Mexico running together for team success

Even with a smaller team, Mexico cross country doesn’t expect to lose camaraderie.

Head coach Lucas Breneman said numbers are down this year with only three seniors and one junior leading the eight boys and seven girls. However, he said Mexico put in summer miles and did so together.

“Our goal for the season is to have one of the closest teams at Mexico High School,” Breneman said. “We really want to enjoy being around each other.  If that happens then I think we will see kids push and encourage each other day in and day out.  Anything on top of that is just an added bonus.”

Seth Stevenson, Reid Bickell and Gabe Carey will be the returning boys this season, and Maria Peuster and Madison Bickell will return for the girls. Madison Bickell is a senior while the others are sophomores.

Breneman always wants representation at the state meet, and they’ve had that over the years. He said success will come if Mexico focuses on “keeping our 1-5 time gap low on both the boys and girls side.”

“I think we have athletes that have pushed themselves over the summer, so I would not be surprised to see a handful of all conference and all district runners when championship season comes around,” Breneman said.

Community R-6 senior runners to aim for state

Community R-6 has had a young cross country team the last several years.

Those runners are now seniors who have lofty goals. Head coach Josie Gittemeier said she has some seniors who have wanted to run at state since freshman year and wants to see them there before they graduate.

“I think having so many upperclassmen this year will be a strength and key to our success as these runners know they are closing in on their last seasons to reach goals they set their freshman year,” Gittemeier said. “They're coming in more motivated and ready to be disciplined and work hard.”

Rett Curtis and Nicholas Henke are the senior boys while Grace McCoskey is the only senior girl. Kyler Kobush and Jude Curtis for the boys, and Gabby Knipfel for the girls each bring two years of experience.

Zoey Hull and Rosalina Contreras-Mendez are junior girls but are new to high school cross country.

“I am excited to have more girls on the team than I ever have before because I know cross country is so mentally tough and having teammates can really make it more fun,” Gittemeier said.

Gittemeier said Community has focused on growing the team and improving their personal-best times. She is also excited about the four boys and three girls on the junior high team.

“This program has really been growing since 2020 when I started coaching with one high school boy, so adding a junior high team and growing our high school team has been really exciting for us,” Gittemeier said. “Seeing kids come back to a program that we're still building and encouraging students in the classes below them to join feels like a success.”

Van-Far cross country returns state runners

Van-Far hopes returning its state runners will lead to a return to state.

Out of the 12 runners, seven ran at state last year. Three earned all-state honors, including seniors Garrett Hopke and Slade Keller for the boys and senior Khloe Wallace for the girls.

Senior Brady Puls, junior Jaydon Hug-Hernandez and sophomore Tyler Carlyle ran at state for the boys, and sophomore Kylee Gibson ran for the girls. Head coach Kris Cross said the boys will only have to replace its sixth runner, who was a foreign exchange student, but expects freshman Harrison Wright to fill that spot well after medaling in junior high meets.

“The boys’ goal is to make it to state as a team again this year and improve their finish as a team at state,” Cross said.

Elliott Utterback and Mylee Keller are seniors but will be newcomers to the girls team. They have played other sports during their high school careers, including softball again this fall.

“Elliott Utterback and Mylee Keller are all-around great athletes, and they will add a lot to the girls team this year,” Cross said.

There will be six on the girls team, including junior Emily Smith and sophomore Jordan Trainor.

The girls will have a complete team this year for the first time in seven years,” Cross said. “I am really excited to see what both teams accomplish this year.”

North Callaway has tight-knit group of runners

North Callaway has five runners for the cross country season.

Even though it’s small, it is a group of kids who are close with each other. Brothers Hunter and Trevor Jansen, who are respectively a senior and sophomore, are returning to the team, and freshmen Adrienne Egly and Stevie Arcala and sophomore Molly Leake are the newcoming girls.

Head coach Brooke Fischer said the North Callaway runners push each other to reach their full potential.

“They work hard to stay together on runs, cheer and motivate each other when they get tired, and keep each other accountable,” Fischer said. “I love our small team and how close and bonded they are.”

Fischer said the Jansen brothers have been consistent and have been working all summer long. Egly and Arcala ran for North Callaway in junior high, and Leake has been a good asset in her first year.

North Callaway had one runner make it to state last year in the graduating Grace Rasmussen. Fischer said she was a good role model, and she wants the other kids to make names for themselves.

“The kids are working hard to each reach their own personal goals and to just keep getting better each day,” Fischer said. “Our goal is to show up and work hard. We hope to see some PR's and keep loving running this year.”