JACKSON — Saxony Lutheran junior Raylee Matthews finished third in a personal-best time of 22 minutes, 41 seconds to lead the Lady Crusaders to the girls’ team title in the 2025 Heartland Conference Championships cross country meet last Thursday at Jackson City Park, edging out East Carter.
Both Saxony Lutheran and East Carter finished with 38 points, but Saxony Lutheran fielded six runners, giving the Lady Crusaders the edge. Woodland was third with 46 points, and Meadow Heights was fourth with 97.
Matthews’s effort was aided by sophomore Eva Williamson and freshman Briley Meyr, who also ran personal-best times, finishing fifth in 22.50 and eighth in 23:04, respectively. Woodland’s Faith Rouggly finished first in 20:05, followed by East Carter’s Aliyah Miller, who was second in 22:17. Aliyah Price of Oak Ridge was fourth in 22.45, while East Carter’s Alivia Miller was sixth in 22:52. East Carter’s Brooklyn Hampton (23:04) was eighth, Scott City’s Olivia Oakley (23:40) was ninth, and Leopold’s Elise Vander-Mierden (23:53) was 10th.
Rounding out the bill for Saxony Lutheran were Gretchen Wolfe, who was 17th in 26:13; Olivia Petzoldt, who was 19th in 28:55; and Allee Mckee, who finished 20th in 29:35.
On the boys’ side, Woodland dominated both the team and individual standings, taking five of the top 10 spots to finish first in the team standings with 22 points. Kennett was second with 118, followed by Puxico with 121. Saxony Lutheran finished 10th with 210 points.
Woodland’s Calvin Layton was the top finisher in the boys’ race, turning in a time of 17:01. Teammate Max Layton, 12 seconds behind, claimed second in 17:13, while Drew Garner was fourth in 17:52 and Rawlend Filer fifth in 18:05. Seth Wilkinson rounded out Woodland’s top 5 with a 10th-place time of 18:14.
Puxico’s Jeff Hancock was third in 17:52.
Senior Mark Richey was the first Crusader to cross the finish line, finishing 21st in a personal-best 19:21, followed by junior Jacob Schupp at 24th in 19:24, sophomore Samuel Petzoldt at 36th in 20:25, freshman Silas Hohenadel at 59th in 22:18, junior Noah Meyr at 68th in 24:12, and senior Walter Meyer at 74th in 32:26.
