With his runners enjoying a rare Saturday off, Bryant Wright spent the day practicing with his bow, reading, catching bass and finishing it off with a leisurely run.
The head coach of the Festus boys cross country team, the defending Class 4 state champions, has retired from teaching and turned over the Tiger girls program to Wes Armbruster two years ago. But he seems to have unfinished business with the boys, whom he has guided to 11 state titles, including eight in a row from 2014 through 2021. That’s two short of another state coaching legend, Joe Bill Dixon of West Plains, with 13. Dixon also has 12 girls’ state championships on the books, compared to two for Wright (2014 and 2017).
Hillsboro snapped the Festus eight-year streak in 2022, but the Tigers surged right back to the top last November, holding off Platte County by eight points.
Already a two-time state medalist, junior Carson Driemeier (third last year in 15:14.1) gives Wright the No. 1 runner he wants to lead the pack. But Wright also knows state titles are won on the back end of the team.
“Our strength needs to be our five, sixth or seventh guy,” Wright said. “We were beat (at state) last year until our fifth man. The back end of our team has been a strength of ours over the years. The top three guys get all the medals but 4-6 help win races. Never rule out the seventh guy. He can be a point pusher or your fourth guy on your team.
“We’ve turned a good corner in our practices. It was brutal with the heat, but the kids did a good job responding and had some decent practices. They seem to be working hard.”
The Tigers started the season Sept. 4, winning the Fleet Feet Classic with 60 points on the two-mile course at Arnold City Park. Driemeier, the defending Jefferson County Activities Association champion, won in 9:41.40. Senior Tate Uding was the next Tiger to hit the finish chute, ninth in 10:00.7. Uding was 13th in the state last year in 15:50 on the five-kilometer state course at Gans Creek in Columbia.
“Carson looked a little off, but that’s OK, we had a decent workout (Sept. 2),” Wright said. “It was a decent time. We basically got average races at Fleet Feet. Some of our younger guys ran their best time by three or four minutes.”
At the Class 4 state track and field championships in May, Driemeier was fourth and Uding sixth in the 1,600-meter run. Driemeier won the 3,200 in 9:17.48. The two runners who finished ahead of Driemeier at state cross country last fall were seniors.
“He looks good in workouts,” Wright said. “We’re trying to give that 100 percent effort. He’s got some lofty goals. I think he’s the kind of guy who wants that to happen and is willing to do what it takes. He considers himself to be the No. 1 on our team.
“We have a really good team,” Uding said. “We lost two of our top seven, but we have guys coming back from injury and we have a good shot.
“I like the legacy of being part of it. When we show up at races, people know who we are. The program is strong enough (that) even when we don’t race well, we can pull out a victory.”
Backing up Driemeier and Uding are seniors Lucas Campbell, Aidan Cole, Lucas Kavanaugh and Trevor Bayless. Campbell (40th), Cole (56th) and Kavanaugh (98th) ran at state last year. Wright said the junior varsity is already off to a fast start, providing more depth. Uding, Campbell, Bayless and Cole all finished in the top 28 at Fleet Feet.
“We can put nine guys in our varsity race,” Wright said. “We need to figure out the top seven.”
The Tigers will enter their top runners in Saturday’s Forest Park Cross Country Festival in St. Louis. After that, they’ll race just about every weekend until November. The Missouri State High School Activities Association hasn’t released class and district assignments for cross country yet.
“I’m more of a proponent of not running as many races,” Wright said. “Some teams run 10 or 11. That’s not what I want to do with my team. Mostly, our varsity run seven or eight races.”
Wright said he’s always looking for runners who give 100 percent in every race, regardless of the conditions on the course. That way, as the season goes on, each race builds confidence and strength for the next.
“We don’t care where (MSHSAA) puts us (in class and district assignments),” Wright said. “Over the years we’ve been successful at that. Webster Groves had a good showing (fourth in Class 4 last year) and we know they’ll be good. Platte County is considered a team to deal with. So is West Plains. At this point in the year, I’m trying to make sure my athletes are doing the best they can in practice. Especially my younger athletes. There’s always four teams at state that can beat you.”
Wright said the JCAA might not be as strong from top to bottom this season.
“In the past, if you got second in our conference, you had a good chance at being in the top four at state.”
Last year the Festus girls were back among the state trophy winners (top four teams) for the first time since 2018 when the Tigers finished third, four points behind runner-up West Plains. Six runners return from that team.
