Maranatha sweeps Kansas Class 2A cross country titles

Going into the season the Maranatha Christian Academy boys and girls cross country teams adopted the motto “iron sharpens iron.”

The girls were looking to defend their Kansas Class 2A state title, and the boys were ready to finally move out of their shadow. On Saturday, both accomplished their goals as the Eagles swept the team titles at the state meet in Wamego, Kan.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Eagles coach Bianca Williams said. “It was great for all the coaches and the runners and the parents. It’s a good championship for the entire school.”

Lauren Harrell led the girls with an individual title in a time of 14:51.70. Teammates Hope Manning, Ashlyn Crews and Taylor Morrow also added top-five finishes. The team tallied 32 points and second-place Ellinwood had 72.

CJ Shiner was the top runner for the boys. He placed ninth.

4A: Paola girls second

Propelled by Natalie Eppler’s runner-up finish, the Paola girls placed second at the Class 4A state meet in Wamego. It was the highest finish in program history.

“Second place exceeded all my expectations of them,” Paola coach Lesley Wilson said. “With a lot of young runners, it was kind of a rebuilding year and I am elated for them”

Spring Hill sophomore Dylan Brenneman was the only state qualifier for the boys’ team, but he represented the Broncos well by finishing fourth.

This story was originally published November 1, 2014 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Maranatha sweeps Kansas Class 2A cross country titles."