2018 Boys Cross Country Finalists

Ean Buffington

The reigning Semoball Awards Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year was back at it in the fall, putting together another strong season to wrap up his high school career. Buffington won the conference meet and finished second in the district race, while landing in 39th at the Class 4 state meet. His 5000-meter best of 15:53.88 set a Jackson record.

Caleb Cornelius

A repeat Semoball Awards finalist, Cornelius took a leap forward as a junior and did something no other runner in the area did: won a state championship. The Crusaders standout ran a season-best 16:22.50 — the best time of any runner on this list — to claim gold at the Class 2 state championship meet. He was also a district and conference champion.

Benton Keran

Keran joined forces with Blake Morris to give the Bulldogs a strong punch at the top of the lineup. His best time of the year came in the Notre Dame Invitational, as his season-best 16:39.80 landed him in third. He posted top-five finishes at the conference and district meets, and finished ninth in the Class 3 state race.

Blake Morris

After earning a Semoball Awards nomination as a freshman, Morris proved that recognition was no fluke. As a sophomore, Morris won his home Notre Dame Invitational with a season-best 16:25.41, and later finished second at the conference meet and third at districts. He went on to finish eighth at the class 3 state championship meet.

Jared Neikirk

It was a breakout season for the Tigers junior that started with a win to begin the year at the Jackson Invitational, and he continued that high level of performance with a second-place results at the Notre Dame Invitational and Forest Park Cross Country Festival as well as third-place finishes at the conference and district meets.