The Lead Pack🏃
looking ahead to the 6A boys & 5A girls + a good ol' fashioned re-brand
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KSXCT&F was unofficially started back in 2017, towards the beginning of my senior cross country season, but Twitter will say it was in December. We’ll compromise and say that the pieces began to move in September. If I’m remembering this correctly, I had just returned home from the Greg Wilson Classic, and was checking MileSplit every ten minutes or so to see the official results of the race, so I could compare both my team and myself to the rest of the field.
At some point during that process, my dad mentioned that he thought there weren’t enough resources for those involved both inside and outside cross country, or track & field. Besides MileSplit (who does a fantastic job), there was not enough attention surrounding either sport. So we thought, why not us? We began to brainstorm ways that we could bring this idea to fruition, and that’s when we decided that we’d give it a shot. Flash forward to that winter, and we created our Instagram and Twitter account, and the rest is history. What started with my dad posting results of meets on Twitter, has turned into a chance for us to share a sport we love, with over three thousand people across our accounts, and the couple hundred subscribers we have to the newsletter. We realized a while back that we’ve never formally introduced ourselves, so we think now is a perfect time to do that
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My name is Maxx Bradley, and I just graduated from Baker University in May, and Washburn Rural High School in 2018. I ran cross country and track & field at both, and recently decided to come out of retirement for a Turkey Trot in November. I’m currently an intern at Garmin, which made me realize that I should stay in shape to keep up with my co-workers. I mean nobody likes getting dropped. I’ve been writing this newsletter from the beginning, and am hoping to continue to grow both it and KSXCT&F as a whole.
My dad is Steve Bradley, who ironically never competed in cross country or track & field in his life, but he did run a time trial in high school because his football coach made him. He became a fan of the sport during my running career, and now he knows almost as much as me. He’s a VP at Advisors Excel in Topeka, KS, and without him, KSXCT&F wouldn’t be a thing. If you’re an active Twitter user, and you’ve ever wondered how nearly every single meet gets posted, you can thank him. He’s conjured up an elaborate database that allows him to find as many results as possible.
Anyway, hopefully that leads well into our next subject, a good ol’ fashioned brand change! I’ve always thought Kansas Running Weekly was a name that got our point across, but it wasn’t something that I thought was catchy or jumped off the page at me. Honestly, this new name could be dumb or worse in your eyes, but fingers crossed you keep it to yourself.
You can tell by the new title of the newsletter, we are transitioning to the era of “The Lead Pack.” What started with a long list of running terms and phrases, we narrowed down to a shorter list and eventually this phrase was left by its lonesome.
“What made you guys decide to go with such a great and catchy name?”
Great question! Honestly we liked the name and knew that it could be tied into both sports, and that’s about it. In the long run, this is still going to be a Kansas-focused newsletter, but at some point, we’d love to try and branch out to some surrounding states to grow the sport even more. Don’t worry though, we won’t forget our roots; this is Kansas content through and through.
All-in-all, I thought that an introduction would pair well with a re-brand, and I think it went decently well. I’m now realizing that this is taking up more time than I thought, so on to the content!
6A Boys
The fastest man in state history is back for his third season, and this time he’s the defending state champion. Shawnee Mission North junior Micah Blomker comes into the season the fastest man in the state, as the only man since 2013 to run under the fifteen minute barrier. He owns the two fastest times in Kansas history, as he broke fifteen twice last year, first at Olathe Twilight and then again at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships. However, it’s not going to be an easy task for the junior, as all four boys that rounded out the top five are returning for their senior year. Along with the top five, a strong bunch of boys return for another go. Wyatt Haughton and Carter Stewart lead the “Blomker Chase Pack” (trademark pending), and that pack has a lot of depth.
Micah Blomker 🦬
14.49.30 is a pretty fast time. So fast that no high school athlete in Kansas history has ever crossed the line faster. That’s what Micah Blomker is working with as he heads into just his third year of his high school career. He’s coming off of a state title last fall, where he took down the field by fifteen seconds, crossing the line at the Four Mile Creek Resort in Augusta in 15:25.30. Before his first state title, Blomker won four races, and finished runner-up at the Greg Wilson Classic, Sunflower League and the coveted Roy Griak meet in Minnesota. This past spring, the junior built his way up to a 9:07.12 3200m at state, which gave him his second runner-up finish in that event. He also took 5th in the 1600m, running 4:28.00. Regardless of what you may think, he’s the favorite and this is his title to lose.
