For the second year in a row, Houston Middle School has a cross country state champion.
But this time, there are two.
In the Class 3 races at the fourth annual Missouri Middle School Cross Country Championships hosted by Hermitage High School last Saturday (Oct. 26) at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, 7th-graders Oliver Choate and Myles Copley were both winners.
Choate topped a field of 128 runners in the boys race and posted a time of 11:23.12 on the 2-mile course, a massive 47 seconds better than his previous best time at the distance. Copley came in first in a field of 75 with a time of 12:52.73, finishing about 23 seconds ahead of the runner-up and posting a personal-record by a whopping 29 seconds.
“It’s such an amazing accomplishment by both runners all season long to get to this point,” said Houston head coach Justin Brown. “There were a lot of very competitive runners this year in both races and our kids went out and got the job done!”
After having a decent season in 2023, Choate broke out this year, winning seven races in eight outings before capping things off with the biggest prize available.
He led the Tigers to a third-place finish in the team standings among 17 squads with 5-runner scores.
Every HMS boy in the race turned in a personal-record time. Next to finish for the Tigers was 7th-grader Charlie Benoist in 7th place at 12:08.89 (a PR by 59 seconds), while 7th-grader Liam Stickel placed 27th, 6th-grader Rocky Gilbert came in 28th and 6th-grader Easton Hinkle rounded out the team score in 58th.
Also running for Houston were 6th-graders Dominic Stice and Ryker Wilson and 7th-grader Ethan Grant.
In winning for the seventh time this season, Copley led the Lady Tigers to second place among six teams with scores.
Next to finish for Houston was 8th-grader Lyla Huffman, who came in 6th, while 7th-grader Haddlie Miller (in her first 2-mile race this season) placed 20th at 14:41.07, 6th-grader Hayden Jones finished 21st at 14:42.24 (a PR by 1:29) and 8th-grader Savannah Evetts came in 35th at 15:43.55 (a PR by 1:34). Also running for Houston was 6th-grader Keira Kelly, who placed 38th and set a PR by 3:01.
“For all my kids to go out and push themselves to almost all PR in the 2-mile is mind-blowing,” Brown said. “To me, it doesn’t matter if they get first or last, it’s about consistently getting better all season long, and looking at our times, everyone did absolutely amazing.”
Last year, the two teams took third and fourth at the state meet.
“I couldn’t be prouder of all these kids coming together and fighting to the end to bring home a second and third place finish this year,” Brown said. “It shows we have kids with amazing perseverance and dedication to be able to one-up ourselves from last season.”
Huffman won the Missouri Middle School Class 3 State Championship in 2023 and won twice early in this season, but rolled her ankle and had since dealt with nerve issues in the ankle and calf.
“Having state champs both seasons is a testament to everything my athletes and this program are about,” Brown said. “So much of their success is driven by dedication and determination to be the best every time we lace up our shoes. All the early mornings and long nights, countless miles and hard work gets you to this point, and let me tell you, these kids are hungry for more and I can’t wait to see what we can bring to the table next season!”