The Tigers are the defending JCAA champions and sophomore Kendall Counts and junior Katelyn Thurman finished first and second in the conference race.
However, sophomore Lucy Boyer could challenge for team leadership. Last year Boyer missed winning a state medal (top 30) by one second. The Tigers were fourth at last week’s Fleet Feet meet and Thurman had their top finish (14th, 12:40.6). Boyer was next (22nd, 12:54.1). All three qualified for state in track last spring, with Boyer and Thurman members of the all-state 4x800 relay, along with sophomore Bailee Tolbert.
“Lucy, Kendall and Katelyn are the runners who get the most attention,” Armbruster said.
Seniors Alyssa Collins and Camrynn Gildea, junior Olivia Cole and sophomores Kayla Rousseau and Hannah Blessing are all pushing into the top seven.
“This group has been super-committed,” Armbruster said. “Collectively, 19 girls have logged over 5,000 miles of running this summer.”
The Festus girls also will run Saturday at Forest Park.
“Our team is focused on becoming the best versions of ourselves, both as individuals and as a team,” Armbruster said. “If we can achieve this goal, we will have the opportunity to be a factor in the postseason.”
The Missouri State High School Activities Association releases class and district assignments for cross country Friday. Here are capsule reports on each team in the Jefferson County Activities Association as well as independent St. Pius X of Festus.
De Soto Dragons (JCAA)
BOYS
2023: Class 4 District 1
Coach: Robert Hyde (fourth year)
Top runners: seniors Clayton Huck, Brennan Brady; junior Carson Koerber; sophomores Cruz Anders, Clayton Rozycki, Jacob Schuenemeyer.
Finish line: In a packed field of Class 3-5 runners at the Fort Zumwalt North Twilight Meet in St. Charles Sept. 5. Koerber finished third in 16:13.80. Koerber showed he’s one of the most talented distance runners in the county after he placed 14th in 15:52 at state last fall and then fourth in the 3,200 at the state track and field championships in May. Hyde said Anders was one of the top freshmen in the state last year and Rozycki and Schuenemeyer had strong first seasons as well. Team leaders Huck and Brady have helped lift the team’s performance and put in an outstanding summer of running.
“We have been improving consistently over the past few years and we expect to make the next step to becoming more competitive,” Hyde said. “We are well aware of the tradition of Jefferson County cross country with great programs such as Festus, Herculaneum and Hillsboro and the respect they have earned throughout the state. We are looking to take a seat at the table this season and we are excited for the opportunity we have in front of us.”
GIRLS
2023: Class 4 District 1
Coach: Robert Hyde (fourth year)
Top runners: seniors Mya Bell, Autymn Crady; junior Dessie Weidner; sophomore Katelyn Strawhun.
Finish line: With Jailey Pigg graduating, the Dragons seek new candidates to represent them at the state meet. De Soto placed third in the state in 2018 and second in 2019, and have featured talented runners like Pigg, Kayla Vogelsang and Lillie Kaempfe, but they haven’t been able to put together five or six girls at a time to make a trophy charge at state. Bell and Crady are the leaders, but neither ran in many races last season. Strawhun had a strong freshman campaign; freshman Gracie Maijala is in the varsity mix. Weidner has shown marked improvement in her first two years.
“We have two seniors and the rest are predominantly sophomores and freshmen,” Hyde said. “We are excited to continue to come in each day and make progress in rebuilding the program over the next few years. We feel confident that we will make tremendous strides throughout the season and be able to run our best when it matters most.”
Grandview Eagles (JCAA)
BOYS
2023: Class 2 District 1
Coach: Scott Meyer (ninth year)
Top runners: seniors Gavin Howerton, Hayden Pruitte.
Finish line: Howerton (116th, 12:39) and Pruitte (140th, 13:00) competed at Fleet Feet.
“Gavin and Hayden are looking to accomplish personal goals this year,” Meyer said.
GIRLS
2023: Class 2 District 1
Coach: Scott Meyer (ninth year)
Top runners: senior Katelyn Terrell; junior Morgan McClelland; sophomore Ellie Kutrip.
Finish line: Terrell, McClelland and Kutrip led the Eagles to a 10th place finish at state last season. Terrell won a medal at every meet last year, including at state, where she finished 29th in 21:21.2. At Fleet Feet, Terrell was the top Grandview runner in 61st, clocking 13:47.3. The Eagle boys and girls run their first 3.1-mile (five kilometer) race at Arcadia Valley on Saturday.
