4A Wasn’t Supposed to Look Like This, but it's Even Better

This was supposed to be the year. Last year, Eudora's girls were runner-up to Baldwin. The year before, they were 3^rd, two points behind Baldwin. The year before that, they were second... to Baldwin. Baldwin has been a thorn in their side for too long. Both programs have long been power brokers in 4A (and 3A back in the day), but Baldwin's tear of 12 titles in the last 20 years has really separated them. But like I said, this year was supposed to be different.

Baldwin graduated two scoring runners last year, while Eudora just lost one. The difference-maker this year, though, has been Eudora freshman Hanna Keltner. She was the worst kept secret in the state last year as an 8^th grader. Everyone who's anyone in 4A saw this year coming, and here we are. They're almost dead-even.

COVERAGE: KSHSAA 3A/4A XC State Meet

Wait... that can't be right. Everything has gone Eudora's way, and they've beaten the Bulldogs every step of the way this year. Baldwin being what they are, though, has quietly knocked time off this year. The two were separated by 1 point at league, and 8 at regionals. In the Milesplit database, they're tied at 54 points apiece, with Eudora holding the 6^th-runner tiebreaker by 7 seconds. This matchup is as good as it gets.

The rest of the team race for that final podium spot falls on Louisburg, Wamego, and Winfield. Louisburg is always playing bridesmaid to Baldwin & Eudora in the Frontier League, but they can hold their own just fine against those two, let alone the rest of the state. Winfield has been fighting for respect all year. They performed well at the Wamego Invite in week 2, beating both Louisburg and Wamego. Wamego has been a tough-out all year though. Add that to the fact that they're at home, and you never know what could happen.

MORE: CALENDAR | RANKINGS

Individually, you'll see plenty of Baldwin and Eudora runners up there. Hanna Keltner (19:09) and Sydney Owens (19:22) are Eudora's leaders, while Riley Smith (19:51) and Diana Messick (19:59) lead the way for Baldwin. Rock Creek's Kyra Nippert (19:48) is also in the mix after breaking 20:00 for the first time at regionals. They'll all be gunning for Clearwater's Hayley Trotter, the undeniable favorite. Trotter already has head-to-head victories over Keltner, Owens, Smith, and Messick on the Wamego course this year. The only runner to beat her this year is Southeast of Saline's Jentrie Alderson, who will be too busy dominating 3A to worry about Trotter this weekend.

On the boys side, the individual race is actually more crowded than in years past, despite the departure of last year's runner-up Micah Blomker. It was supposed to be another edition of Tanner Newkirk vs Tanner Lindahl, but a third challenger has emerged. Sawyer Schmidt of Augusta beat them both on the track in the spring, and now he's coming for them again. The three have met twice this year. At Wamego, it was Newkirk, Lindahl, Schmidt; at Rim Rock, it was Lindahl, Newkirk, Schmidt. One guy that could throw a wrench in things is Tonganoxie's Eli Gilmore. He led last year's race at the mile mark, so despite being a step behind the crew in overall time, he could play a factor for a good portion of the race. Newkirk has a way of coming up big in meets like this, so he'll remain the slight favorite going into tomorrow's meet.

Team-wise, Buhler is out for blood. The Crusaders scored a perfect 15 points at regionals, and have been the wire-to-wire favorite since the preseason. Newkirk leads Topeka Hayden's bid for a trophy, while Schmidt's Augusta Orioles are in that fight as well. The home team will be tough to beat, too. Noah Morenz could be top-10, while the rest of the squad isn't far behind. Their 49-second pack time is the best in 4A.

4A State at Wamego is a cross country classic, and this year's edition is sure to be exciting! Races start at 10 AM at the Wamego Country Club.