County cross country runners on Saturday got their first run on the new state course they hope to return to on Nov. 9.
The boys and girls ran in three different divisions (blue, gold and white) on the 3.1-mile course at the Gans Creek Recreation Area in Columbia. Between seasons, the Missouri State High School Activities Association moved the Class 1-4 championships from the Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City to Gans Creek.
Northwest’s girls team won the Blue Division with 82 points. Lions senior Claire Meisch competed at Oak Hills three times for the state meet. Meisch’s top finish in Jefferson City was 64th. She was 11th among Blue Division competition on Saturday in 20:28.20.
Meisch was the Lions’ top runner coming into the season, but she’s been challenged by sophomore teammates Karley Wheeler and Samantha Brown. Wheeler was 15th in 20:54 and Brown was 26th in 21:16.60 on Saturday.
“She had a great day,” Northwest head coach C.J. Guilford said of Meisch. “She’s had nagging foot pain but she’s gaining more confidence as she gets healthier. She’s on target to be her best by late October and November.”
Jefferson’s girls cross country team has been gaining ground in Class 2 the past three seasons. In 2017, the Blue Jays were fifth, one spot from placing at state as a team for the first time. Last year they broke through that barrier with a third-place finish.
In the 19-team White Division, Jefferson was fourth with 177 points. Junior Cheney Ervin had the highest finish (12th, 21:54.60) of any of the girls from the Jefferson County Activities Association in the three divisions. Ervin is a three-time state qualifier and won a medal in 2017.
“I am happy with how she’s performing and she had a great race for us Saturday,” Jefferson head coach Mollie Rhodes said. “She should get under 21 minutes by the end of the season. She progresses throughout the season. She’s excited for her senior year, but she knows she only has a few more races left.
“Fourth place, I was happy with that. We have several girls running 5Ks for the first time this year.”
Sophomore Jeremiah Chipps was the top Jefferson boys runner in 44th in 19:30.40. Chipps was injured after his first race in 2018, but made strides toward the end of the year.
“He’s just killing it this year,” Rhodes said. “I fully expect him to get sub-19 by the end of the season. I haven’t taken a boy to state for a couple of years. He has a lot of talent in the distance area. He keeps at it.”
Gans Creek is not a golf course. The cross country route was designed specifically for the sport. MSHSAA has a five-year contract to hold state cross country there. Guilford said aside from some areas of the course where the grass hasn’t come in, it looks first-rate.
“It’s definitely different. It’s not as easy as people feared,” Rhodes said. “They did a really good job of making a course that kids can do well and get PRs on. It’s a good difficult course and it’s spectator-friendly. All of my kids said it’s a great course. It flowed really well. It’s not a grass track. There’s some hills and curves. The footing is really nice. For the first two races, it was in nice condition.”
Oak Hill’s most distinguishing feature was Firehouse Hill, which tested runners about two-thirds through the course. While Gans Creek doesn’t offer a leg-burner like that, Rhodes said there are rolling hills.
“There’s not that one giant hill,” Grandview boys and girls head coach Scott Meyer said. “The opening stretch is long and they have to do it twice. The second loop is a constant incline. Our kids were challenged by that.”
The top 25 runners earned medals in what was considered a state preview. Sophomore Taylor Ficke finished 26th in 22:34.20 for the Eagles. Ficke was a Class 2 state qualifier a year ago. Of the 13 Eagles who ran at Gans Creek, 10 of them ran their best times of the season.
“She seemed nice and strong throughout the race,” Meyer said. “She’s been figuring out her breathing. She understands how to use the turns and move around people.
“I told our runners this is another meet. We’re here to learn the course, how to attack and see the competition out there.”
In Jefferson City, runners were funneled into a narrow chute at the finish line where they were immediately met by parents, teammates, coaches, media and everyone else. There was no chance for the runners to cool down. Many collapsed on the ground feet from the finish line, creating a jumbled tangle of athletes and spectators. They were guided to a tent with water and trainers on Saturday.
“It’s a mob of hundreds of people at the finish line,” Guilford said. “The new course was thought out with the athletes in mind.”
Festus is working on its sixth straight boys title. The Tigers were second in the Gold Division with 216 points. Liberty won the Gold with 206. None of the Festus runners finished in the medals. Senior Simon Ogle was the first Tiger in (28th, 16:44.10). The Tigers finished 19th with 490 points on the girls side. Sophomore Allison Faerber was the lead Festus runner in 20th in 20:09.20.