Wyatt Haughton 🤺
Possibly the biggest threat to Blomker’s title defense is Shawnee Mission East senior Wyatt Haughton. Besides Tanner Newkirk of Topeka-Hayden, I don’t know if any distance runner had a better track season than Haughton. He ended the season with PR’s of 1:54.64, 4:11.00, and 9:17.83 in the 800m, mile, and the 3200m. Haughton also collected a pair of state titles in both the 1600m and 800m. The Lancer also was invited to the HOKA Festival of Miles, where he took second in the Elite Boys One Mile Run. Before his stellar season on the track, Haughton had a consistent and great season on the grass, taking second at state and lowering his PR to 15:18.97. If your jaw is still on the floor, don’t pick it up quite yet. Haughton was one of only two Kansans (Logan Seger/St. Thomas Aquinas) to beat Blomker in a race, as Haughton edged him out at the Sunflower League meet by just over a second. After his fierce track season, who knows what Haughton has up his sleeve.
Carter Stewart 🦅
The second fastest returner in 6A hails from Olathe East, the senior leader for the Hawks. Stewart, the fastest man in school history, returns and is eyeing a state title for both himself and his team. Stewart’s PR that came at Garmin RunningLane was a quick 15:17.41, making him one of only six Kansas boys to break 15:20 in 2021. Stewart’s junior campaign began very consistently, running between 16:03 and 16:02 three races in a row. He picked up two wins during the season as well, his first coming at the Emporia Invitational and his second at the Blue Valley Northwest Regional. Down in Augusta at state, Stewart came in 3rd behind the two athletes listed above him, and will look to finish even higher in October. He’s coming off a track season where he ran 4:22.52 in the 1600m, and a sub-two performance of 1:59.99 in the 800m. His squad and he, himself, took 4th in the 4x800m in 8:14.53 down at Cessna Stadium in May.
The rest of the chase pack is packed full of honorable mentions, and here they all are.
*(‘21 PR/2021 State Finish)
Henry Born (15:29.70/5th)
Sam Hurley (15:31.10/7th)
Devin Chappel (15:56.80/4th)
Jake Beauchamp (16:10.80/11th)
Tyler Burns (16:18.30/16th)
Prabhav Pagadala (16:20.10/N/A)
Bennett Meoli (16:20.20/24th)
Caden Peters (16:21.40/18th)
Trenton Sandler (16:22.50/N/A)
Parker Walion (16:27.70/30th)
In terms of the team race, it is up in the air and is anyone’s for the taking. The top five schools are separated by just 45 points, which can fluctuate in any direction once the gun goes off.
Olathe South, the defending 6A state champs are only losing two of their top seven, but when your two that you lose are Matthew Tolman and Rhys Allen, it’ll be a grind regardless. Luckily for the Falcons, they return Tyler Burns (16:18.30), Bennett Meoli (16:20.20) and Cole Burkholder (16:40.50), a trio of seniors who all finished within the top thirty last fall. The young duo of Dylan Plath (17:12.22) and Luke Ochs (17:22.40) will look to close the gap between both each other and the senior trio. The Falcons have the best 1-5 split (64.10) of these six teams, and if Plath and/or Ochs dip under seventeen, this will be a tough team to beat.
Olathe East and Shawnee Mission East are separated by a point in the projected team score. Each squad is led by their frontrunner, as Stewart and Haughton lead their respective teams. The Lancers are projected to have two additional medalists in addition to Haughton, with Caden Peters (16:21.40) and Benjamin Rodriguez (16:40.90) ranked within the top twenty. Evan Whittington and Rowan Gibson round out the top five, with 2021 PR’s of 17:21.90 and 17:39.60. East’s 2-5 are all within half a minute of one another, as Diego Barron (16:52.50), Ethan Ochana (17:08.53), Nate Barnes (17:09.42), and Brendan Wheatley (17:23.08) are sporting a 30.58 split. For Olathe East, their biggest “make or break” is the seconds they can put in between Barron and Barnes. The quicker it is, the more dangerous they are. Shawnee Mission East is in a similar situation to Olathe South. For them to perform to the absolute best of their ability, juniors Whittington and Gibson need to get as close to Rodriguez as they can, but I’m sure they already know that.
