BonnerSprings.com

Kansas City, Kan. — The fact that longtime cross country powerhouses De Soto and Baldwin were in Bonner Springs’ Class 4A regional Saturday at Wyandotte County Park was evidence enough that the battle for state berths would be difficult.

Still, the scenario the BSHS boys found themselves in was almost unheard of.

Two Braves — senior Matt Coffman and junior T.J. Kimbrough-French — both snagged individual state spots, but they were the last two qualifiers to sneak in from the regional.

Keep in mind Coffman finished 11th overall and Kimbrough-French was 13th.

De Soto and Baldwin runners occupied five of the top 10 spots and claimed the top two team spots. Tonganoxie finished third and also qualified for state.

De Soto junior Angel Vasquez was the 5K regional champion in 15 minutes, 42.03 seconds.

Coffman finished in 17:23.97 — 36 seconds faster than his qualifying time a year ago on the same course.

“It was definitely faster than last year,” Coffman said. “I just had to give it everything and push harder to get there.”

Kimbrough-French had an even narrower margin for error. He ran a 21-second personal record and finished in 17:38.10 — and he ran 38 seconds faster than his 2010 state-qualifying time.

Kimbrough-French moved up about five spots during the final mile, and a strong charge to the finish line helped him hold off Topeka Hayden senior Michael Hudson by one second.

“I just believed I could do it,” Kimbrough-French said. “I knew I had to be near my teammate Matt, and my coaches yelled out times and everything and I knew I needed to get closer.”

Both Coffman and Kimbrough-French will compete Saturday at the Class 4A state championships at Wamego Country Club. Both raced at state last year, and they said that experience should benefit them this time around.

“I’ll be better prepared for those hills and stuff, and I just know what to expect there,” Coffman said.

Coffman placed 65th at state in 2010 while Kimbrough-French finished 86th.

It took Kimbrough-French a personal record time to get to state this time, and that same feat is Coffman’s goal for his final race as a Brave.

“16:59,” he said of his goal time.

Bonner Springs finished sixth as a team. Sophomore Austin Schuler placed 24th in 18:12.41, freshman Joe Casteel was 54th in 19:24.93, sophomore Thomas Hook was 55th in 19:28.09, sophomore Zach Quigley placed 66th in 19:55.49 and sophomore Tre Scott finished 88th in 22:02.30.

The Bonner Springs girls were unable to secure any state qualifiers.

Junior Mandy Ballou was the top BSHS girls performer. She finished 28th in the 4K race in 16:56.62.

Baldwin sophomore Katie Jones was the regional champion in 15:28.75, and she led the Bulldogs to a team title with 29 points. De Soto (83) and St. James Academy (92) secured the other team state berths. Bonner Springs finished 13th as a team with 330 points.

Also for the Braves, sophomore Citlally Alvarado finished 73rd in 19:22.92, junior Tessa Newberry was 76th in 19:27.91, sophomore Rachel Barber was 79th in 20:02.90, freshman Akiko Capalla finished 82nd in 20:25.90 and sophomore Eleanor Lynch was 84th in 21:35.97.

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