By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
MANHATTAN -- On a cool Saturday morning the 2025 cross country season began for six local schools at Warner Memorial Park.
Seaman's Brody Anderson opened his senior cross country season with the individual boys title in Saturday's Manhattan Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
There were five races (boys and girls varsity, boys and girls junior varsity, boys C). The girls junior varsity and boys C race were four-kilometer races, while the rest were at the standard five-kilometer distance.
In the boys race, Seaman senior Brody Anderson and Wamego senior Peyton Parker were neck-and-neck for the first mile, but Anderson pulled away in the remainder of the race, finishing first with a time of 15 minutes, 11.48 seconds. Washburn Rural sophomore Henry Laubach was able to track down Wamego’s Parker and finished second in a time of 15:43.33.
“I didn’t want to think about it being the first race of the season, but kept it in the back of my mind,'' Anderson said. "I wanted it to come naturally and I was able to have a good race on a tough course.
"I’ve been training for the past six or seven weeks really hard and I feel that I needed to prove a point to start the season.''
Washburn Rural sophomore Henry Laubach (1935) finished second individually in Saturday's Manhattan Invitational, leading the Junior Blues to the team title. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn Rural won the team event over Wamego and Olathe Northwest. In addition to runnerup Laubach, the Junior Blues had three other runners win medals by finishing in the top twenty -- senior Brooks Kehoe finished fifth in 16:40.82, Duke Graf finished 10th in 16:57.92 and Clayton Fink finished 11th in 17:01.88.
In the varsity girls race, Washburn Rural finished second in the team event behind host Manhattan and Olathe Northwest finished third.
Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf (left) finished third in Saturday's Manhattan Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
The Junior Blues were led by three medalists, with Emily Graf finishing third in 19:16.37, Kenzie Maddox fifth in a time of 19:42.26 and Alyson Hinck sixth in 19:46.61.
The Seaman Lady Vikes had one medalist in junior Brynn Spencer, who finished 12th in a time of 20:14.58. Seaman senior Ryin Miller did not run in the race as she is working through an injury.
Hayden’s lone runner and medalist, Sofia Harper finished 20th in a time of 21:05.88.
Team Scores & Individual Results
Boys Varsity (Top 3 teams)
Washburn Rural 50, Wamego 52, Olathe NW 69.
(Local team finishes)
6. Seaman 159; 7. Topeka High 221; 9. Hayden 242.
Washburn Rural
Henry Laubach (2) 15:43.33; Brooks Kehoe (5) 16:40.82; Duke Graf (10) 16:57.92; Clayton Fink (11) 17:01.88; Jaxson Adams (23) 17:30.73; Wesley Meek (38) 18:20.07; Brady Meek (41) 18:28.11.
Seaman
Brody Anderson (1) 15:11.48; Conner Bloom (35) 18:08.58; Drake Spurlock (40) 18:25.36; Maddox Moore (46) 19:16.19; Emmanuel Armstead (47) 19:16.24; Camden Dutton (58) 20:32.70.
Topeka High
Easton Davis (30) 17:55.98; Oliver Snethen (45) 18:54.26; Will Toland (49) 19:35.02; Matthew Hanes (57) 20:30.31; Nicholas McDonald (60) 21:00.58.
Hayden
Connor Baldwin (33) 18:05.98; Luke Franklin (52) 19:46.94; Matthew Harmer (56) 20:25.67; David Yang (62) 24:15.13; Seamus Mcinerney (63) 24:31.01; Evan White (64) 34:00.44.
Topeka West
Ezra Phelps (42) 18:33.47; Rhys Green (50) 19:40.24.
Girls Varsity (Top 3 teams)
Manhattan 31; Washburn Rural 52; Olathe NW 95.
(Local team finishes)
7. Seaman 170
Washburn Rural
Emily Graf (3) 19:16.37; Kenzie Maddox (5) 19:42.26; Alyson Hinck (6) 19:46.61; Morgan Munson (18) 20:37.37; Reese Beardslee (25) 21:38.41; Harper Tenbrink (36) 23:23.85.
Seaman
Brynn Spencer (12) 20:14.58; Avery Villines (38) 23:38.49; Hannah Wempe (41) 23:56.57; Jaydin Frickey (45) 25:12.34; Emma Gonzalez (47) 25:59.69.
