Oklahoma high school cross country takeaways from the 2023 state races
The Oklahoma high school state cross country races were held Saturday at Edmond Santa Fe.
Here are some takeaways from the action.
*Note: The girls races in Class 4A through 2A are two miles. All other races are five kilometers.
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Class 6A: Edmond North’s Zac Rutherford claims individual title
Zac Rutherford wasn’t performing as well as he expected at the beginning of the cross country season.
A senior at Edmond North, he placed third at the Class 6A state meet last year but didn’t even break the top 20 in his first race in 2023.
But Rutherford had a turning point at the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference meet on Oct. 10. Although he didn’t win, he had an impressive time and started to believe things were changing, a feeling that was validated when he claimed a regional title last week.
And now, he can call himself a state champion.
Rutherford won the Class 6A title Saturday at Edmond Santa Fe as he finished in 15 minutes, 16.13 seconds. Mustang sophomore Noah Thayer placed second with a time of 15:33.91, and Deer Creek senior Brody Woodcock took third after recording a time of 15:37.72.
Rutherford, who is committed to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, also helped defending champion Edmond North place third in the team standings.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since my freshman year,” Rutherford said. “Freshman year, I got 41st place. A number that really sticks in my head. Sophomore year, I had pneumonia. I got second to last in this race. To come back like this two years later and win the whole thing, it’s really sentimental to me. It just means a lot.”
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Class 6A: Deer Creek boys win 10th crown
Deer Creek’s powerhouse boys program added another state title as the Antlers finished with 42 points, 22 ahead of Mustang and 52 ahead of Edmond North.
The Deer Creek boys have now claimed 10 championships since 2006.
Senior Brody Woodcock led the team with a third-place finish as he completed the run in 15:37.72.
Senior Spencer Carlson placed fifth in 15:41.66, senior Tyler Schwarz placed 12th in 15:56.96, senior Daniel Collins placed 13th in 15:57.40 and freshman Micah John placed 15th in 16:01.95.
Woodcock, who placed 44th at last year’s state meet, is proud of the role he played in Deer Creek's special season.
“We’re not doing anything different,” said Woodcock, a Tulsa commit. “We just got a great group of guys that are keeping each other accountable, keeping each other consistent. We show up day in and day out. I guess that’s what you could say we do differently. We show up for each other, and we’re always there for each other.”
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Class 4A: Pauls Valley wins first girls title in any sport
Pauls Valley entered Saturday with zero girls state championships in any sport.
That’s no longer the case.
The Panthers won the Class 4A title, finishing with 78 points. Poteau was the runner-up with 105, and Tulsa Regent Prep placed third with 115.
Juniors Kenzi Readnour, Keira Readnour and Isabella Gutierrez led the way for Pauls Valley as they finished in the top five.
Kenzi Readnour won with a time of 11:57.44, while her twin, Keira Readnour, placed second in 11:58.93. Gutierrez, the defending Class 4A champion, finished in 12:08.97 for fifth.
Freshman Rachel Hamilton also had an impressive race as she placed 17th in 12:44.92, while senior Laney English took 66th with a time of 13:41.99.
“It means so much to me,” Kenzi Readnour said. “Our team, we worked so hard, and we’ve been working so hard to get to this point. It actually coming true, it’s amazing.”
Her twin felt the same way.
“It’s surreal,” Keira Readnour said. “It hasn’t set in. It’s just amazing to do it with my friends and just bring it home to Pauls Valley.”
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Class 4A: Bethany boys win first cross country crown
Pauls Valley wasn’t the only school in Class 4A that made school history.
The Bethany boys also had a breakthrough, winning the school’s first cross country championship.
The Bronchos finished with 94 points, placing ahead of Cache (110) and Bridge Creek (125).
Bethany, which placed third at the state meet last year, is led by five seniors.
Cole Powell was the Bronchos’ top runner as he placed eighth with a time of 16:22.12, and Levi Johnson wasn’t far behind as he finished ninth in 16:23.25.
Mason Wyett placed 17th in 16:49.27, Nolan Stayton was 33rd in 17:21.10 and Sebastian Caballero was 36th in 17:27.92.
“It was so emotional,” Bethany coach Zac Coulson said. “Because my No. 1, Cole, has worked his tail off for the last year and a half. My No. 5, Sebastian, he got 101st last year. And so he worked his tail off and took off, it was like two and a half minutes off his PR from last year to this year. Just bought in and worked hard and it showed.”
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Class 3A: Casady wins in state meet debut
The Casady boys cross country program competed in its first state meet Saturday, and the result couldn’t have been much better.
The Cyclones claimed the Class 3A championship as they finished with 47 points and ahead of Community Christian (96) and Heavener (117), while Community Christian junior Levi Haynes claimed the individual title with a time of 16:21.12.
Casady used to compete in the Southwest Preparatory Conference but is now in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association in cross country.
Leading the way for the Cyclones was junior Ashton Hale, who placed second in 16:29.24.
Ayden Kerr placed fourth in 16:36.06, Billy Mathis was 10th in 16:48.72, Sam Rhoades was 17th in 17:09.95 and Joshua Goggins was 19th in 17:15.60.
Hale had a solid run, but Haynes fought through the cold and drizzly conditions and ultimately got the victory.
“I’ve been working really hard this season,” Haynes said. “I feel like God has really blessed me and given me the ability to run. I knew coming into it that I had the ability to win, and so I was just trusting God, just praying really hard because I knew that if it was his will that I could win.”
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Other standout performances
● Owasso won the Class 6A girls title with 98 points. Piedmont was the runner-up with 104, and Jenks placed third with 120. Owasso junior Bella Nelson claimed the individual crown as she finished in 17:29.10 and was followed by Edmond Santa Fe junior Natalie Duggan (17:35.32) and Edmond North senior Morgan Kirkland (17:38.75).
● The Tulsa Lincoln Christian boys and girls won in Class 5A. The boys — who had 62 points — have claimed seven championships since 2014, while the girls — who had 45 points — have won three since 2016. The individual boys champion in Class 5A was Tahlequah senior Trae Baker (15:41.26), and the girls champion was Tulsa Lincoln Christian freshman Tennyson Housley (18:28.41).
● The Guthrie girls placed second in Class 5A as they finished with 114 points. Senior Kamryn Boller led the Bluejays, placing fifth with a time of 19:19.09.
● Tulsa Metro Christian won the Class 3A girls crown with 70 points, while Mount St. Mary was the runner-up with 103 and Casady placed third with 121. Tulsa Metro Christian freshman Ryleigh Hodges won the individual title with a time of 12:02.36, and Mount St. Mary’s Ava Carney was the runner-up after finishing in 12:18.56. Dickson freshman Jaden Alexander placed third in 12:21.46.
● The Hooker boys and girls both won in Class 2A. The boys, who have claimed two straight titles, had 46 points. Riverside and Sweetwater placed second and third with 108 and 114, respectively. The Hooker girls, who have captured three consecutive championships, had 29 points. Southwest Covenant was the runner-up with 124, and Oktaha placed third with 153. The individual boys champion was Watonga sophomore Brayden Cowan, who finished in 16:22.84 and ahead of Warner junior Koulter Drake (16:39.18) and Hooker junior Ulisses Jimenez (16:43.73). Laverne senior Kamryn Baggs won on the girls side with a time of 11:56.49. She placed ahead of Minco senior Daigan Miller (12:27.70) and Hooker junior Izabella Neville (12:33.74).
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school cross country takeaways from the 2023 state races
