By Amanda Perkins & Chris Parker
Coming into the Class 2 boys state cross country race it seemed like it was less of a question of who would win and more a question how fast will El Dorado Springs junior Wyatt Klaiber go?
The answer?
Fast.
Really fast.
“The goal was to get under 15 (minutes) and secure a No. 1 spot out in the field and break away early,” Klaiber said. “We didn’t know what we were capable of. The Lord really gave us the strength today to get this done.”
Breakaway early might be an understatement for what Klaiber did.
By the first kilometer mark, Klaiber had a seven-seven second lead on second place. The lead expanded to 13 seconds by two kilometers with Klaiber ultimately running a blistering personal best and school record of 14:51.0.
“That (15-minute 5k) was a big barrier for me,” Klaiber said. “I have gotten close two or three times. That was something I really wanted to do. Being able to get that done and rest a little bit is nice.”
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The only hiccup came in a third kilometer where he slowed to a 3:09.6, which was his slowest kilometer by seven seconds.
“With the exception of the third kilometer, he (Klaiber) ran it just as we planned it,” El Dorado Springs head coach Brian Goatley said. “He got a little hot the first two kilometers, so that gave him a little leeway in the third kilometer. Then he did what he needed to do in the fourth and fifth kilometers and got it done. His goal all year has been to break 15.”
“The third and fourth kilometer has been a big barrier of mine this year,” Klaiber said. “Me and coach (Brian) Goatley talked about it a lot just saying we have to get through that third and fourth kilometer. Those are the hardest ones.”
Once he got through that third kilometer, he closed it down with kilometer times of 3:02.7 and 2:56.4. His time was the second-fastest of the entire weekend for all five classes.
The historic mark for Klaiber was more than just a personal achievement according to the El Dorado Springs star.
“I am not just running for myself, but for my team,” Klaiber said. “I am representing my school, my family and friends; all the ones that supported me. Sometimes you have to set your personal goals aside and do it for (others). They put in a lot of time to support me. It means a lot. I didn’t really want to do it for myself today but do it for them.”
The team placed seventh as a team after one of the team’s seven runners was unable to complete the race due to injury.
“We are very blessed as a team to be able to run together and compete with the bond that we have. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Klaiber said.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESULTS OF THE BOYS RACE
As for what is next for Klaiber?
“We will reevaluate,” Goatley said. “14:59 would’ve made me elated, but I knew he was going to go after 14:50. We have been training at 14:45 to 14:50 (pace) the last couple weeks just waiting for a moment to happen. He kind of jogged through districts last week hoping to have his legs fresh for this week and he got it done.”
In the team competition, Thomas Jefferson placed second and McAuley Catholic third.
Thomas Jefferson, which was state runner-up in Class 1 a year ago, looked to be out of the mix after one kilometer. The Cavaliers were sitting in 11th place with 273 points, which was 141 points out of a team trophy and 208 points behind first place.
From there, the team went to work.
The Cavaliers were ninth at the 2k, fifth at the 3k and then second at the 4k, 30 points back of first place Woodland. Thomas Jefferson moved up 20 spots as a team over the final 1,000 meters to finish just three points back of a state championship.
“I sent them into the race with the strategy to run smart knowing that they have to give it their best today, which is what we trained for and prepared for all year,” Thomas Jefferson coach Austin Bunn said. “At the start of the race I was a little nervous seeing how far back we were but know that we have closed races strong all year and they would come through.”
The team comprised of Will Twiss (7th), Jack Twiss (24th), Spencer Long (27th), Liam Cook (34th), Gavin Sharp (78th), Hyrum Sheppard (148th) and James Sheppard (152nd) knew coming into the season they would move to Class 2 and met the challenge head-on.
“When you jump to different classes you see the results and obviously it gets faster as you move up,” Bunn said. “The boys worked hard all summer. They knew the goal that these 13 weeks would bring. The mission was to get first, but to come so close I think will leave that bittersweet taste in their mouths as we move into track and summer training.”
The goal for next season with everybody returning is clear: win a state team championship.
“If the mission was to win this year, then the mission is to win next year,” Bunn said. “I have no doubt in my mind.”
McAuley Catholic’s Franklin Veer (8th), New Covenant’s Kian Edwards (10th), Spokane’s Luke Faulkner (16th), New Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan (19th) and El Dorado Springs’s Sylas Fletcher (30th) also finished in the top 30 and earned medals for the area.
On the girls’ side, El Dorado Springs closed well over the final kilometer to secure a fourth-place finish with 181 points, just four points ahead of fifth-place Monroe City.
“We told them that people were going to go out hot and to just run their race,” Goatley said. “I said people are going to go out hot and they are going to come back. As long as you attack the third and fourth kilometers and finish strong; people are going to come back.”
And finish strong they did.
El Dorado Springs entered the final kilometer trailing Monroe City by five points but picked off eight runners as a team over the final kilometer to secure the trophy.
“The last time I looked at team results was kilometer three and the teams in front of us were moving back and we were moving forward,” Goatley said. “I didn’t look at results after that; I was just screaming my head off at the girls. They bought in, followed the game plan that we wanted and executed it to perfection and are rewarded for it today.”
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The team was comprised of Braylie Steward (12th), Sara Seitz (68th), Hanna Seitz (71st), Riley Lee (91st), Karcyn Rader (93rd) and Aleta Lyness (102nd).
Individually, Pierce City’s Emma Hunt finished off her high school cross country career with a fourth all-state finish taking eighth place in a time of 19:37.4.
She came into her final high school race just looking to enjoy her final 5k.
“I didn’t really go into it with a race strategy,” Hunt said. “I have battled a lot of anxiety with my running. I am so grateful to God for getting me through this and getting me here. I went it with a mindset of ‘this is my last race, so I am going to take it all in and enjoy the moment’. I am so grateful for an awesome high school career and what a way to finish it off.”
Gainesville’s Jessica Suit (17th), Southwest’s Sydney Roe (18th), Stockton’s Zoe Rains (28th), Plato’s Bella Yourchisin (29th) and Skyline’s Roma Phillips (30th) all earned medals for the area by finishing in the top 30.
