tiers of airbending and given Peek’s performance at the state meet, he could make the argument he mastered bending through some air on his way to two state titles, one state-meet record and a runner-up finish.
 
Sitting just fourth in Class 4A 400 rankings going into state, Peek summoned the race of his career in the finals to win the title in record-setting fashion. He followed with a second victory in the 800, where he had only the sixth-best 4A time prior to the state meet.
 
“It was definitely a goal to get both,” Peek said. “The record was just extra incentive.”
 
Peek had spent much of his senior season breaking his own school records in the 400, 800 and high jump, taking his 400 time to a 48.96. Still, that had him trailing 4A leaders Jensen Schrickel of Hayden (48.30), Jamaal Jackson of Labette County (48.49) and Jace Weller of Clay Center (48.85).
 
An injury kept Schrickel – last year’s 3A champion in the 400 – from competing at state in the event this year and Weller ran the 100 and 200 instead. But Jackson remained and qas the top qualifier on Friday.
 
On Saturday, Jackson had even more momentum, having won the 100 state title earlier in the day, tying the state meet record in the process. But Peek found a different gear in the finals and powered past Jackson for the win in 47.70.
 
That broke the meet record of 47.98 set by Tonganoxie’s DJ Lindsay in 2010 and matched by Jackson in his runner-up finish.
 
“I knew he had the top-end speed,” Peek said of Jackson, who went 10.65 in his record-tying 100 victory. “I was just hoping I could beat him with the speed-endurance and I made it happen.”
 

 
Peek’s speed-endurance combination also paid big dividends in the 800 as he turned a two-second deficit to Pratt’s Carlito Lara after the first lap into a runaway win by a second and a half, using a 57.49 final lap to finish in 1:54.65 – his season best by nearly three seconds.
 
The double-gold showing helped ease whatever disappointment Peek had from Friday after coming up short of a third gold in the 4A high jump.
 
Peek had broken his school record with a 6-6 earlier this season, trailing only one other jumpers in 4A – Wamego’s Slade Smith. When Smith had a miss on his first attempt at 6-4, it opened the door for not only Peek but Chanute’s Easton Colborn, Bishop Miege’s Liam Tesmer and Pratt’s Arley Morrell, who all cleared the height on their first attempt.
 
But Smith got over 6-4 on his second attempt and then cleared 6-6 on his first try. Colborn, Tesmer and Morrell all bowed out at 6-6 while Peek needed three attempts before getting over. Smith applied the pressure again with a first-attempt clearance at 6-8 and Peek wasn’t able to answer, going out at that height.
 
“I matched a PR, so I was happy about it,” Peek said. “And he’s my future teammate so I was glad to lose to him.”
 
Peek and Smith have both signed with Washburn but had to put their budding friendship aside for the competition.
 
“It was a lot of motivation and we’re like family now,” Smith said. “I went up and talked to him when we were the last two left and said, ‘Let’s go, we’re family.’ It was a lot of fun.”
 

 
After his early miss at 6-4, Smith got into a pretty good groove. He cleared 6-6 and 6-8 with ease on his first attempts – the latter matching his school record – and then after missing his first try at 6-9, got over that height as well.
 
On his opening try at 6-10, it appeared Smith had gotten over that height as well. But after he landed in the pit and was starting to make his way off the mat, the bar fell.
 
“It was extremely close, I just barely nicked it on my backside,” Smith said. “I’m going to be honest, I didn’t feel it at all. My coach showed me the video right after it and it was so close.”
 
Smith didn’t come nearly as close on his final two attempts, but could hardly be disappointed with his showing and the gold medal.
 
“It was kind of painful (not getting it), but I know I’ll be able to get it sometime,” Smith said. “I had a lot of hopes for it. Continuing my school record was big, but 6-10 was definitely the main goal.”
 

 
Smith was one of two champions for Wamego. The Red Raiders won the 3,200 relay for the fourth straight year, but this time did it in record fashion.
 
The foursome of Peyton Parker, Isaac Ibendahl, Tony Shea and Braxton Williams finished in 7:55.56, smashing the previous 4A meet record of 7:58.83 set by Mulvane in 2009. The Red Raiders needed to be that fast as Williams out-kicked McPherson anchor and 3,200 champion Caleb Muehler down the stretch with the Bullpups just behind in second with a 7:56.21 that also was more than two seconds faster than the old record.
 

 
FAVORED OR NOT, OSAGE CITY DUO BRING HOME 3A TITLES
 
As the top javelin thrower in the state this year going into the state meet, Kasen Parsons’ Class 3A state title in the event wasn’t that much of a surprise.
 
