Landon McKinzie went to the top of Platte County’s list of finishers in Saturday’s Gans Creek Classic in perhaps an encouraging sign for a lineup besieged with injuries so far this season.
The most experienced runner on the roster, Platte County’s junior expected No. 1 finished 30th in the Gold Division race at 16 minutes, 27.10 seconds on the Gans Creek Cross Country Course. He battled a troublesome blister during the first races of the season but set a new PR in the preview of the state course with a deep elite field.
In fact, all five of Platte County’s scoring runners ran the fastest-time of their careers, while welcoming back senior Jackson Townsend from an ankle injury but losing fellow senior Jacoby Keith to a foot injury. The Pirates finished fifth out of 34 teams with a score of 241.
Platte County continued to show consistency across times in the top five with junior Tate Stone (35th, 16:30.00), junior Evan Backer (45th, 16:36.50) and senior Nick Flowers (54th, 16:43.30) right behind McKinzie. Haddon Newsome, a sophomore, didn’t end up far behind, rounding out the Pirates’ team total in 89th (17:12.40).
Stone and Backer ran under 17 minutes for the second time in their careers — both this season in the Tim Nixon Invitational and Gans Creek Classic. Flowers broke the mark for the first time, having missed the season-opening race in Liberty due to a schedule conflict.
A little more than a week after breaking 18 minutes for the first time in Platte County’s home meet, Newsome knocked nearly a full minute off of his previous PR.
Teams were allowed 10 total entrants, and Platte County seniors Zarren Moore (194th, 18:31.00) and Townsend (195th, 18:32.30) finished back-to-back with career-best times that put them under 19 minutes for the first time. Townsend missed a pair of races due to his ankle injury and all of last season after transferring from Glendale.
The Gold Division race featured 269 runners from four states — more crowded than state.
McKinzie and Keith ran in the Class 4 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships as part of the 2024 team that finished fifth as a team. However, the Pirates moved up to Class 5 last fall, and Blake Herron — the lone state qualifier — graduated.
Platte County returns to Class 5 this season with a large group that ran at districts a year ago, while also working Backer into the mix.
