Kingsville boys cross country wins school’s first-ever state title

Published 10:39 pm Saturday, November 7, 2026

By Joe Andrews

COLUMBIA — Kingsville boys cross country head coach Lee Smith didn’t sleep well in the weeks leading up to the MSHSAA Class 1 Championships.

The constant thinking about the possibilities ultimately led to the perfect scenario.

The Tigers captured the state championship Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Gans Creek Recreation Area, earning the first state title in Kingsville High School history.

“Going out that way, on top, there’s no better way to end the season,” Smith said. “It was just a weight off our shoulders and our school. We’re so proud to have the first championship in Kingsville history. That’s something the boys wanted, and they wanted to have their names on it.”

Behind seven personal bests, Kingsville scored 76 points, 22 ahead of runner-up St. Joseph Christian.

Senior Avery Barnes first learned of the feat shortly after he crossed the finish line, when a spectator informed him of the team’s tally.

“I forget who it was, but someone came over to me and told me that we won,” Barnes said. “On the inside, I got butterflies. It was an all staticky feeling. Then it’s kind of an emotional state of mind, knowing that we’re finally on top. A few of us ran so fast today that some of us were crying. That’s pretty sweet.”

Earning a championship is a goal Kingsville had its sights set on entering the 2026 season.

The Tigers came up short a year ago, finishing third in Class 1. While the result marked the first top-four team finish by any team in school history, it wasn’t the result Kingsville wanted.

Instead, the third-place finish became motivation for redemption. Athletes to run in both state meets include Barnes, Gideon Melling, Jack Ewing, Cole Smith and Levi Dennis.

“It’s going from zero to hero pretty much,” Barnes said. “Getting third, it’s pretty disappointing. But now we’ve actually done it. It’s an amazing feeling because it’s the first in school history. It’s the best we’ve ever done. It’s the best you can do. And we’re thinking about going back-to-back next year.”

The 2025 experience created poise for Kingsville, which also had an advantage over St. Joseph Christian during the Brian T. Simpson Invitational on Oct. 10 at Gans Creek.

Running then against St. Joseph Christian, along with other top opponents in Vienna and Van Far, gave the Tigers an idea of the splits they’d need in order to have a shot at a championship Saturday.

“I haven’t slept well in the last couple of weeks,” Lee Smith said. “Looking at all the times – we had some great competition in Class 1 this year. There were just some studs out there. That was our concern – where we were, do we match up with them. We’ve done pretty well this whole season.”

Two All-State performances anchored the Tigers.

Barnes had the fastest, resetting his own school record in 12th with a time of 16:41.3 – earning eight team points.

The finish gave him his third consecutive All-State showing. He finished seventh with a time of 16:58.8 as a junior and 16th with a time of 17:35.9 as a sophomore.

“He ran exactly what we were talking about today,” Lee Smith said. “He’s been showing up the entire season just being a leader out there. The boys look up to him. Everybody grinds off of him. They know that they’ve got to be on him if they want to run a good time today or any day … It’s just so nice to see him end his career this way after basically his sixth season with me because he ran for me as a sixth grader. Just seeing him, you know, from there to here has just been amazing.”

One of two freshmen in Kingsville’s lineup, Derek Meriot also posted an all-state finish, placing 18th with a time of 16:57.1 – earning 12 team points.

“It was so fast,” Meriot said. “I mean, seeing the older people just go up ahead of you, it’s mesmerizing. Kids are running in the high 15s. I want to be there one day.”

Melling, a senior, finished 31st with a new PR of 17:18.3, earning 17 team points. Ewing, a junior, finished 34th with a new PR of 17:24.5, earning 19 points.

Cole Smith, a sophomore, finished 37th with a PR of 17:27, clinching 20 team points.

Dennis, a junior, finished 40th with a PR of 17:31.9. Freshman Tyson Utterback finished 103rd with a PR of 18:39.5.

“We knew coming into today it was going to be a dogfight to be where we needed to be,” Lee Smith said. “We talked it to death about where we needed to be split-wise and how fast we thought times were. It ended up being, the sun came out, nicer weather than we expected. Things got faster. But they stepped up. It was just picture perfect the way they ran today.”

Before the cross country team finished third in 2025, the school had never recorded a top-four finish. Boys basketball went on to place fourth in winter 2025-26, while softball finished second in spring 2026.

Lee Smith thanked the community for its support of Kingsville cross country over the course of this year’s playoff run.

“It’s just nice to be able to bring something home for the community,” Lee Smith said. “We’ve got a lot of great athletes, but to have these guys be the first, it’s something to remember. It’s pretty incredible.”

Joe Andrews can be reached at 660-747-8123.