The one his teammate Quenten Stark claimed in the high jump, however, was.
 
Four jumpers in 3A had gone 6-4 or higher this season with Lakin’s Austin Ritesma having cleared 6-6. But only one cleared that height at state and it wasn’t any of the previous four.
 
Instead, it was Stark, who cleared his career-best on his second attempt to earn the state title.
 
While Stark was having a career day, Parsons was struggling to find the form that had made him one of only two javelin throwers over 200 feet this season, leading all classes with a 203-3. He sat just fourth coming out of prelims with a best of 176-1 and by the time he hit the runway for his final attempt he was in fifth place.
 
And it was going to take everything he had after Beloit’s Brooks Jones delivered a career-best 196-7 on his second throw of finals. But when he needed it, Parsons found it.
 
The Indian junior uncorked a 197-9 on his final attempt and Jones only mustered a 176-10 on his final attempt, giving Parsons the state title.
 
“My throws were off at the start, but I stayed focused, trusted my training, adjusted and gave it everything I had on my last throw,” Parsons said. “Experiencing state and winning was unbelievable and something I will never forget.”
 

 
OTHER NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS BOYS CHAMPIONS
 

•  Runner-up in the Class 1A 100 a year ago by just .13 seconds to Kiowa County’s Brock Deterding, Frankfort’s Carter Olson got his revenge this year. After qualifying first out of prelims with a 10.92, Olson blazed his way to a 10.83 in the finals to win by just .04 seconds over Wichita Independent’s Aaron Shadid (10.87) and .06 seconds over Deterding (10.89) with Weskan’s Karsyn Wright just .12 back.

 
Olson nearly came up with a second gold as he looked to anchor the Wildcats to their second straight 400 relay title. Closing hard on Axtell anchor Rilyn Buessing, Olson fell just short, .01 to be exact as the Eagles won in 43.60.
 
He also took third in a thrilling 200 final with Shahid edging Deterding by .006 seconds with both clocking 22.23s and Olson .07 back in 22.30.
 

 

•  Southeast of Saline’s Tate Nurnberg successfully defended his state title in the Class 3A triple jump, soaring 45-6 to win by a foot and a half over Riley County’s Jace Woodard, who had a best of 43-10.25. Nurnberg also won the 3A high jump title in 2024, but only jumped twice in the event all year and didn’t compete at regionals or state in it.

 

 

• Lebo’s Caleb Durst came away as a state champion for the second straight year, albeit in a different event. Durst won the Class 1A 1,600 a year ago, but couldn’t fight off Ness City’s Broxton Gall for the title this year. The two were stride-for-stride coming down the final stretch but Gall just out-leaned Durst to win by .04 in 4:29.51.

 
Durst didn’t leave without state gold. Fueled by his near-miss title defense, the Lebo senior hung on the shoulder of Quinter’s Hans Deaton for the first lap of the 1A 800 and then kicked things home with a 59.06 final lap to win the title in 1:57.84, nearly two seconds ahead of runner-up Jude Nelson of Pratt-Skyline, who went from sixth to second on the final lap.
 

 

• State runner-up a year ago in the 2A pole vault, Chase County’s Luke Budke was the favorite this year as the only vaulter in 2A to clear 14 feet during the regular season. He missed out on getting that height at state, but cleared 13-6 on his first attempt and that earned him a win over Southeast-Cherokee’s Trey Sol Galindo.

 
Sol Galindo also cleared 13-6 on his first attempt, but had had two missed at 11-6 to start the competition that ultimately cost him the title. Budke had passed until the bar went to 13-0 and made his first attempts at both 13-0 and 13-6.
 

 

• With two laps to go in the 1A 3,200, Olpe’s Kaleb Arnold made his move and it yielded a state title. Arnold was sitting third at the 2,400 mark, but picked off race leader Joshua MacKinney of South Barber on the seventh lap and then streaked to a 1:05.86 on his final lap to win in 9:50.87, nearly three seconds clear of MacKinney’s runner-up showing in 9:53.42.

 

 

• Chapman’s Drew Elliott used a big-time kick to bring home the title in the 4A 1,600. Elliott was third going into the final lap behind 3,200 champion Caleb Muehler of McPherson and North Central Kansas League rival Peyton Parker of Wamego, trailing both by more than a second.

 
But Elliott let it all hang out on his final lap and his 57.73 smoked the field as he won in 4:19.81, beating Parker by more than four seconds with the Red Raider overtaking Muehler for the runner-up spot in 4:24.30.