Dogs Run To Clayton Title

A long bus ride didn't faze the Kearney girls cross country team. The Bulldogs spent five hours riding to St. Louis and then ran to the team title in Friday's Clayton Invitational.

Olivia Franklin paced the Dogs by winning the race in a time of 18 minutes, 56 seconds. This was Franklins second personal victory and the second time she has broken the 19 minute barrier. She is the first Kearney girl to break 19 minutes twice.

Franklin's win along with Jessica Breyfogle, Jessi Allen, Jasmine Edwards, and Maiya Wolpert finishing 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th respectively, gave the Bulldogs a 40 point win. Kearney scored 39 points. Ladue Horton Watkins finished second with 79.

Holli Adams finished 14th and Laine Brown 24th to round out the varsity places.

They boys cross country team finished fifth in a tight team race. Ladue won the meet with 87 points. Festus was second with 94. Clayton and O'Fallon each finished with 115, and Kearney totaled 116.

Connor Stark and Adam Lappe led the way with third and sixth place finishes. Both runners dropped under 17 minutes.

Louis Hill cracked the top 35 by finishing 33rd (top 35 medaled). Hill broke 18 minutes for the first time with a 17:42.

In the junior varsity race, Chris Leo won with a time of 17:08. The boys finished second to O'Fallon on a tie breaker.

In the girls junior varsity race, Michaela Altvater and Oliviah Sloan finished second and third respectively.

The Bulldogs race Saturday at Platte City in the Class 3, District 8 meet. The top two teams and 15 top individuals qualify for state.