The Centralia boys rose up the state cross country podium this year.
After finishing third at last year's Class 3 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, the Panthers finished first on Saturday at Gans Creek to win the first state cross country championship in school history. They finished with 122 points to stay ahead 10 points of Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau) and were led by state medalists Carter Moss and Nolan Spickert. Moss finished 12th with a time of 17:07 for the senior's second state medal and Spickert was 13th with a 17:08 for the freshman's first medal. Dryst Bostick was 37th out of 162 runners with a 17:53, Zane Deckerd was 69th with a 18:23, Wesley Robertson was 71st with a 18:24, Jensen Decker was 78th with a 18:34, and Lane Chancellor was 91st with a 18:47.
Kenedee Moss earned her second straight medal for Centralia in the Class 3 girls 5K, finishing 20th with a time of 20:36. Katelynn Asbury was 55th with a 21:41 time for the freshman.
Garrett Hopke qualified for the second time in his first two years with Van-Far and finished 50th in the Class 2 boys 5K with a time of 18:35.
Mexico had three runners compete in Class 4, including junior Maggie Ramsey with her highest state finish in three appearances. Ramsey was 62nd with a time of 21:33 in the girls 5K. Hunter Bickell capped a career with four state qualifications, including two with Mexico and two with Wellsville-Middletown, in the boys 5K with a 133rd-place time of 19:03. Brady McCoy finished ahead of him in the junior's first state race with a 119th-place time of 18:43.
Look for full state cross country stories in the Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, edition of the Mexico Ledger.
