By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The old, "If you build it, they will come," phrase may be from a baseball movie but it applies to all walks of life. High school cross country is no exception. The Lake Barton course has been the home of several regional meets in recent years. Action returns Thursday morning north of Great Bend with a 19-team team invitational.
"Four or five years ago we had about five teams and we've built this up," said Panther cross country coach Lyles Lashley. "We have a great course. Having it on a Thursday morning helps the schools to be able to come and race in the morning time with the heat going on this time of year."
The Lady Panthers finished fifth in Class 5A last year and return a full squad plus some newcomers. Also competing at Rim Rock Farm last October was Salina South junior Katelyn Rupe, who set a Lake Barton Course record a week before setting the Rim Rock course record at state. Rupe is joined by freshman teammate Kaylie Shultz, who broke Rupe's old middle school records in the 800, 1600, and 3200m runs.
Also competing on the girls' side are Bishop Carroll and Hays, who finished seventh and 10th, respectively, in Class 5A last year. Maize sophomore Isabella Ponce is also a top-25 state finisher.
For Great Bend, junior Marissa Boone finished eighth at state last October and has already been featured in a KSHSAA Covered article as one of the runners to watch this fall. Senior Addy Nicholson also returns as an all-state runner.
The boys' side will include Maize senior Kaleb Glazier, who took the Lake Barton Course record from then-Panther senior Kaiden Esfeld during last year's regional meet. Glazier went on to finish second in Class 5A. Senior Alex Ayin also earned all-state honors for the Eagles.
Hoisington junior Kamden Tarlton leads local runners after a 22nd place state finish in Class 3A. The boys' race will also feature a Buhler team that slipped to second in Class 4A last year after winning four-straight championships. The Crusaders are on the short list of favorites for a title in 2023. Seniors Kaden Lohrentz and Layne Whisler each finished in the top nine at state, and all five Buhler scorers ran in the top-21 at Wamego last October.
Most of the 19 teams in action Thursday hail from the larger classifications, but the races will also include the likes of Hoisington, Central Plains, Otis-Bison, and Russell. All schools will race together but smaller schools will be scored separately.
"Some of the smaller school kids can get some really good competition," Lashley said. "It's nice to see them in there with the big schools. Having coached at Ellinwood, it's always nice to see what small schools can do against big schools."
Races begin at 9:30 a.m. with the girls' varsity race, followed by the varsity boys at 10. Junior varsity and C-team races will follow. After a short break to hand out high school medals, middle school races will begin at 1 p.m.