Running In High Style

MCHS SENIOR EMILY HIGH FINISHES SEASON STRONG

Photo by Rick Peck McDonald County’s Emily High, third from left, battles with Cassandra Brown (989, Blue Springs South), Margaret Morse (1123, Parkaway West) and Mackenzie Miller (1001, St. Joseph Central) for position during the final stretch of Saturday’s Class 4 cross country championships in Jefferson City.
Photo by Rick Peck McDonald County’s Emily High, third from left, battles with Cassandra Brown (989, Blue Springs South), Margaret Morse (1123, Parkaway West) and Mackenzie Miller (1001, St. Joseph Central) for position during the final stretch of Saturday’s Class 4 cross country championships in Jefferson City.

Rick Peck

Special To McDonald County Press

McDonald County High School's Emily High closed out her high school cross country career in grand style at the Missouri State High School Activities Association State Cross Country Championships held Saturday at Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City.

High ran the fastest time at the state meet for any female McDonald County runner in history, finishing the demanding 3.1 mile course in a time of 20:22. The time was good enough to place 69th out of 165 runners in Class 4, which is the largest class in cross country.

"She did everything I was hoping she would do," said coach Darbi Stancell. "We were hoping for a finish in the top half and she did even better than that. This is our best time at state by over a minute. It was a perfect day for her to end her fantastic career and she goes down as the best female cross country runner we have ever had."

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Her time was about 34 seconds slower than her personal best she set earlier this season, but the Oak Hills course is not one where personal bests are normally set due to the number of hills, including "Firehouse Hill" at the two-mile mark.

"I felt really good for the first two miles," High said. "Then I felt a side-stich pain, but I just kept going. I went out hard. The hill right before the two and a half point is real steep. I didn't think it was going to end. It's a lot farther when you are running it than it is when you're just looking at it."

High's time would have placed her in 28th place if McDonald County remained in Class 3 as it was two years ago before MSHSAA made class assignments bumping MCHS to Class 4. The top 30 runners in each class receive all-state honors.

Anna West led Lafayette High School to the team title, winning the Class 4 race in a time of 17:46.

High started running cross country as a seventh grader under the tutelage of Tim Kilby, McDonald County junior high school coach.

"One thing we learned in junior high was Emily was one of the toughest runners we ever had," Stancell said. "Coach Kilby and I knew never to count Emily out."

High's success during her senior season came about after a lot of hard work following her junior year.

"The difference between this year and the previous years is that she was really dedicated in the off-season," Stancell said. "She has worked for months for this. She is definitely the most improved female and that is pretty rare for a senior and a four-year senior at that. She is a great role model for the kids. I cannot think of one time in four years I have coached her that she has ever been cross with anyone. If she did have grievances with anyone, she handled them very professionally. She has been a real joy to coach."

High said it was as a sixth grader -- when all students run a mile -- when Kilby first saw her and suggested she come out for cross country the following year.

"I started getting better when I started being dedicated to the sport," High said. "The past three years I haven't gotten any awards and after track season last year I said, 'I am going to get an award in cross country' so I started training more and it turned out to be."

Sports on 11/12/2015