Photo by Paul Trende
The reigning state champions will return to defend their title. For the 8th straight year, LARPH boys cross country advanced to state. For a fourth straight year, they go as the 1A champs. By the narrowest of margins, sixth runner tiebreaker, the #3-ranked Screamin’ Eagles topped 1A rival, #7 Cotter/Hope Lutheran. Each team scored 72 points. Cotter went 1, 2, 8, 23, and 38; LARPH 4, 9, 14, 19, and 26. But LARPH sixth runner Cory Kotsmith (18:01.9) took 28th, while C/HL’s sixth Keller Duden (18:47.1) took 42nd, the tiebreaker. Both teams earned state berths. Number-two-ranked Pacelli took third (99). LFC took seventh (232), Chatfield 13th (333) and GMLOS 14th (392) of the other Journal-covered teams. Cotter/HL was at full strength, as elite runner #1 in state Erik Semling (15:59.9) paced the field for his fourth straight 1A title. He has not run at some meets this year (including the TRC). Teammate #2 Ryan Littlefield (16:18.1) took second for a third straight year. Jonah Alexander (16:57.4) took 8th. LARPH was led by senior #9 Brennan Kunst (16:32.2), who was fourth also behind Pacelli’s #5 Zemecha McManus (16:27.9). It was Kunst’s fourth year of finishing top seven (and fifth state berth). He would’ve gone to state individually the last year four years, even if his team did not. His time is the best LARPH 1A Meet time since 2018 (surpassing himself last year, 16:32.5). Grayson Speltz (17:03) took ninth to give the Screamin’ Eagles two in the top 10. Will Jewison (17:27.5) took 14th, Cole Timm (17:37.7) 19th, and Henry Meyer (18:00.2) 26th to round of LARPH’s scoring runners. Damien Gossen was LARPH’s seventh runner. Only Kunst and Speltz scored for the team at last year’s 1A Meet. Joining McManus, W-K’s Griffin Riesgraf (5th place > 16:38.8) and Fritz Reisgraf (11th > 17:15.2), Pacelli’s Isaac Johnson (6th > 16:46.4), St. Charles’ Ivan Daood (7th > 16:53.8), and D-E’s Nolan Ward (10th > 17:05.2) made state solo-style. LFC’s top runners were Andy Brown (16th > 17:32.7) and Quinn Lepper (24th > 17:54.6). Chatfield’s top runner was Ben Peeters (30th > 18:18.9). One-hundred-thirty-six guys competed at the 5,000-meter race run around Northern Hills Golf Course in Rochester on a 60-degree day. LARPH’s 8th state berth is the most by any 1A team since 1985. Four straight 1A titles is the most since Elgin-Millville back in the 1980s.
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