Herculaneum Blackcats (JCAA)
BOYS
State titles: 13 (1977-1983, 2003, 2007-2008, 2010, 2011, 2021)
2023: Class 3 District 1
Coach: Kyle Davis (13th year)
Top runners: seniors Nate Wright; juniors Brandon Marshall, Nathan Clampet, Ethan Grosbauer; sophomores Preston Wallman, Dane Dixon.
Finish line: The Blackcats are tied with West Plains for the most boys state titles and would love nothing better than to pull ahead of the Zizzers this year. Since Davis became head coach, Herky has won a team trophy every year but 2013, 2016 and 2020. In another testament to how competitive the JCAA race is, Wright (nephew of Festus boys head coach Bryant Wright) was seventh in the conference and sixth (15:58.8) in the state. This year, he’ll have to do it without running buddy Sam Vaughn, who graduated after finishing third in the state and competing on three top-four teams. During track season, Wright was third in the state in Class 3 in the 1,600. Marshall (69th) and Clampet (124th) ran at last year’s state cross country meet as well. The Blackcats were ninth at Twilight with 252 points; Wright finished sixth in 16:28.4. Herky will need to tighten up the pack as No. 2 Marshall was 40th in 17:32.3. The Blackcat boys and girls are at Arcadia Valley on Saturday. The two fastest times in school history are Vaughn’s 2023 state time of 15:37 and Jonathon Coffman’s 15:37.6 in 2019.
“Nate will be our clear number 1 on the boys side,” Davis said. “He’s setting himself up to run the fastest 5K in Herculaneum cross country history.”
GIRLS
State titles: 11 (1982-1985, 2001, 2006-2009, 2011-2012)
2023: Class 3 District 1
Coach: Kyle Davis (13th year)
Top runners: junior Claira Davis; sophomores Finley Hamtil, Emerson Reeves.
Finish line: Claira is Kyle’s daughter and their top returning runner after her 55th-place state finish in 20:42.6. Hamtil was 83rd in 21:25.3. Davis and Hamtil ran ninth and 10th at JCAAs. The Blackcats finished sixth at Twilight with 181 points. Davis, freshman Amaya Ferguson and Reeves finished 36th through 38th, within four seconds of each other, and Hamtil was not far back in 43rd.
“For the girls, our big strength this year is that we’ll have five to seven girls who could be interchangeable,” Davis said.
Hillsboro Hawks (JCAA)
BOYS
State titles: 1 (2022)
2023: Class 4 District 1
Head coach: Tom Gordon (17th year)
Top runners: seniors Landon Pogue, Kayden Heffron, Sam Pierce, Sam Stuart, Stephen Atwell, Kyle Moore, David Luster; junior Adam Ruiz; sophomore Will Luster.
Finish line: A three-time state qualifier and two-time medalist, last season Pogue finished 10th in the state in 15:47 and was fourth in the conference. Pogue was the top Hillsboro runner in 15th in 16:46.8. The Hawks placed 14th with 385 points in a field that included some of the top schools in Class 5.
Pogue, Pierce and Heffron will provide a great trio of frontrunners, while Stuart, Atwell and Moore build on their experience the past few years.
“We are senior-heavy this year and I am leaning on them for their leadership,” Gordon said. “My expectations for them are to work hard every day in practice and compete to finish in the top four as a team in every meet.
“This is a very close group. They hang out together and include each other on group runs and team-bonding activities on the weekends.”
GIRLS
2023: Class 4 District 1
Coach: Katie Lauterwasser (first year)
Top runners: seniors Jillian Mayer, Ellie Ludwig; junior Becca Roettger; sophomores Ava Pingel, Madison Pritchett.
Finish line: The last Hawk girl to win a state medal was Savannah Brown, who finished 16th at the Class 3 state championships in 2002. Hillsboro has consistently sent girls to state in this decade, but was shut out in 2023. Pingel has worked extremely hard during the offseason and was the top Hawk at the Twilight meet in 23:47.7. Mayer, Ludwig and Roettger should make big jumps this season. Hillsboro’s next meet is Saturday at the Stan Nelson Invitational at the Northwest Early Childhood Center in House Springs, featuring one of the fastest courses in the state.
“My expectations for this coming season are for the girls’ hard work and dedication to shine through and hopefully they will make it past districts,” Lauterwasser said.
