Platte County senior Andrew Johnson was an all-state runner last year.
Platte County has produced multiple talented runners in recent years, having an impressive cross-country program primed to continue the success of the past.
Qualifying for state as a team is a challenge but the Platte County’s boys and girls both accomplished that feat a year ago. The Pirates were district champions and ninth place in the state, while the Lady Pirates were the third best team in their district and took 14th place in the Class 4 State Meet.
“The seniors on this team continue to grow and develop their leadership skills,” Platte County head cross-country coach Courtland Ingram said. “They have strong values and high standards for themselves athletically, as well as academically. This is a special group to me, and I’m honored to work with them as their journey unfolds in the next couple months.”
Both sides have some big shoes to fill from last year’s senior class yet will have a pair of all-state runners returning. Andrew Johnson and Sisely Mitchell have laid the groundwork for their teammates in their tenure at Platte County with one more season left repping orange and black to close out their careers.
“We want to establish an environment where they’re looking forward to coming to practices and wanting to spend time with one another. The expectations are to be a great teammate and put your energy into what you can control which is pretty much your attitude and effort,” Ingram said.
Mitchell took 12th place at state with a time of 19:27.2, leading the Lady Pirates out of districts for the third straight season. Fellow senior Carmen Gentilia will be the No. 2 runner, just missing out on all-state honors last fall with a 30th place finish in 20:15.6.
Marissa Orellana, Alex Beeman and Julia Greco also ran at state as juniors alongside Joanna Reil who had an impressive freshman campaign. Junior Madison Palmer competed at districts but didn’t get a chance to run at state due to a sickness.
“The underclassman who ran last year have had a really quality and consistent summer. We’re excited to see their dedication and strong efforts pay off,” Ingram said.
Senior Kade Meinke is likely going to be the No. 2 runner for the Platte County boys after taking 57th place at state with a time of 17:30.3. Junior Tanner Jenks, along with sophomores Donavin Ness and Blake Herron, had strong outings at state with times between 18 minutes and 18:20 and will have some new runners joining them this fall.
“We have 20 new runners to the team which we are excited about as they all hold value to the team’s success and everyone’s overall experience. We have a fantastic and kind group of kids; if I had children, I would want them to be on this team and spend time with these kids,” Ingram said.