CARTHAGE, Mo. — Collin Emmert used a late-race kick to cross the finish line first at the Carthage Invitational on Thursday morning at the Carthage Golf Course.
A senior at Carl Junction, Emmert definitely finished strong, as he passed Webb City’s Dustin Brockmiller late in the 5K race to claim the event’s individual championship with a time of 16 minutes, 44 seconds.
“I was pacing off the other guys on the first lap,” Emmert said. “That second lap, with probably half a mile to go, is when I took the lead for good.”
Emmert, who had a solid track season last spring, noted he put in a lot of time and effort into training for this fall’s cross country season.
“I’m proud of the hard work I put in this summer and this was my first full 5K this season, so it was kind of a rust-buster,” Emmert said. “I think my hard work is paying off.”
“Collin did really well today and I was proud of him,” Carl Junction coach Kyla Walnofer said. “He worked really hard this summer and has worked hard this fall too.”
WEBB CITY CLAIMS TEAM TITLE
Webb City’s Brockmiller (16:53), Roman Borboa (17:32) and Evan Stevens (17:37) crossed the line second, third and fourth, respectively, leading the Cardinals to a team championship.
Also for the Cardinals, Blake Vaughan was ninth, while Jose Banda-Antillon was 17th and Samuel Weller finished 21st.
Webb City had a team score of 33 and Rogers was second with a 70.
“I was really proud of our effort today,” Webb City coach Dustin Miller said. “We’ve struggled a little bit with focus these first couple of weeks and I’ve kind of hammered them in training. It’s not fun to run when your legs are pretty dead, but we freshened them up for this race. I’m really proud of the way they worked together as a team. They gave a great effort. They ran smart and tough and I look forward to seeing the progression of this team this season.”
Webb City won the Carl Lewton Award for the lowest combined boys and girls point total.
LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Mariques Strickland took fifth in 17:43, while Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry placed seventh in 18:19.
Carthage’s Joseph Wyrick crossed the line 10th, Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson finished 11th, Carthage’s Miquel Solano took 14th and Carl Junction’s Brock Feken was 22nd.
TIGERS FINISH THIRD
With three runners in the top 14, Carthage finished with a team score of 83, good for third place.
“Our boys ran pretty tough and there’s definitely room for improvement,” Carthage coach Brian Crigger said. “I feel like some of them may have gotten discouraged later in the race when they got passed. There were some bright spots but we still have things to work on. Right now, it’s more mental than physical. They’re in shape to run with anybody in the area. They just have to believe that they’re in shape to run with anybody in the area.”
CARTHAGE INVITATIONAL
Boys team scores: Webb City 33, Rogers 70, Carthage 83, Carl Junction 95, Glendale 103, Springfield Central 124. Incomplete teams: Hillcrest, Thomas Jefferson.