Garden City and Blue Valley North both have what it takes to make the podium, as they’re each led by an athlete ranked in the top ten, with Chappel leading the Buffaloes and Pagadala up front for the Mustangs. Garden City’s 2-5 are between 16:40.40 and 17:32.40, while North’s next four are between 16:22.50 and 17:32.50. Like each team I’ve covered, the best way to match the top strength of a team is to have the quickest 1-5 split as possible. Each of these programs are just off of the podium, time will tell if they’re going to pull it off.
5A Girls
If you asked me right now, right this minute, who I thought was going to win the team title or the individual title on the girl’s side in 5A, I’d briskly walk away and avoid the question. In my eyes, the 5A race is relatively open, but at the same time, not too open. That sentence would make a lot more sense if this were a podcast, so please read the italics as a change in my tone instead.
There are four girls returning from last year that broke nineteen in 2021. Piper’s Grace Hanson, Mill Valley’s Charlotte Caldwell, Topeka-Seaman’s Bethany Druse, and Blue Valley Southwest’s Izzy Ross. In terms of PR’s, Hanson stands alone from the other three thanks to an 18:11.71 she dropped at the Stateland Park course in Topeka last October. If you’re thinking that’s a fluke, or you’re just someone who loves to doubt athletes and any type of a relatively fast course, her PR before that was an 18:23.50 that she ran at Rim Rock Farm a little over a month prior. So ha!
Her junior campaign ended with three shiny new state medals added to her collection, including runner-up finishes in cross country and the 1600m, and a 4th place finish in the 3200m. Her PR sits roughly half of a minute ahead of the next runner, and I can imagine she’s been putting in her summer miles. I will say, she’s got a fast and hungry trio that aren’t too shabby themselves.
Caldwell and Ross were both freshman last year and come into the fall with a full year of experience under their belt. At state, both finished in the top ten, with Caldwell taking 3rd and Ross taking 8th. Both saw success last year, but each took a relatively different path from one another.
Caldwell ran behind two-time state champion (and two-time runner-up) Katie Schwartzkoph all season. The two were quite the duo, and a lethal 1-2 punch. In the five races where both toed the line, they were the first two Jaguar runners across the line in each and every one.
Greg Wilson Classic — 1st & 8th
Baldwin Invitational — 1st & 7th
Rim Rock Farm Classic — 2nd & 12th
KC XC Classic — 3rd & 16th
St. James 5A Regional — 1st & 2nd
5A State Championship — 1st & 3rd
Caldwell trained with one of the best in the state and was almost like an understudy preparing for a big role, and now that Schwartzkoph is running in Manhattan, Caldwell is playing the lead. She comes into her sophomore year as the second fastest in 5A and THE fastest sophomore in the state. With an 18:42.10 already in her repertoire, now it’s just a matter of how much time she can shave off between her and Hanson.
Not everybody has the chance to train with an athlete like Schwartzkoph as a freshman, but that didn’t matter to Blue Valley Southwest’s number one Izzy Ross. Ross burst onto the scene at the JK Gold Classic in Wichita, nearly breaking twenty in her first high school 5k. The very next week she completely skipped the nineteens, and set her PR of 18:55.40 at Olathe Twilight under the lights. She’d go on to break twenty four more times, solidifying herself as a consistent medalist. Different from Caldwell, Ross played a different role on the Timberwolves’ squad, as she was her team’s number one all eight meets. Both are talented athletes, and both have another three years to improve even more from their superb freshman campaign.
