California High School cross country fielded 13 runners at the Class 3 District 3 Meet at South Callaway High School on Saturday. The California-run course is 3.1 miles long and a spot in the Class 3 State Tournament is up for grabs.
Of the 115 girls who raced in the Class 3 District 3 5K, Kenzleigh Goans ran California’s best with a time of 20 minutes and 23.69 seconds (20:23.69). That was good for fifth place overall and earned the Goans a trip to the State Championships in Columbia.
Another finisher in the girls 5k was Allie Heather, who finished in 54th place with a time of 23:39.03. Hillary Roney finished in 72nd place with a time of 24:35.42. Abbigail Stuedle finished in 88th place with a time of 25:50.12. Emma Farmer finished in 95th place with a time of 26:37.98. Evelyn Ponce finished 98th in 27:01.92 and Ava Bryant finished 108th in 28:23.04.
Of the 136 boys who raced in the Class 3 District 3 5K, Damien Pace was California’s best runner. Finishing in 59th place with a time of 19:37.07. Andrew Reed finished in 66th place with a time of 19:48.35. Connor Farmer finished in 83rd place with a time of 20:23.09. Caleb Howard finished in 90th place with a time of 20:42.11. Jackson Barnard finished in 104th place with a time of 21:43.45 and Fransisco Martinez finished in 134th place with a time of 27:25.94.
Head coach Kenny Goans said the competition was some of the fiercest California has seen all season and it won’t be too much of a challenge to qualify for the state meet. Although her daughter Kenzleigh was the only runner to qualify for state, she is still proud of all her runners for their hard work and dedication to the team throughout the season.
“Our district is one of the toughest in the state and has a ton of strong runners. I am proud of the efforts of our teams not only for this meet but throughout the season. Coach Baker and I love to work with these kids who put in such. A lot of work. Cross country is a physical and mental game and definitely requires endurance for five months,” said Goans.
Kenzleigh Goans will represent California at the Class 3 State Championships at Gans Creek in Columbia. He runs at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Democrat photo/Evan Holmes Allie Heather finished 54th in the girls 5K at the Class 3 District 3 meet with a time of 23:39.03.
Democrat photo/Evan Holmes Andrew Reed finished 66th in the boys 5K at the Class 3 District 3 meet with a time of 19:48.35.
Democrat photo/Evan Holmes Fransisco Martinez finished 134th at the Class 3 District 3 meet with a new personal-best time of 27:25.94.
Democrat photo/Evan Holmes Ava Bryant finished 108th in the girls 5K at the Class 3 District 3 meet with a time of 28:23.04.