Jefferson Blue Jays (JCAA)
BOYS
2023: Class 2 District 1
Coach: Charity Heacock (first year)
Top runners: juniors Braeden Caldwell, Ethan McVey, Levi Heacock, Matthew Waltman; sophomore Bryant Horn; freshman Karter Bradshaw.
Finish line: Caldwell and McVey are new additions and are already showing great leadership and making an impact. Horn won a state medal (23rd, 17:21) as a freshman and Charity’s son, Levi, was 62nd in 18:19.4. The Jefferson boys and girls will run at Forest Park Saturday. Charity’s daughters, Anna and Jordan, were all-state athletes in cross country and track and field at Jefferson before going on to collegiate Division I careers.
“The boys have been working hard all summer and are looking strong,” Heacock said. “I expect them to do well since they have been working so well together as a team. They are goal-driven and have a plan for the season.”
GIRLS
2023: Class 2 District 1
Coach: Charity Heacock (first year)
Top runners: seniors Ayla Karch, Payton Easter; juniors Emerson Selsor, Addison Meyer; freshmen Ella Waltman, Lily Ehrhardt.
Finish line: The Blue Jays finished third in the state in 2018 for their only top-four finish. After finishing third in the JCAAs last fall, Selsor took second at state in 19:29.7, just five seconds behind the winner, and was joined by Karch (44th, 22:05) and Easter (58th, 22:29.1).
The top three girls runners in Class 2 last year were all sophomores. In her first race of the season at the Jackson Invitational Aug. 31, Selsor finished third on the two-mile course in 14:02.4.
“The girls are welcoming our new freshmen into the mix and they are all pushing each other to lower their times,” Heacock said. “I am excited to see what the season brings.”
Crystal City Hornets (JCAA)
BOYS
State titles: 1 (1984)
2023: Class 1 District 1
Coach: Kira Gentry (first year)
Top runners: junior Nathaniel DeClue; sophomore Matthew Sheets; freshmen Thomas Chester, O Silva-Noah.
Finish line: DeClue is the Hornets’ most experienced harrier. Gentry was an assistant for Ken Jones for the last six years.
“One advantage of a younger team is that we can continue to develop over the years,” Gentry said.
GIRLS
State titles: 1 (2015)
2023: Class 1 District 1
Coach: Kira Gentry (first year)
Top runners: freshman Karly Klamert.
Finish line: The Hornet boys and girls are at Arcadia Valley on Saturday.
Windsor Owls
BOYS
2023: Class 4 District 1
Coach: Sally Helton (first year)
Top runners: senior Evan Fraser; juniors Colton Mohart, Matthew Muessig, Brandon Rapp; sophomores Jon McCain, Nathan Akers; freshmen JD Schlarmann, Jacob Brown.
Finish line: Fraser has been working hard while splitting his time between cross country and the Owl marching band. Rapp and Muessig showed dedication to their summer training plan and hope that will pay off in the meets this season. “They have big dreams and aren’t afraid to put in the work to get there,” Helton said. Rapp ran with the varsity at Fleet Feet and was 95th in 12:12.
“Last year we had a lot of growth with each individual runner,” Helton said. “They worked hard on getting better each meet and pushing past PRs and course records set by previous Windsor runners.
“My goal this season is to continue to build a team and work to help each runner develop into their full potential.”
GIRLS
2023: Class 4 District 1
Coach: Sally Helton (first year)
Top runners: seniors Sarah Winters, Lily Pauley; sophomore Chloe Lammert; freshmen Lillian Conner, McKenzie Robbins, Zoe Brown, Mackenzie Essmann.
Finish line: Pauley is looking to make her senior season her best and the freshmen are forming a strong bond. Lammert returns ready to show everything she has worked on this summer and what she learned as a freshman. The Owls competed in the JV race at Fleet Feet.
“Sarah is ready to close out her high school cross country career on a high note,” Helton said.
St. Pius X Lancers (Independent)
BOYS
2023: Class 2 District 1
Coach: Jon Daly (seventh year)
Top runners: senior Marshall Day; juniors Jayden Metzler, Elijah Bishop, August Herrell.
Finish line: A two-time state qualifier, Metzler was the 12th-place finisher at the JCAA meet, then at the Class 2 state meet he placed 15th in 17:12.7. He was 33rd in 10:55.6 at last week’s Fleet Feet Classic in Arnold.
GIRLS
2023: Class 2 District 1
Coach: Jon Daly (seventh year)
Top runners: senior Elisa Wilson; junior Taylor Robinson; sophomore Sofie Wilson.