COLUMBIA — With postseason honors and the conference and district levels already to his credit, Belle High School (BHS) freshman cross country runner Jackson Prater looked to end his first season of high school cross country with a top-30 finish and All-State accolades during the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) State Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course last Friday morning in Columbia.

Starting outside the top 30 during the first kilometer, Prater worked his way into the top 30 before eventually earning All-State honors with a 20th-place time of 16:48.5 during the Class 2 Boys Race at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships.

“I’m so proud of Jackson and seeing all of his hard work pay off with All-State honors as a freshman,” BHS Cross Country head coach Samantha Ridenhour said.

Prater was not the only Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC) runner in the Class 2 Boys race.

Steelville freshman Andrew Jensen placed 99th in 18:10.9 while Bourbon freshman Elijah Frederick posted a 106th-place time of 18:14.1.

Joining Prater in the top 30 at Columbia during the Class 2 Boys race was El Dorado Springs senior Wyatt Klaiber (1st, 15:15.9), Spokane senior Luke Faulkner (2nd, 15:54.2), West Platte junior Charles Trease (3rd, 15:56.2), Springfield Catholic senior Kyle Hathcock (4th, 16:14.4), Westran senior Reece Sickler (5th, 16:19.6), Jefferson (Festus) senior Bryant Horn (6th, 16:22.8), North Platte junior William Schaffart (7th, 16:28.0), Woodland sophomore Max Layton (8th, 16:28.9), Whitfield junior Logan Harmon (9th, 16:29.8), West Platte junior Collin Frederick (10th, 16:31.6), Palmyra freshman Bently Carper (11th, 16:32.3), King City junior Parker Evans (12th, 16:33.6), Fayette freshman Liam Betts (13th, 16:33.8), Stockton senior Daveon Williams (14th, 16:35.4), Collegiate School of Med/Bio Science junior Clyve Jackson-Cameron (15th, 16:39.9), King City junior Bryntyn Jones (16th, 16:40.0), Fatima senior Michael Gabelsberger (17th, 16:42.2), Springfield Catholic junior Marcus Johnson (18th, 16:43.7), Stockton junior Finnegan Swopes (19th, 16:46.1), Carrollton junior Carter Barlow (21st, 16:49.4), Springfield Catholic sophomore John Paul Haik-Frick (22nd, 16:49.8), Springfield Catholic junior Andrew Jones (23rd, 16:52.1), Westran junior Luca Smith (24th, 16:53.0), Veritas Christian Academy sophomore Levi Schroer (25th, 16:53.1), El Dorado Springs senior Shane Fletcher (26th, 16:53.2), Lafayette County junior Clay Aversman (27th, 16:55.2), Dixon sophomore William Sloan (28th, 16:55.4), Maysville junior Laythan Frederick (29th, 16:58.1) and Houston freshman Charlie Benoist (30th, 16:59.9).

During the Class 2 girls race, Steelville sophomore Adalei Perkins also proudly represented the GVC with a 29th-place time of 20:16.0 earning her All-State accolades.