West Platte finishes 3rd for 2nd time in 3 years

Five seniors led the West Platte Blue Jay boys cross country team into the Class 1 State Championship last weekend in Jefferson City and capped their careers with a third place team finish — their second in three years, following last year’s title.Jack Cogan led the boys with a 33rd place finish and was followed by Daniel Cicha (39th), Keaton Johnson (41st), Nathan Wilson (52nd), James Stanton (80th), Dillon Crockett (112th) and Brandon Marquart (140th). “The boys ran a good race and several improved their times over last year, but Russellville and Linn both managed to out pace West Platte and relegate them to their second third place finish in three years,” head coach Mike Lowe said. In their careers, this year’s seniors — Cogan, Johnson, Wilson, Stanton, Crockett and Bryce Yount, who was out injured — helped West Platte to one first place and two third place state finishes, two conference championships and four consecutive Class 1 District 8 titles. “Their dedication to the program will not soon be forgotten,” Lowe said. Mary McClure was the lone female West Platte runner at state this year. McClure set her new personal record and finished in 41st place. In her career, McClure finished 32nd at state as a freshman and was part of the seventh place West Platte girls team last year. “The Jays would like to thank the parents and the community for their support during the season and are looking forward to defending their District 8 and KCI Conference titles in 2014.”