GARNETT — The Iola Mustangs put southeast Kansas on notice after taking second at Thursday’s Pioneer League Championship at the Garnett Country Club.
With five top-20 finishers, the Mustangs turned more than a few heads with 12 runners on the course.
“They all worked hard. Anyone can have the race of their life and some people did today. It was awesome,” Iola coach Brittany Daugharthy said.
Junior Keegan Hill was Iola’s top runner after clearing the course in 18:01 for fourth place. Hill believes he has plenty left in the tank to punch his ticket to state at next week’s regional meet in Neodesha.
“We have a pretty good shot at making state as a team,” Hill said, the epitome for every team.
“My dad and I were talking and even in my worst races I still had times good enough to get past the first eight qualifiers. I’m pretty excited,” he said.
Senior Brennen Coffield enjoyed returning to the Garnett golf course. After taking third at the 2025 Regional Golf Championship last spring, Coffield earned his second All-Pioneer League Cross Country honor while running the links Thursday. He cleared the course in 18:54, 53 seconds behind Hill, for ninth place.
“I wasn’t sure how I felt going into it. I figured I’d just go out, give it my all and see where I fell,” Coffield said. “We did great. We showed we could get down and run hard when we needed to. The future is looking good.”
Iola owes a quartet of runners for getting the team into second place. Junior Joshua Wanker, junior Ruger Boren, senior Isaac Velazquez and junior James Hunt finished 13th, 14th, 15th and 18th respectively with only 35 seconds separating the pack. Wanker cleared the course in 20:03, Boren came in 6 seconds later, Velazquez at 20:19 and then Hunt at 20:37.
Sophomore Adam Klubek was only two-tenths of a second from a top-20 finish after taking 21st place in 20:44. Junior Caden Coltrane took 23rd in 20:51, followed by Konner Morrison in 20:52.
As for the female competitors, senior Mahailie Genoble finished first among Iola runners and fourth overall after clearing the course in 22:55 — 2 seconds faster than when she ran it in September.
“I feel good. I was ready for it,” Genoble said. “It helped a little knowing how the course is set up and when you need to dig in and go. I feel good going into next week. I’m confident and ready to go.”
As a team, the Mustangs took fifth overall thanks in part to a pair of top 30 finishes by juniors Keysha Smith and Lynsie Fehr, who took 25th and 26th respectively. Smith cleared the course in 30:22 with Fehr just 4 seconds behind at 30:26. Senior Ari Ramirez took 31st in 32:33.
The Mustangs hope to carry Thursday’s momentum into next week’s regional meet in Neodesha.
“It’s a new course and it’s kind of nice not knowing what to expect,” Daugharhty said. “We’re going to run hard no matter what.
Besides Iola, teams competing were Anderson County High School of Garnett, Burlington High School, Osawatomie High School, Prairie View High School of La Cygne, Santa Fe Trail High School of Carbondale, and Wellsville High School.
