By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post Sports
The top three Class 5A runners all run at Lake Barton a week ago. The trio led the classification at the state championships Saturday morning at Rim Rock Farm outside of Lawrence. Great Bend sophomore Decorah Schroeter finished third overall in the Class 5A race. Several other area runners earned all-state honors.
Kapaun junior Ava Claassen, ranked No. 5 in the nation before last week's regional run at Lake Barton, won the 5A title in 16:59.16. Salina Central senior Kaylie Shultz, a Florida State-commit and the reigning 5A champion, finished second in 18:12.27. Schroeter beat the fourth-place runner by three seconds to claim the bronze medal in 18:34.99.
History repeated itself on the team side the the 5A private schools dominating the team scores. Aquinas beat the field with 69 points, followed by St. James Academy with 86 points, and Bishop Carroll with 96 points. Great Bend finished seventh overall with 194 points.
Sophomore Sydney Stein ran 38th for the Panthers in 20:38.07, followed by senior Bella Long in 39th in 20:38.26. Junior Samantha Negaard placed 73rd in 21:48.72, and sophomore McKenzie Gwin placed 76th in 22:29.09 for the final team points. Junior Alyssa Prendergast placed 83rd in 23:00.47, and junior Sydney James finished 85th in 23:06.73.
In the Class 5A boys' race, Panther junior Brogan Lashley finished 27th in 16:51.79 to miss all-state honors by just 14 seconds. Blue Valley Southwest junior Andrew Claar won the individual title by eight seconds in 15:45.01. Southwest edged De Soto by five spots to claim the team title with 53 points.
Rossman finishes second for Hoisington
The Class 3A championships were also held at Rim Rock Farm. Hoisington senior Brody Rossman nearly claimed an individual title, finishing second in 16:12.91. Riley County senior Jeter Adams won the 3A crown in 15:58.85. Russell freshman Grant Hoch claimed all-state honors in 19th place with a time of 17:02.33.
The Ellsworth girls just missed a team trophy by eight places in the 3A race. Hesston won the title with 69 points, followed by Southeast of Saline with 84, and Cheney with 139. Bearcat senior Molly Ehrlich ran seventh in 19:47.76, and junior Lakyn Beckman placed 14th in 20:24.85. Wichita Trinity sophomore Tylee Coleman won the race by 32 seconds in 18:40.31.
Ellinwood's Pohlman third, girls 6th in 2A
Ellinwood also had a runner in the championship mix at the 2A race in Wamego. Senior Ryan Pohlman finished third overall in 16:53.10, just eight seconds behind the silver and 31 seconds behind Kansas City Christian senior Caleb Warner. Sophomore Caleb Herrman placed 44th in 18:23.80.
The Ellinwood girls scored 183 points for sixth in Class 2A, just 17 spots behind fifth-place Marion. St. Mary's Colgan won the team title with 68 points, followed by Hoxie with 78. Berean Academy and Remington each scored 111 points, and Berean won the tiebreak for third.
Smith Center senior Madison Howland repeated as individual champion, winning by 17 seconds in 18:43.53. Ellinwood was paced by junior Eleanor Joiner in 13th with a time of 20:49.16 to miss the top 10 by 12 seconds. Junior Lexi Thomas placed 32nd in 22:03.31. Junior Ali Gonzalez ran 62nd in 23:03.03, followed by senior Madison Dombroski in 86th in 26:03.52. Sophomore Leah Steffan capped team scoring in 27:23.90 for 92nd. Junior Emma Dewey ran 100th in 32:23.85.
Valadez, Butler earn all-state honors in 1A
The Class 1A races were also held in Wamego. Goessel senior Eli Gaeddert won the individual title by 12 seconds in 16:21.18. Stafford senior Joel Valadez brought home the bronze in 16:35.71, just two seconds behind the silver.
Ellis sophomore Taryn Boydston won the girl's title by 20 seconds in 18:44.99. Macksville junior Kennedy Butler finished 18th overall in 21:24.24, less than a second out of 16th place.