Full 2015 Jeff West Cross Country Invite Results (9-3-15) - click here

Many area teams converged upon the Shawnee North Community Center on Thursday to compete against each other and a few other teams in cross country to open the 2015 season at the Jeff West Invitational. Multiple top notch performances were earned by several area schools. 

Leading the way in the girl’s competition was the Hiawatha Red Hawks who behind five Top 13 performances posted a team score of 43 to take first place at the Jeff West Invitational, winning by 31 points. Sabetha girls took fourth place, while Royal Valley finished sixth, Perry Lecompton seventh and Holton eighth. 

For the boys McLouth had the best team performance notching a third place finish, while Hiawatha and Sabetha finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Royal Valley, Perry Lecompton, Wetmore, Jeff West, Holton and Valley Falls finished sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth and 12th as teams, respectively. 

Individually it was Perry Lecompton junior, Lexia Jamison leading the way with the best performance as she posted a time of 22:35.87 to win the girls race. But overall it was the Hiawatha lady Red Hawks highlighting the Top 20 for the girls with five in the Top 13, led by freshman, Elizabeth Kettler who took fifth place with a time of 23:34.40. Aly Shamburg raced to a seventh place finish (24:04.53), while Molly Kettler took home 11th (24:43.35) and Emma Williams and Mary Rosa placed 12th and 13th, respectively with times of 25:18.70 and 25:19.71. 

Sabetha lady Bluejays picked up a pair of Top 10 finishers as senior, Taryn Schuette raced to a second place finish with a time of 23:04.49 and Megan Meyer placed tenth (24:25.46). ACCHS, Royal Valley, Wetmore, Jeff West and McLouth all had one Top 20 finisher in the girl’s competition. Leading ACCHS was Beba Scholz who posted a time of 23:26.90 to place third, while Royal Valley senior, Kaytlyn Gooderl finished 15th (25:30.97). Wetmore Cardinal, Makayla Henry raced to a 16th place finish (25:31.84), while Jeff West Tiger, Makenzie Tucker place 17th (25:38.67) and Ceara Funk of McLouth took home 18th place (25:39.32). 

In the boys competition it was Sabetha Bluejays junior, Keegan Cox posting the best area performance finishing third behind a time of 18:57.27, while Brandt Houk of Hiawatha finished right behind him in fourth place (19:12.56). Joining Houk for Hiawatha in the Top 10 was Gavin Lierz who placed eighth with a time of 19:40.17. Wetmore and Perry Lecompton also had Top 10 finishers as Cardinal junior, Aaron Achten finished seventh (19:31.13) and Bjorn Funk of Perry Lecompton placed tenth (20:10.77). 

McLouth on their way to a third place team finish had three boys finish in the Top 20 as Tristan Funk took 12th (20:32.58), Braeden Pfau placed 14th (20:40.49) and Jordan Butler finished 18th (20:56.70). A pair of Royal Valley Panthers had Top 20 finishes as Garrett Hicks and Darius Frisby raced to finishes of 15th and 16th, respectively with times of 20:55.07 and 20:55.66. For the Holton Wildcats their lone Top 20 finisher was Rilee Strader who posted a time of 20:36.84 to finish 13th at the Jeff West Invitational. 

The season started off with some high level of competition at the Jeff West Invitational and several top teams and runners started the cross country season strong.