Platte County recorded a pair of encouraging fourth-place finishes in its season opener Saturday, Sept. 3 in Liberty, Mo. Both the boys and girls teams were fourth overall in the final team standings of the Liberty Invitational with Rebekah Geddes, Jessica Clark and Jackson Letcher leading the way.
Geddes, a junior and two-time returning all-state performer, came in third overall in 13 minutes, 50.70 seconds, and Clark just missed the top five with a 14:18.00 effort. Erin Straubel gave the Pirates a third in the top 15, placing 14th in 14:45.30.
Platte County totaled 88 points and was just 14 out of second place a four points back third-place Liberty. The Pirates’ boys totaled 98 and were 13 out of third place. Letcher, a sophomore, rounded out the top 10 in 11:54.30, while junior Evan Edwards (12:14.20) and sophomore Keegan Cordova (12:14.80) finished back-to-back in 18th and 19th.
Greg Wilson Classic
Park Hill South’s girls opened the season by finishing third in packed standings Saturday, Sept. 3 in Overland Park, Kan.
With a team total of 89, the Panthers were just 13 away from first-place Blue Springs South and seven behind second place St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.). Despite not having a runner in the top 10, senior Jasmine Crawford (11th, 20:21.00) and juniors Keely Danielsen (13th, 20:24.30) and Marti Heit (14th, 20:24.30) provided a bunched finish to put Park Hill South in the team title conversation.
Park Hill South’s boys were fifth with a 148 team total, just five back of St. Joseph Central. In a field of 112 runners, David Rouse — a junior — led the Panthers in 14th place (16:46.20)
Solsberg Invitational
Despite limited returners, Park Hill’s girls were third Saturday, Sept. 3 in Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Lee’s Summit West won the meet with a perfect score of 15 — the top five qualifying runners plus the sixth-place runner. Park Hill junior Grace Fink came in 10th with senior teammate Madison King one spot behind her. The Trojans’ score of 70 put them just seven back of second-place host Lee’s Summit North.
Park Hill’s boys were sixth with Parker Canfield finishing 15th.
St. Mary’s Invitational
West Platte’s boys were fifth Saturday, Sept. 3 in Independence, Mo. with a team total of 114, putting the Bluejays just 14 points out of third.
Max Davies, a sophomore, led West Platte for a second straight meet, placing fifth in 14:09.00 while freshman Phillip Pattison came in 14th. North Platte sophomore Tyler Meadows topped the lineup for the 10th-place Panthers, coming in 21st.
North Platte’s girls were ninth with junior Bailee Romaker in 20th overall (18:14). West Platte didn’t bring a full team but sophomore Lea Moose (27th) and junior Rachel Heili (29th) finished close together in their season debuts.
Spoofhound Invitational
North Platte didn’t bring a full girls team, but the Panthers bunched three finishers together in the middle of the field Tuesday, Aug. 30 in Maryville, Mo.
Romaker led the way for North Platte with a 28th-place finish. Katie Parkhurst and Shelby Fisher came in 36th and 38th, respectively. The Panthers have other members of the team currently competing in other sports, giving them an inconsistent lineup.
On the boys side, North Platte finished ninth out of 11 teams. Meadows posted the top time for the Panthers (21:08.90), good enough for 37th in a field of 86 runners.