By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
A year ago the East Newton boys made it a goal to win their third-straight Big 8 championship in cross country.
The Patriots had to settle for second place.
Fast forward 12 months and East Newton headed to McDonald County on Tuesday with an eye toward reclaiming that top spot. They did just that, placing four runners in the top eight and cruising to a convincing win outside White Rock Elementary School in Jane.
“Last year we had some illness so at conference we didn’t win and they had won the previous two years and were trying to make it three in a row so last year was pretty disappointing when we finished second,” head coach Jake Holt said. “They had a goal coming into this meet to get that back and claim the Big 8 title. Our senior boys went 1-and-2 in the race and they’ve been an integral part of what we’ve been doing the last four years. They’re going to be missed tremendously, they’ve been great leaders and they’ve really brought those young kids along.”
Kelton Sorrell led the team with a first-place showing and a time of 16:50.54. Gabe Bergen followed in second place, less than two seconds back, and Chase Sorrell claimed third. Isaac Bales finished eighth and Nicholas Shaeffer took 16th. The team finished with six All-Conference performers, including Mason Silva’s 19th-place finish.
It was enough to finish 19 points ahead of Lamar.
“Our freshman, Isaac Bales, finished eighth just one spot off of the first team,” Holt said. “He didn’t get a lot of training this summer like the other guys so he’s just rounding into shape right now. Last time here he ran pretty well on this course. He’s getting stronger and more fit and he might have been the top freshman in the race. Mason Silva finished 19th, that’s another freshman that had been a football player and this is his first year with cross country. He’s steadily improving. Nick Shaeffer, our sophomore, ran very well being All Conference. I’m very proud of our top three guys going 1-2-3, that was fun to watch because the Julio Cruz kid from Monett finished fourth and he’s the real deal, he’s a powerhouse runner so to finish ahead of him is a big deal.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE RACES
Holt said he’s continuing to work with the team’s four, five and six runners to get closer together as a pack while also looking ahead to districts and state. Right now the team might be ranked No. 1 in Class 3 based on times, but Holt noted the courses vary.
“We’re probably in the top one to six,” he said. “It’s a pretty close group. They work hard and they were ready to go today.”
The top 21 runners earned all-conference honors.
Lamar’s top runner was Blaine Breshears, who finished sixth overall with a time of 18:11.61. Pierce Heins was 11th, Cameron Bailey was 12th and Jacob Morrison placed 13th, while Quintin Webb followed in 15th.
Cassville nabbed three All Conference finishes. Caleb Leach (18:16.66) led the way in seventh place, while Ethan Bohmke was 20th and Charles Elliott was 21st.
Monett was the only other school with multiple runners in the top 21. Julio Cruz placed fourth in 17:12.24, while Victor Salas (10th) and Kash Adams (17th) also earned All Conference honors.
Nevada’s Kaden Padgett (18:21.40) earned ninth place. McDonald County’s Hunter Leach (18:58.28) finished 18th overall. The top runner for Springfield Catholic was Parker Foster (19:36.38) who finished 25th. Logan-Rogersville was led by Ryder Randles finishing 14th in 18:42.87. Braxton Yost narrowly missed All Conference honors with a 22nd-place finish. Aurora was led by Joseph Hargus in 31st place with a time of 20:02.10. Marshfield’s Zach Mitchell took fifth overall in 17:25.40. Caden Chavez led Reeds Spring by placing 50th in 21:03.43.
Logan-Rogersville girls repeat as conference champs
There was no return to the top for the Rogersville girls. Instead, they just defended their title.
Despite not having a runner in the top six, and having only one in the top 10, the Wildcats made it look easy by showcasing the depth in their lineup. Helped out by five All-Conference finishers, Rogersville fended off Nevada by 10 points to earn the repeat championship.
On Tuesday it was Anna Snodderly leading the way with a seventh-place finish and a time of 22:12.28. Teammate Caelyn Wood followed in 11th, Aisley James was 16th, Grace Johnson was 17th and Tiya Retchloff finished 21st.
