Burns holds off Wilde by a 14:32.3 to 14:36.1 margin, Loewe earns revenge against Harper with 17:20.5 to 17:22.5 victory; Southlake Carroll boys roll past Bentonville, with Lovejoy capitalizing on absence of Walsh to capture girls title 67-75

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Two of the elite distance athletes in Missouri delivered a captivating conclusion to the boys "El Caliente" 5-kilometer race Saturday at the 34th Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival.

A pair of nationally ranked programs from Texas provided an exciting showdown in the girls "El Caliente" showcase at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Ark.

And the second matchup this season involving Haley Loewe of Bentonville High in Arkansas and Haley Harper of Plano West High in Texas was twice as thrilling as their first clash Sept. 24 at South Lakes Park in Denton.

RACE VIDEOS

Connor Burns of Southern Boone, an Oregon-bound senior, pulled away from Liberty North junior Sage Wilde in the final 800 meters to prevail by a margin of 14 minutes, 32.3 seconds to 14:36.1, leading six athletes in the "El Caliente" race to sub-15 performances.

Wyatt Haughton of Shawnee Mission East in Kansas took third in 14:53.0, Hudson Betts of Fayetteville High finished fourth in 14:55.0, Caden Thurman of Wolfe City in Texas placed fifth in 14:57.3 and Tyler Harris of Kickapoo High in Missouri produced the third sub-15 effort for the state by clocking 14:58.6 to secure sixth.

Southlake Carroll of Texas had five scorers finish in the top 40, led by junior Jude Alvarez in ninth in 15:16.0, to produce an 86-163 victory over Bentonville. Wilde helped Liberty North take third with 181 points.

The Dragons also had a second group secure ninth place with 288 points.

Southlake Carroll missed an opportunity to secure a sweep of both "El Caliente" team titles, but the absence of junior Alexandra Walsh resulted in the Dragons being edged by Lucas Lovejoy by a 67-75 margin in the marquee girls competition.

Olathe West of Kansas took third with 132 points and Bentonville finished fourth with 145 points. Southlake Carroll had a second group place sixth with 272 points.

Lucas Lovejoy had five athletes in the top 25, led by junior Sara Morefield placing 10th in 17:50.1 and senior Amy Morefield taking 13th in 18:01.0.

Senior Ava Bushaw took third for Southlake Carroll in 17:30.2, but the Dragons only had five scorers in the top 35 overall.

After Harper prevailed by more than 25 seconds in their previous matchup at the Garmin MileSplit Invitational, Loewe remained in contact throughout the rematch Saturday and used a significant surge in the final 600 meters to triumph by a 17:20.5 to 17:22.5 margin.

Morgan Kirkland, a junior at Edmond North in Oklahoma, finished fourth in 17:38.2, junior Allie Love of Colleyville Heritage in Texas placed fifth in 17:39.2, junior Maddie Cabana of Clinton High in Arkansas secured sixth in 17:40.8 and Southern Boone junior Alex Volkart took seventh in 17:43.8.

Gabbie Bishop, a freshman at Providence Classical Christian Academy in Arkansas, earned eighth in 17:45.9 and senior Olivia Pielemeier of Lake Hamilton in Arkansas was ninth in 17:48.7, as 12 female athletes eclipsed the 18-minute barrier.

Carole Werner of Greenwood High in Arkansas triumphed by an 18:53.2 to 18:54.2 margin against Harper Barlow of Yukon High in Oklahoma in the girls 5-kilometer open race, with Lucas Lovejoy adding another team title with 71 points. Greenwood was runner-up with 86 points.

James Franco, a senior at Lockhart High in Texas, clocked 15:53.3 to emerge victorious in the boys open 5-kilometer race.

Rogers High of Arkansas produced a 54-95 win against Bentonville.