Cross Country Teams Qualify for State

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Kearney High School’s girls cross country team won the district championship last weekend, while the boys finished third to join them in qualifying for the Missouri State Cross Country Championships.

The Bulldogs had 12 runners earn All-District honors, including all seven members of the girls team.

Ayla Lehman led Kearney with a first-place finish in 20:23. Izzy Fowler placed third in 20:52, followed by Zolah Williams in eighth at 21:35 and Scarlett Carpenter in ninth at 21:36.

Drew Gustafson finished 13th in 21:50, Lenny Watts took 15th in 22:00 and Kadence Vanderau placed 16th in 22:06, rounding out the girls’ championship team.

Five Kearney boys earned All-District honors. Cameron Fowler paced the team with an 11th-place finish in 17:25. Hunter Phipps finished 13th in 17:29, and Alex Gustafson placed 15th in 17:43.

Jackson Vasquez took 23rd in 18:03, and Korban Gomer finished 27th in 18:14. Luke Vanderstel placed 32nd and Mason Woods finished 34th, helping the boys secure third place and a state berth.

Kearney School District hosted the Class 3 and Class 4 district championships. The district recognized head coach Jeff Roberts and the Bulldogs for their performances and thanked the coaches, parent volunteers, KSD Activities Department, grounds crew and Robotics team members who helped run the event.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Kearney Cross Country Sweeps Four Conference Titles

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Kearney High School swept all four team championships at the Suburban Blue Conference Cross Country Meet on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Platte Ridge Park, pushing through cold, windy conditions on a challenging course.

The Bulldogs won the varsity girls, varsity boys, junior varsity girls and junior varsity boys divisions. Izzy Fowler led the varsity girls with an individual conference championship, while the JV girls claimed the first seven places for a perfect team score.

Fowler finished in 20 minutes, 36 seconds, three seconds ahead of teammate Ayla Lehman, who placed second. Scarlett Carpenter finished fourth and Drew Gustafson took fifth, joining Fowler and Lehman in earning first-team all-conference honors. Kearney won the girls team title with 17 points.

Zolah Williams placed eighth, Kadence Vanderau finished ninth and Lenny Watts took 10th. All three earned second-team all-conference recognition.

The varsity boys claimed their championship with 28 points. Cameron Fowler led Kearney with a third-place finish, followed by Hunter Phipps in fourth, Alex Gustafson in sixth and Luke Vanderstel in seventh. Each earned first-team all-conference honors.

Jackson Vasquez finished eighth, Korban Gomer placed ninth and Mason Woods took 13th, earning second-team all-conference honors.

In the JV girls race, Kearney runners occupied the top seven spots, producing a perfect score of 15 points. Carley Lusby won the race, followed in order by MacKenzie Deitchler, Annabelle Krehbiel, Sami Phelps, Maci Bates, Darcy Taylor and Anna Hermon.

The JV boys rounded out the sweep with 16 points. Cooper Wernimont finished first, Reid Perkins took second, Blake Immesberger placed third and Jaxson Bowers finished fourth. Lucas Fredlund added a sixth-place finish.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.