The fourth girl that I have yet to talk about is reigning 5A 800m champion, Bethany Druse. Last fall, Druse lowered her PR to 18:48.70, along with placing in the top eight in every race except two. She was consistently Topeka-Seaman’s lead runner, even leading her team to a perfect score at the 5A Topeka West Regional meet. At state, Druse took 6th in state in the next week, helping lead her Viking team to a 4th place finish. The best part is that six out of those seven from the state team (I think) are running it back this year with aspirations of a podium finish. Another advantage that Druse has on her competitors is her speed. Like I said in the first sentence, she recently won the 5A 800m at Cessna, meaning if she’s neck and neck with someone in the final stretch, “good luck Charlie”. 2:15.19 is some dangerous speed coming around the Jim Ryun Skyline come October.
You may be thinking, “Maxx, I think you forgot someone.” You’re absolutely right, I did. Another big name coming into the fall is of course the most recent 1600m and 3200m champion, Katelyn Rupe. She didn’t run cross country a year ago, she was busy medaling at the 5A state tennis meet instead. For a girl, let me be more precise, a freshman girl that can run 5:08.08 and 10:47.60, while also training for a different sport, even the sky may not be a limit. Granted, a 5k on rolling hills and grass is different than a 3200m on a flat track, but I’m confident she is up to the challenge. She’s been training with six-time state champion and Pittsburg State signee Jentrie Alderson all summer long, so she’s pretty fit. I don’t know what she can run for a 5k, but we’ll find out soon enough.
In the team race, you could argue that it’s between two teams, but honestly I don’t know if that’s fair to the teams right behind them. Based off their returners, St. James Academy is leading the way, with Topeka-Seaman, St. Thomas Aquinas, Great Bend and Mill Valley closely behind them.
St. James Academy
They’re returning four of their seven from a year ago, and are waltzing into the season with a potent 1-2-3 punch in Sophia Schultz (19:00.20), Allie Morfeld (19:21.00), and Katelyn Menghini (19:22.10). All three ladies are ranked in the top eight returners in all of 5A, and could potentially move up throughout the course of the season. Katie Price and Quinn Hays round out the Thunder’s top five, putting all scoring athletes in the top thirty-five in the field. In 2021 the team took 6th at state, but their fastest athlete Schultz did not compete, meaning the team was far from full strength. A sixth place finish without your number one? Seems a-okay to me, opens the door widely for what this team can do with a fully-healthy squad.
Topeka-Seaman
The Vikings lack the 1-2-3 punch of the Thunder, but they make up for it in a potential state champion in Druse, who is no stranger from running from the front and making the race her own. She’s supported by Joslyn Grace (19:30.28) and Stella Appelhanz (19:52.15), who are both under the twenty minute barrier, along with Anna Becker (20:13.10) and Leah Spurlock (20:36.18) who are knocking on the door of dipping below. With six of their seven state runners coming back, including their 1-2-3-5, this team could do anything they put their mind to.
St. Thomas Aquinas
Yes, they’re number one runner won’t be back, but at least five girls from the 5A runner-ups will be back and are looking to finish in the top two but not two (reference Drake). Similar to St. James, they’ve got a 1-2-3 in Sophia Spinello, Quinn Babcock, and Anna DiCarlo that are all under twenty (19:28.60, 19:45.10, 19:54.40) and probably won’t stay with those PR’s for long. The two other Saints scorers Lilly Mauk and Greta Kelley are sitting at 20:06.70 and 20:35.80, giving Justin Wrigley’s team a quick 67 second pack time.
Great Bend
Coming off of a podium finish by taking third behind Mill Valley and St. Thomas Aquinas last fall and returning a good number of that team for another round puts Great Bend in good position. They lost medalist Emilia Diaz and sixth runner Emma Loomis, but are led by Marissa Boone (19:39.30), Addy Nicholson (19:47.30), Diane Alvarez (19:48.80) and Eliana Beckham (19:56.30), who are all within seventeen seconds of one another, with Reese King under twenty-one in 20:56.01. If their pack time can shrink over time, watch out for the Panthers.
Mill Valley
Led by their star sophomore Caldwell, her sub-20 support crew in Meghan McAfee (19:34.10), and Kynley Verdict (19:45.50), the Jaguars have three returners ranked in the top twenty, with Laura Hickman (20:06.50) and Calsta Marx (21:46.50) completing their top five. Never count out a Mill Valley team, never.
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