Hayden
Sofia Harper (20) 21:05.88.
Boys JV (Top 3 teams)
Washburn Rural 42, Wamego 49, Manhattan 59.
(Local team finishes)
6. Seaman 178; 9. Topeka 267.
Washburn Rural
Rylan Rake (3) 17:47.44; Wyatt Shorb (5) 17:51.52; Eli Replogle (10) 18:30.23; Bennett Wells (11) 18:30.55; Ethan Koci (13) 18:36.83; Trey Recob (20) 18:53.06; Ayden Mooney (25) 19:25.97; Jackson Svaty (28) 19:27.60; Kael Harman (34) 19:50.69; Dylan Ragsdale (40) 20:01.93.
Seaman
Weston Kennedy (22) 19:03.64; Abe Heffley (44) 20:22.20; Stephen Miano (45) 20:22.79; Tate Olivia (52) 20:49.52; Trace La Row (53) 20:49.83; Landen Poe (60) 21:00.81; Max Roark (62) 21:19.54; Wesley Eckert (65) 21:30.63; Nick Horton (66) 21:40.96; Eli Mott (72) 22:50.61.
Topeka
Amir El-Jammal (68) 22:02.27; Salis Bechard (69) 22:07.94; Javion Pugh (71) 22:30.21; Carter Davis (75) 23:57.74; Sam Stanton (78) 24:30.99; Sebastian Homerding (83) 31:06.16.
Topeka West
Cameron Parrett (43) 20:14.27; Mason Gore (74) 23:55.30; Jack Morgan (81) 27:13.87.
Highland Park
Matias Martinez-Astorga (56) 20:54.28; Emilio Chavez (82) 28:01.75.
Girls JV (Top 3 teams)
Manhattan 18, Washburn Rural 102, Olathe NW 104.
(Local team finishes)
8. Topeka 186.
Washburn Rural
Quinn Nolte (7) 17:50.86; Lilly Palmer (18) 19:10.84; Lily McCoy (25) 19:36.57; Rayauna Huey (33) 20:27.67; Lacey Middleton (54) 21:36.40.
Topeka
Juliahnna Savago (32) 20:23:91; Breanna Maldonado (34) 20:32.54; Maricruz MerriWeather (51) 21:31.64; Victoria Reynaga (66) 22:11.96; Diana Garcia-Silva (70) 22:55.44; Kimberly Cortez (75) 23:54.12.
Topeka West
Phebe Phelps (22) 19:28.27; Lily Phelps Roper (57) 21:48.55.
Seaman
Kennedy Gatewood (31) 20:15.55; Bailey Martin (68) 22:41.50.
Highland Park
Mi’Luv Cosey (65) 22:11.23.
Boys C (Top 3 teams)
Washburn Rural 15, Manhattan 43, Lawrence 108.
(Local team finishes)
7. Seaman 196
Washburn Rural.
Julius Wood-Nichols (1) 14:14.00; Gauge Dial (2) 14:36.85; Oliver Haberman (3) 14:43.64; Cadin Stratmann (4) 14:51.53; Landon Haberman (5) 15:06.37; Charles Stones (9) 15:22.46; Ethan Lake (11) 15:27.20; Cole Replogle 15:27.21; Jackson Buesing 15:30.85; Cedric Goetz 15:42.16; Blake Harader 16:06.34; Asher Denman 16:36.25; Jacob Eilert 16:37.14; Marlon Barrios Martinez 16:39.26; Thomas Reed 16:42.77; Ryan Olsen 16:59.39; Alex Jeffries 17:00.29; Antonio Fernkopf 17:10.75; Ryder McClintock 17:28.79; Ethan Lanier 17:36.37; Korbin Jones 17:43.75; Avery Knappenberger 18:10.33; Dylan Weigel 19:01.29; Zachary Inloes 19:21.43; Avery Pearce 19:25.53; Jason Hall 20:54.26; Caleb Pearce 23:16.86; Grady Wells 24:16.50.
Seaman
Gabe Ferguson (63) 17:39.20; Levi Rodecap (71) 17:58.57; Aaron Haynes (76) 18:25.57; John Holloway (78) 18:26.55; Josh Horton (80) 18:46.56; Davis Yarnell (83) 19:10.05; Brady Marteney (96) 20:15.98.
