Charlie Kinslow led the Blue Jays with a first-place finish at the Smithville Invitational, while the North Platte cross-country teams relied on younger classmen to carry the Panthers on Sept. 21.
Lady Panther freshman Brianna Debord ran the 5k race at the Smithville Invite in a time of 21:17, earning herself a fifth-place finish.
The West Platte boys’ cross-country team finished in second place overall with 82 points, while the Lady Blue Jays didn’t compete in the race. The Blue Jays’ junior star was the top individual at the race when Kinslow’s ending time was 17:34.
Jonah McGivern and Tristan Newkirk ran within three seconds of one another in 18th place and 19th place. The freshman finished ahead of the junior as McGivern ended with a time of 19:16 and Newkirk finished in 19:19.
Ryan Pattison was three spots behind the West Platte duo when the senior ran the 5k in 19:20. Isaac Helmich finished in 20:22 and Hutch Bartee crossed the finish line with a time of 21:25.
For the Panthers, Noah Heckman was their top finisher with an overall third-place finish. The sophomore crossed the finish line in 18:10.
Josh Schaffart was the next North Platte boy to finish when the junior finished in 19:27, earning him a 23rd place finish. Wyatt Stapleton ended in 23:23 right ahead of Gabriel Goodlet who finished in 23:42.
In the girls’ race, North Platte finished in third place with a score of 91 points. Freshman Brianna Debord stepped up and ended the race fifth overall with a time of 21:17.
Jessa Cassity finished eighth overall with a 21:55 time for the Panthers. Lonee French and Alaina Scroggins finished back-to-back in 24th place and 25th place.