“That top seven group, any one of them could finish in the top five at any given time,” head coach Josh Hart said. “If they finished seventh today they may be three tomorrow. That’s how they are. They all compete. Our number one there, Anna Snodderly, she does a lot. She’s in advanced courses and programs and she’s in band so she hasn’t been with us a few of our meets and I was like we’ll be fine, we get Anna back in here and we’ve got a group of seven that’s just awesome.”
Wood finished 11th despite falling early in the race. Hart didn’t see it happen and later asked why she got off to such a slow start.
“She fell in the first 100 so she had to get up and carry herself back into the eighth scoring position,” he said. “You just go down the list and every one of those girls worked their butts off. We had PR’s like crazy on this course, and it’s a tough course. You’ve got a few hills there and you get to see a lot of runners back and forth so they get mentally fatigued on this one but they came out and ran hard.”
Lamar’s Kiersten Potter claimed the individual championship after finishing in 19:57.83, more than 45 seconds ahead of everyone else. Mikayla Madison placed 12th for the Tigers for All Conference honors.
Cassville’s Jolie Evans took fourth in 21:34.85 and Annie Moore followed in eighth place.
Nevada’s Allie Rains and Avery Morris each placed in the top six; Rains was fifth in 21:41.52 and Morris was seven seconds back in sixth. Madyson Majors (18th) and Xaveria Dawn (19th) also earned All Conference honors.
East Newton had three runners in the top 21: Alonna Eytcheson was third in 21:14.79, Elizabeth Barratt was ninth and Gracie Johnson was 15th.
Mary Jastal led Monett in 14th place with a time of 23:04.46. Sadie Camp placed 20th.
Aurora’s Kaci Singer placed second in 20:43.82. Hollister’s Katherine Schaefer was 10th overall in 22:41.0. Marshfield’s Alyxandrea Keifert took 13th in 23:03.25. Springfield Catholic was led by Madison Szura’s 23rd-place finish in 23:44.68. McDonald County’s Clara Horton finished 26th in 24:01.67. Reeds Spring’s Jenna Adams was 28th in 24:08.00.
Boys team standings
East Newton 27
Lamar 48
Cassville 96
Nevada 131
McDonald County 143
Springfield Catholic 150
Logan-Rogersville 150
Aurora 183
Marshfield 224
Reeds Spring 295
Boys 1st team All Conference
Kelton Sorrell – East Newton
Gabe Bergen – East Newton
Chase Sorrell – East Newton
Julio Cruz – Monett
Zach Mitchell – Marshfield
Blaine Breshears – Lamar
Caleb Leach – Cassville
Boys 2nd team All Conference
Isaac Bales – East Newton
Kaden Padgett – Nevada
Victor Salas – Monett
Pierce Heins – Lamar
Cameron Bailey – Lamar
Jacob Morrison – Lamar
Ryder Randles – Logan-Rogersville
Boys honorable mention All Conference
Quintin Webb – Lamar
Nicholas Shaeffer – East Newton
Kash Adams – Monett
Hunter Leach – McDonald County
Mason Silva – East Newton
Ethan Bohmke – Cassville
Charles Elliott – Cassville
Girls team standings
Logan-Rogersville 52
Nevada 62
East Newton 63
Cassville 96
Monett 112
McDonald County 145
Springfield Catholic 155
Girls 1st team All Conference
Kiersten Potter – Lamar
Kaci Singer – Aurora
Alonna Eytcheson – East Newton
Jolie Evans – Cassville
Allie Rains – Nevada
Avery Morris – Nevada
Anna Snodderly – Logan-Rogersville
Girls 2nd team All Conference
Annie Moore – Cassville
Elizabeth Barratt – East Newton
Katherine Schaefer – Hollister
Caelyn Wood – Logan-Rogersville
Mikayla Madison – Lamar
Alyxandrea Keifert – Marshfield
Mary Jastal – Monett
Girls honorable mention All Conference
Gracie Johnson – East Newton
Aisley James – Logan-Rogersville
Grace Johnson – Logan-Rogersville
Madyson Majors – Nevada
Xaveria Dawn – Nevada
Sadie Camp – Monett
Tiya Retchloff – Logan-Rogersville
