Area cross country runners eye state bids Saturday
Published 10:20 pm Thursday, October 29, 2026
Local cross country runners will make their bids for a trip to the MSHSAA Championships in Columbia during district meets on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Kingsville and Crest Ridge will travel to Platte Ridge Park in Platte City, while Warrensburg, Knob Noster and Holden will travel to Jesse James Park in Kearney.
The top 30 individuals and top four teams advance to state. Below is a breakdown of each district, and the outlook for the race.
Class 4 District 4
Fresh off a MRVC West championship, Warrensburg will be seeking team qualifications for both sides of the program for the second consecutive season.
The boys will be chasing the chance of a district title, with Lincoln Prep favored to earn the feat according to Athletic.net. The two held the top two spots in the district last year.
Junior Travis King has the fastest PR for the Tigers this season with a time of 16:07.4, set during the Arkansas Chili Pepper Festival on Oct. 3. Freshman Beady Addis and senior Carson Hennrich will also be seeking to be among the top runners in the district.
The girls will be looking to earn a top-five team finish for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Sophomore Molly Christensen leads the Tigers this season with a PR of 20:35.2, set during the Arkansas Chili Pepper Festival. Senior Alex Kientzy is right behind with a PR of 20:55.4, also set during the Chili Pepper Festival.
Father Tolton and Kearney are projected to be the top two teams in the district. Warrensburg is slated to be third, though that projection includes reigning All-State runner Skyler Knight, who suffered an injury earlier in the fall.
The girls race is docketed for 10:30 a.m. The boys race is slated for 11:15 a.m.
Class 3 District 4
Both Knob Noster and Holden will begin Halloween morning in Kearney.
The Knob Noster girls, which finished fourth in the Class 3 Championships last fall, will be looking for their third straight district title. They are projected to finish second in the district, anchored by sophomore Lillian Bridges. She has a PR of 21:28.8, set during the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 26.
The Knob Noster boys are outside of the range of the top five teams, though freshman Tyler Dais is on track for All-District recognition with a PR of 17:45.7, set in Grain Valley on Oct. 3.
Junior William Claxton will be looking to qualify in the boys race, sitting with a PR of 17:52.5, set during the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 26.
Sophomore Jessy Stringer has the top PR for the Holden girls, sitting at 22:17.8
The girls run at 9 a.m. followed by the boys at 9:45 a.m.
Class 1 District 4
The Kingsville boys head into the postseason with unfinished business.
The Tigers finished third at state last season, and are seeking their third consecutive district title. Athletic.net indicates Kingsville is the favorite to win the state championship.
Kingsville has several of the top runners in the district, including Avery Barnes, who enters with a PR of 17:06.2, set during the Brian T. Simpson Invite on Oct. 10. Freshman Derek Merriot and sophomore Cole Smith are right behind, holding PRs of 17:21 and 17:30.2, respectively.
Crest Ridge junior Clayton Gower will be looking to make a state bid of his own, holding a PR of 17:56.8.
On the girls side, Crest Ridge sophomore Jaycee Gower will be seeking out a state qualification with a PR of 24:47.4.
Junior Peyton Kee holds Kingsville’s top PR with a time of 25:59.1.
The girls run starts at 9:30 a.m. followed by the boys at 10:10 a.m.
Joe Andrews can be reached at 660-747-8123.
