Eudora, though, ran just a bit better.

EHS scored 31 points for first place at the seven-team meet. Tonganoxie, with 67, placed second.

The Chieftains used a 1-2 punch in the Top 10. Christy Weller placed second with a time of 13 minutes, 10 seconds. Jennifer Wagner wasn’t far behind in eighth place with a 13:53 time.

“They did a good job,” THS coach Phil Williams said about the girls team. “We thought pretty well that we could not beat Eudora, so our goal was to get second, and we accomplished that.”

Megan Holton was Tonganoxie’s No. 3 runner. She placed 16th with a 14:42 time.

Kayla Leffert, despite an injury, finished 19th with a 14:56 time. Leffert, her knee wrapped because of tendonitis, medaled at the invitational.

Tonganoxie’s final three runners finished one after the other. Laurie Chenoweth placed 22nd with a 15:09 time Kaitlin Saathoff 23rd with 15:10 time and Kaitie Chenoweth 24th with a 15:11 time.

The girls race had 41 runners competing.

On the boys side, runners also stayed fairly close together, but couldn’t finish as high as the girls team.

The boys team finished in fourth with 94 points. Independence won the meet, while Louisburg placed second and Anderson County third.

“We got fourth, which was probably not indicative of how we ran,” Williams said. “Justin Smith didn’t run because of a strain in his foot. Considering that, I think we ran real well.

“If Justin would have ran in a normal position, we probably would have beaten Anderson County, which took third.”

Matt Brock, Tonganoxie’s highest finisher, placed seventh with an 18:22 time. Colin Perkins placed 15th with an 18:48 time, while Colt Coffin placed 21st with a 19:17 time. John Davis, Tonganoxie’s No. 4 runner, placed 23rd (19:32), while David Powell came in at No. 28 (19:54). Patrick Holton, in 28th, finished a second behind Powell. And Garrett Kelly placed 35th with a 20:26 time.

Tonganoxie next will travel Thursday to Shawnee Mission Park for the Mill Valley Invitational. The meet will start at 4 p.m.

The invitational will have an all-metro flavor.

Mill Valley, Blue Valley, Blue Valley West, Kansas City Christian, Shawnee-Maranatha, Shawnee-St. James, Olathe North, Olathe Northwest, Pembroke Hills, Paola and Turner.

“It will be a tough meet,” Williams said. “Real tough.”

Chieftains headed to Hiawatha

Hiawatha will be the site for one of four Class 4A regionals Oct. 22.

Basehor-Linwood, Bonner Springs, De Soto, Eudora,, Holton, Royal Valley, Ward, Piper, Sumner, Marysville, Jeff West, Perry-Lecompton and Hayden (Topeka) will join Hiawatha and Tonganoxie.

For the first time in years, Tonganoxie will not be assigned to the same regional as powerhouse Baldwin.

“It should be good for us,” Williams said.

Williams expects De Soto and Eudora to be the top teams in the girls race, while Bonner Springs, De Soto and Jeff West should be the favorites on the boys side.

The regional will begin at 3 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Hiawatha Country Club Golf Course.

Girls ranked in state

The Tonganoxie girls team is ranked No. 8 in the latest Kansas Cross Country-Track and Field Coaches Association poll. Baldwin and El Dorado are tied for the No. 1 ranking, while De Soto is No. 3 and Eudora is No. 4.

“That’s kind of a feather in the cap,” Williams said.

Gardner Invitational

GIRLS

Team scores

1. Eudora, 31; 2. Tonganoxie, 67; 3. Anderson County, 75; 4. Santa Fe Trail, 109; 5. Gardner, 117; 6. Independence, score not available; 7. Louisburg, score not available.

THS individual results

2. Christy Weller, 13:10; 8. Jennifer Wagner, 13:53; 16. Megan Holton, 14:42; 19, Kayla Leffert, 14:56; 22. Laurie Chenoweth, 15:09; 23. Kaitlin Saathoff, 15:10; 24. Kaitie Chenoweth, 15:11.

BOYS

Team scores

1. Independence, 48; 2. Louisburg, 60; 3. Anderson County, 85; 4. Tonganoxie, 94; 5. Eudora, 99; 6. Gardner-Edgerton, 104; 7. Santa Fe Trail, 182.

THS individual results

7. Matt Brock, 18:22; 15. Colin Perkins, 18:48; 21. Colt Coffin, 19:17; 23. John Davis, 19:32; 28. David Powell, 19:54; 29. Patrick Holton, 19:55; 35. Garrett Kelly, 20:26.