Class 3A is one of the toughest classes to predict. It proved true last year when Jason Martin of Herington came from nowhere to win the individual title. Here is my best shot at Class 3A.
Top 5 Individual Girls
1. Sarah Wright – Douglass
In my season preview I ranked runners and mentioned my number five in class 5A as a newcomer and class 3A is flooded with them on the girls side. Sarah Wright has been running amazing this year and has beaten 3A competition when it comes her way. She won her regional race with a 15:40. She has beaten other contenders in Ellinwood’s Jenna Snell (15:58 to Snell’s 16:45 at Hesston) and Remington’s Morgan Trible (15:50 to 16:05 at Eureka) head-to-head this year. If this freshman quickly acclimates to Wamego she should win.
2. Heather Ruder – Thomas More Prep
Ruder did finish second to Jenna Snell at the Cimarron Regional, but it was only three seconds. Ruder has the Rim Rock experience this season where she ran 16:18 for second place. She has also gotten better as the season has gone on. In the first meet of the year Cheyenne Becker of Pratt beat Ruder by over a minute. At the league meet that gap was down to under ten seconds (it should be mentioned that both runners took a wrong route, but the duel was still there).
3. Jenna Snell – Ellinwood
Yet another freshman, Snell has continued to improve all season long. Morgan Trible of Remington beat her early at Rim Rock, but she is a different runner and her win over Ruder last week speaks volumes. She is also the MCAA league champion.
4. Kimberly Smith – Northern Heights
Smith was 14 seconds back of Ruder at the Wamego Invitational and was third overall. She finished fourth last season as a freshman and is the top returner from last season’s state meet. The infusion of underclassmen will likely keep her out of the top three for one more year.
Morgan Trible – Remington
Trible doesn’t have a marquee win on the year over top notch 3A runners, but she has a lot of solid runs. She beat Cheyenne Becker of Pratt on a down day for Becker early on, but beat her all the same. She was sixth last season at state, so experience is on her side.
Top 3 Teams
1. Ellinwood – 16:59 (Beat TMP) beat Riley Co. 18:28 to 18:41 @ Rim Rock
The emergence of freshmen Jenna Snell and Becky Elsen has made Ellinwood a force to be reckoned with. The team race will be close as it always is in 3A, but Ellinwood offers the potential of three runners in the top eight, which no other team can really do. It beat perennial power Riley County head-to-head at Rim Rock with an average time of 18:28 to Riley County’s 18:41.
2. Belle Plaine
I had written Belle Plaine off. After losing Amanda Callaway, Shelby Smithhisler and Jenny Watts from its top five last year I thought the Dragons were done. I am here to admit I was wrong. Megan Doyle has continued the youth movement in 3A as another stud freshman. Ivy Wellman has stepped up in her senior season. If Taylor Scott can get back her old form then look out, but as it is they cannot counter Ellinwood’s trio. Scott can be the difference though if Belle Plaine wants to repeat.
3. Riley County
Riley County is always there every year on both sides in 3A. They lack an Annie Martin type runner to be at the front of the pack and in a big race like this, front runners and a good pack will likely win. Karly Ruggle is their top runner, but is a bit back of Snell, which hurts in a large field.
Top 5 Individual Boys
1. Kayson Matthews – Lakin
Matthews clearly put in the work between this season and last and it is paying off now as he was 31st at state last season as a junior and is now a favorite to win the meet. He has been great every time he has raced. He only beat Mike Wolf of Holcomb by three seconds at the regional meet, but I believe he was sandbagging and saving it for state. Matthews ran 17:02 at region, but has gone as low as 16:06 from what I have found. He smashed Wolf in their other head-to-head meeting at Syracuse when he ran 16:21 to Wolf’s 16:59.
2. Collin Trickle – Minneapolis
Trickle’s team moves up from 2A to 3A this year, and Trickle has taken over as his team’s number one here late in the year. He won his regional meet with a time of 17:02, which was 20 seconds better than second place. He has the state experience and has started to head towards his peak at the right time.
3. Michael Wolf – Holcomb
I am not sure what to think of Wolf right now. He has not been consistently a stud this year as he has lost to a lot of top flight competition, but ran well at Wamego early in the year. I like what he has done lately in pushing Matthews and going sub-16 at his league meet. He is one who could show up and win the meet or finish tenth place.
4. Dillon Hackett – Minneapolis
Minneapolis is going to make a bid for a team championship and Hackett is capable of running with Trickle at any point. He was third at his regional meet, but it was on a kick and he ended up with the same time as second place. He is a senior with experience at the beast that is Wamego.
5. Enrique Sanchez – Southwestern Heights
He was second last season and is a paradox just like Wolf this season. I feel like he could show up and finish second to Matthews, or not even be in the top 15. It will just depend on how he races as he has been very inconsistent this season and was fourth at his very tough regional meet well behind Matthews and Wolf.
1. Holcomb
Holcomb ran an average of 18:31 in the 4A race at Wamego early in the year, which would have decimated Riley County which won the 3-2-1A race. Riley County ran a 19:55 average to win. Holcomb will have a battle on its hands with Minneapolis and its front runners, but should pull out the win.
2. Minneapolis
If only three runners counted then Minneapolis wins this hands down, but unfortunately it takes five runners to win a title. Minneapolis has the best top three in 3A with Trickle, Hackett and Garrett Daugherty, but the well runs dry after that. It is almost impossible to win a team title in a field this big when your four and five runners are over 19- and 20-minutes respectively.
3. Riley County
Riley County resembles Minneapolis a lot without the depth up front. Class 3A is relatively weak this year in the terms of team competition and Riley County is good enough to finish third in my opinion.
As always leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions or contact me at cparker@kwch.com with any thoughts you have.
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