The Chillicothe Cross Country teams had a standout day at the Class 3 District meet Saturday in Platte City, as the boys team qualified for state and two Lady Hornets earned individual state berths.
On the challenging Platte Ridge Park course, the boys varsity team ran exceptionally well, with four of the top six runners setting personal records. Chillicothe finished 3rd as a team, just three points shy of 2nd place, and tied with Maryville at 100 points. The Hornets won the tiebreaker thanks to Ben Cady’s strong finish in 38th place, edging Maryville’s sixth runner by eight spots.
Four Chillicothe runners placed in the top 30, earning All-District honors and individual state qualifications:
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3rd – Luke Thompson, 16:38
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13th – Spencer Johansen, 18:22 (PR)
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21st – Brody Norris, 18:44 (PR)
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30th – Anthony Eckert, 18:48 (PR)
Trace Akers (36th), Ben Cady (38th, PR), and Alexander England (50th) also played key roles in the team’s state-qualifying effort.
On the girls’ side, Chillicothe finished 6th as a team, but junior Sophie Hurtgen and sophomore Payton McGee both punched their tickets to the state meet. Hurtgen, who narrowly missed qualifying last season, placed 24th (22:37), while McGee ran a personal best to finish 29th (22:48).
The Hornets will travel to Columbia this Thursday, competing at the Class 3 State Championships on the Gans Creek Course on Friday, November 7, with the boys racing at 9:00 a.m. and the girls at 9:45 a.m.