Tops in the conference

Three days after claiming the meet title at Cedarcrest Country Club in Columbus, Highland senior Keiffer Sexton made it two in a row.

At the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet held in the same location on Thursday, Sexton claimed the meet and conference title, running a time of 16:40, 22 seconds slower than Monday?s cooler meet.

With team champion Pekin in attendance, Sexton said the competition was much stiffer and helped cause unexpected problems early.

?It was different because (of) old competition with Pekin?s Ryan Millikin,? Sexton said. ?He put a wrench in things for me. I expected (Columbus senior Josh Keller) to go out stronger and to work with him, but that didn?t happen. I had to put in maintenance.?

Keller came up with a second-place finish for Columbus, running a time of 19:59, while Millikin finished in third with a 17:04.

As a team, the Highland boys took fourth at the meet, finishing 14 points behind a third-place Winfield-Mt. Union team.

Behind Sexton was fellow All-Conference Huskie Caleb Brase, who ran a 17:59 for 11th-place overall at the meet. Jared Gringer finished in 39th for Highland with a 19:39. Josh Brand had a 19:57 for 43rd place while Garret Colbert finished in 53rd for the Huskies with a 20:42, while James McPherson had a 21:49 for 76th.

After Keller?s second-place finish, the Columbus cross-country team had Diego Sanchez take 35th overall with a 19:31, while Marc Estrada ran a 19:42 for 40th place.

J.D. Lekwa took 44th with a 19:57, Armando Quiroz finished with a 20:36 for 51st place while Tucker Morrison had a 20:54 for 61st and Erick Cantarero had a 21:04 for 65th.

The Columbus boys finished in seventh place.

On the girls? side of the meet, Columbus? Ashley Canny was the top area finisher, taking 18th place overall (just three spots away from an All-Conference finish) with a 23:10.

?I was so happy with both Josh and Ashley,? Columbus head coach Steve Riley said. ?This is their last conference race ? they are both seniors ? and it was the best conference finish of their careers.?

Canny was followed by Jenessa Carpenter, who took 34th with a 25:13, Grace Chapman (37th, 25:46) and Andrea Rodriguez (44th, 26:42).

Highland and Columbus each have one more meet (Highland at Fairfield, Columbus at Central Lee) before state qualifying on Oct. 22.