Warrenton will send three runners to compete in the Missouri Class 4 state cross country meet this weekend in Columbia. 

Three Warriors qualified for the state meet after registering top-30 finishes at the Class 4, District 3 cross country meet at St. Vincent Park in St. Louis. Two Warrenton runners logged top-10 finishes. 

Warrenton’s Phillip Kackley will head to his first state competition after placing second. He battled near the front all race in his second place finish at the district competition. Kackley finished the 5K competition in 16:22, his second best time of the season. 

“Kackley made the 5K race really exciting as he took the lead with 500 meters left,” Warrenton head cross country coach Jeremy Collins said. “However, Tyler Anderson of Zumwalt East was able to outkick Kackley to win the race.”

Senior Wyatt Claiborne logged a seventh place finish to qualify for state for the third time. Claiborne finished the race in 16:55. 

“Claiborne got out really well and ran extremely tough,” Collins said. “Out of his four years of running in a district race, this was his best performance.”

Warrenton freshman Alexis Ruff was the lone Lady Warrior runner to qualify for the state meet. She placed 21st in the district competition. She set a personal record by 55 seconds, finishing the race in 21:59. 

“After about the first half mile, she was around 35th place,” Collins said. “But as the race went on, she continued to move up.  I have been really impressed by how well she has competed this season.  Every race, she has moved up during the race and Saturday was no different.  I was pretty nervous for about the first half of the race, but once she got into the top-30, I felt confident she would make it because she is so tough and a great competitor.”

Seniors Camryn Petersmeyer and Briana Grooms both registered top-50 finishes. Petersmeyer placed 43rd with a time of 23:42. Grooms placed 49th with a time of 24:28. Ashlynn Reeves and Taryn Sharp ran personal records. Reeves completed the race in 25:27 and placed 55th, while Sharp completed the race in 27:55 and placed 67th. Abby Palmer placed 69th with a season best time of 30:13. 

The Warrenton boys cross country team placed sixth in the competition as a team. Freshman Matt Craven ran a personal record time of 18:12 and placed 36th. Craven ran a personal record by 42 seconds. Craven was only 15 seconds from qualifying for the state meet. 

“As a freshman, he is showing a lot of potential,” Collins said. “The next three years will be exciting to see how much he improves.” 

Junior Jacob Beckemeyer placed 47th. He completed the race in 18:48. Senior Bryan Guerrero placed 56th with a time of 19:22. Junior Noah Cline placed 58th with a time of 19:30. Fellow junior Braden Lindsey completed the race in 21:58, which was a personal record by 1:18. He placed 79th. 

“We were hoping to place in the top four and get the team qualified to state,” Collins said. “But it just wasn’t our day. The guys went out and gave it all they had. I was proud of how they performed all season. This has been one of our best teams in a few yars and it was a blast coaching them this season.” 

The three state qualifiers will compete at Gans Creek in Columbia Saturday at the state meet. The Class 4 boys race is slated to begin at 11:15 a.m. The Class 4 girls race is slated to begin at 12 p.m.