Last season, Coffin was supposed to run in the KVL varsity meet as a junior, but was bumped back to the junior varsity race. Coffin was the top runner in that meet and came back to be a top runner in the varsity race this season

Coffin finished seventh with a time of 18 minutes, 50 seconds. Coffin also automatically became a first-team all-Kaw Valley League team member by finishing in the top seven.

“That was my goal,” Coffin said. “I’m really pleased with all-league. I wanted it last year, but it wasn’t in the cards.”

The Tonganoxie boys, who won last year’s KVL meet, placed second this season just behind Mill Valley. The Jaguars scored 40 to Tonganoxie’s 49.

Like Coffin, Matt Brock had a memorable league meet. In his first KVL meet, Brock placed second as a freshman with a 17:58 time.

Colin Perkins also finished in the top 10. He had an 18:53 time. David Powell was 15th (19:05) while John Davis placed 19th (19:15). Justin Smith came in 31st (20:15) and Michael Shaw was 34th (20:36).

Tonganoxie placed second out of nine teams with 55 runners competing overall.

On the girls side, another underclassmen took home second place. Christy Weller finished the course in 12:55. Jennifer Wagner placed seventh (13:33). Megan Holton placed 23rd (14:34) Kelley Stauch 25th (14:42), Katie Chenoweth 27th (14:47), Kait Saathoff 29th (14:52) and Laurie Chenoweth 30th (14:53).

The girls also placed second out of nine teams with 55 runners overall, but the Chieftains were a distant second to Mill Valley.

The Jaguars scored 29, while THS had 84.

“They ran well today,” THS coach Phil Williams said. “We knew Mill Valley would have to have a subpar performance.”

Tonganoxie now heads Saturday to a Class 4A regional in Hiawatha. The meet will be held at the Hiawatha Country Club and will start with the girls race at 3 p.m. The boys will start at 4 p.m.

This year, the Chieftains will not compete against Baldwin at regionals. The Bulldog boys have won the last seven 4A state titles. The Baldwin girls also won titles in 2002 and 2003.

“That was kind of nice,” Coffin said about not facing BHS at regionals. “We always wondered what was in the water.”