Neither Mexico runner finished high on Friday at the Class 4 state meet, and that is fine.

At Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, freshman Maggie Ramsey finished 86th out of 161 runners in the girls 5K with a time of 21:46.3 prior to senior, and three-time state qualifier, Thomas Peuster finishing 125th out of 159 runners in the boys 5K with a time of 18:39.3.

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Head coach Lucas Breneman said he felt the course ran about 30 seconds slower than usual with the gusty winds midday Friday. Even if Peuster didn’t have his best race and Ramsey was feeling things out in her freshman campaign, making it to state puts a runner among the best in the state, no matter the placing.

“Anytime you make it to state, whatever place you finish, you are ranked that in the state of Missouri,” Breneman said. “I always tell my kids it’s an honor to get here. It takes a lot of work.”

Ramsey ran “aggressive” and “tough,” Breneman said, as evidenced from the start of the race. She shot out from 119th place to 95th place in the first 2,000 meters and fell back a little before moving up 12 spots in the final 1,000 meters. Breneman said it was one of Ramsey’s better races, finishing about 15 seconds from her season-best, but what she learned Friday will help her in future seasons.

“Going out, she went a little harder than she normally does,” Breneman said. “I think she paid the price later on. Her effort was definitely top effort.”

Breneman recalls not having to pressure Ramsey to do extra work during the summer because she already had a solid foundation going into her freshman year. Typically, freshmen realize this going into sophomore year, but that happened when Ramsey was an eighth grader.

If Ramsey progresses like she moved up in the standings Friday, Breneman has high hopes for her.

“For her, you just never know,” Breneman said. “If she stays motivated in the offseason, she can be one of the top runners in the state if she keeps progressing.”

Peuster was already one of the top runners in the state after the senior year he posted. He consistently medaled at meets, he won the North Central Missouri Conference individual championship and then became the first Bulldog to qualify for a third state meet since Nicole Martin from 2015-17.

About a mile in, Breneman said Peuster’s stomach felt uneasy, which didn’t result in as smooth of a race for the senior. It definitely wasn’t the result Peuster wanted, but Breneman is confident his best races are ahead of him wherever he decides to run in college.

“I think he’s built for the longer distances,” Breneman said. “Whenever you move up to 8K or 10K, I think that’s really where he’ll shine. He’s a hard worker and he’s not afraid to put it in, so he’ll be fine.”

Peuster is part of a strong group of seniors Mexico will lose along with fellow all-conference runners Sidney Turlington and Viviana Benjamin. The incoming group from the middle school is expected to be small so a smaller team is likely to await Mexico next season, but Breneman thinks the freshman core that included Ramsey this year will thrive thanks to the influence of Peuster.

“Our core freshman group with Maggie and some of my other freshman boys, they learned a lot from Thomas and watching what he’s done and the success he’s had through the season,” Breneman said. “They see like, ‘OK, got to put in the work during the summer.’ I’m excited for that group to be together, to run through the summer together, to run through the winter, so I’m excited for the future.”