It's that time of year. When late-September rolls around in Kansas, it's time for the Rim Rock Classic. Six major varsity races across boys and girls, with teams coming from Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Nebraska to compete. Needless to say, this is the biggest cross country meet in Kansas.
Meet Information
6:30PM - Boys C-Team
8:15AM - Girls Crimson/Blue JV
10:35AM - Girls Crimson Varsity
11:15AM - Boys Crimson Varsity
11:45AM - Girls Blue Varsity
12:25AM - Boys Blue Varsity
Awards - Held after each race
5K Course Map | Teams Attending / Divisions
Preview & Analysis
The Blue girls race is likely to be handled by Baldwin. The Bulldog girls are 4A's finest, and should have little trouble tearing through Clay Center & West Franklin. The individual race should be more interesting, with none of last year's top-5 returning. Emory Speece (Osage City) and Mary Pearce (Kingman) are the top returners from a year ago. 2A freshman standouts Ellei McCrory (Northern Heights) & Madison Howland (Smith Center) will be seeing their best competition yet, and will be comfortable up front.
In the Blue boys race, watch for Holcomb to shine. They performed well at this meet last year, and have a low-stick scorer in Brody Deniston. Central Heights, Smoky Valley Homeschool, and Hutchinson-Trinity could all be in the mix as well. Andrew Schumacher of KC Christian has really come on this season, but he'll have to deal with Deniston, Eudora's Zachary Arnold, and Girard's Gabe Onelio.
In the Crimson girls race, it looks like Christ Preparatory Academy is the favorites. The non-KSHSAA school in Lenexa has put together an elite team that will be difficult to stop. Andover & Seaman will make them earn it, though. Individually, this one will be epic. Katelyn Rupe returns to the course after demolishing the Gold field last year. (I was surprised not to see Salina Central on the Gold entry list, but don't be surprised if some of these individuals end up in the Gold race). She brings along teammate Kaylie Schultz to take on Seaman's Ryin Miller. Keep an eye on Taylor Barringer (Kapaun Mt. Carmel), too.
The Crimson boys race looks to be headlined by Bishop Carroll and Lexington, NE. Carroll will lean on Dustin Stephenson to lead the way, while Lexington has a strong 1-4 pack and will look for a breakout performance from Anthony Taracena to drop their score. Joining Stephenson individually will be Shawnee Heights star Jackson Esquibel, Blue Valley senior Noah Summers, and St. James junior Michael Bianco. Ryker Haivala (Cumby Miller Grove) brings an out-of-state flavor from Texas to the mix.
The Gold races are slated to be the crème de la crème. The best in the Heartland will meet Saturday morning for a major race. Several small schools have even bumped up their stars to see where they stand amongst the best. Olathe West is slated to return after making the trip to Roy Griak last year. The Owl girls are the heavy favorite over Bentonville (AR), Great Bend, and Denver East (CO). Expect a log of out-of-staters near the front of this one. Haley Loewe (Bentonville), Claire Helmers (Ames, IA), Rosie Mucharsky (Denver East), Abigail Brackenbury (Blue Springs, MO), and Claire White (Omaha Westside, NE) have the top-5 seed times, all coming from different states. Bree Newport (Olathe West) and Brett Jacobson (Circle) are the top Kansas contenders to watch. Keep an eye on Lorna Rae Pierce (Junction City), though. She's had some strong showings to start the season, too.
As heavy of a favorite as Olathe West's girls are, Bentonville's boys are even more of one. The Tigers can really pack, and have multiple guys with top-10 potential in James American Horse and Owen Kelley. Parker Walion (Gardner-Edgerton) will lead his Trailblazers against Liberty North (MO) and Creighton Prep (NE) in the team battle for 2nd place. Joining him in the individual race will be Ethan Zuber of Ankeny (IA) & Creighton Prep's Dennis Chapman. Lucas Bossinger (Palmer Ridge, CO) and Brogan Collins (Cheyenne Mountain, CO) will have the oxygen advantage, coming down from altitude. Don't count out Liberty North's Sage Wilde, though, with a long history of XC dominance. Manhattan's Lucas Holdren, with a short history of XC dominance, could have another surprise up his sleeve, too.