Will Payne won the boys race at the Republic Cross Country Invitational Tuesday with a time of 17:43.40. The junior led a dominant performance by the Tigers, who claimed five of the top six spots and six of the top ten.
Republic freshman Lucas Riffe finished second with a time of 17:54.98. Dalton Glendenning, Caleb Brest, and Alex DeHaan rounded out the top six for Republic, finishing fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively.
Thayor Little of Chadwick High School broke up the Republic pack, finishing third with a time of 18:15.36. Gabe Benjamin was the sixth Republic runner in the top ten, finishing tenth overall.
“This is probably the best weather we’ve ever had for a Republic home meet, because it’s not too hot and the wind is perfect,” Payne said. “So it felt really good.”
Payne led most of the way, but said his biggest challenge was running without a lot of close competition. “It’s harder to go as fast when you don’t have competition to really push yourself,” he said.
In the girls race, Republic freshman Brylie Harris took top honors for her team with a fifth-place finish and a time of 21:10.79. Senior Gracie Troester, running her first race of the season as she works back from injury, finished eighth.
The Republic boys and girls teams will compete next at the Camdenton Invitational at HaHa Tonka State Park.
