Even through mud and rough footing, Manhattan High’s cross country teams delivered another dominant league performance Saturday at Peter Pan Park.

The top-ranked girls team in Class 6A put together a rare feat — a perfect score of 15 — to claim the Centennial League championship. Junior Gabrielle Converse captured the individual crown in 18:37.6, followed by freshmen Zara Koehn (18:53.7) and Isla Spreer (19:00.8), sophomore Andie Strathman (19:53.5) and junior Scarlett Williams (19:58.4). It marked what coach Susan Melgares said was the first perfect score in league history, or at least since 2004.

Freshman Allison Knopp (7th, 20:01.8) and sophomore Valeria Villoria (15th, 20:52.8) also contributed strong finishes as Manhattan beat runner-up Washburn Rural (49) by more than 30 points. The JV girls followed with a sweep of their own, taking the first 11 places — 14 of the top 15 overall — to complete a clean sweep across divisions.

The MHS boys, currently ranked No. 4 in 6A, placed third with 49 points in a razor-thin team race behind Washburn Rural (31) and Junction City (48). Seniors Wilson Wesch (8th, 17:17.0), Jaxon Wheeler (9th, 17:19.2), Patrick Huser (10th, 17:24.7), Will Richards (11th, 17:25.6) and Benjamin Huser (12th, 17:25.6) all finished within eight seconds of each other, reinforcing the team’s trademark pack-running depth.

Freshman Levi Gurgel (16th, 17:33.6) and sophomore Kyler Grogg (18th, 17:46.8) rounded out the top seven.

Manhattan will turn its focus toward the 6A regional championships, where both squads will aim to extend their success and secure state berths.

Wamego sweeps NCKL

At the North Central Kansas League meet in Wamego, the host Red Raiders swept both team titles in convincing fashion.

The Wamego boys dominated the field with just 19 points, led by senior Peyton Parker’s winning time of 17:00.49. Senior Isaac Ibendahl (2nd, 17:12), junior Logyn Evans (3rd, 17:23), senior Emil Wolfe (7th, 17:53) and senior James Bearman (8th, 17:57) secured a commanding 56-second spread among the top five.

Rock Creek finished runner-up with 71 points behind sophomore Liam Johnston (5th, 17:30) and senior Simeon Bohlen (9th, 18:01). Freshman Coltrane Johnston (13th, 18:34), junior Dylan Nelson (24th, 19:22) and senior Mason Berggren (25th, 19:32) rounded out the scoring group.

The Wamego girls completed the sweep with 25 points and a 21:15 team average. Junior Shayne Pittenger-Reed won the individual title in 20:09, with senior Elsie Rickstrew (3rd, 20:16) and freshman Colleen Murphy (5th, 21:18) joining her in the top five. Sophomore Caroline Brethour (11th, 22:07) and freshman Zulia Wells (14th, 22:26) completed the scoring.

Rock Creek’s Livia Nippert added a top-five medal, placing fourth in 20:40, while Lucia Nippert finished eighth in 21:36 to help pace the Mustangs.

Council Grove notches 3rd

At the Flint Hills League Championships in Council Grove, the Braves hosted seven schools Thursday at Canning Creek Cove as the boys’ team finished third.

In the boys’ race, Jadyn Picolet earned league runner-up honors in 17:25, while Brody Nelson (14th, 19:27) and Carter Bremer (16th, 19:34) also placed inside the top 20. Nelson’s finish earned him all-league recognition, and Picolet’s time solidified his second-place position after a late surge behind champion Caul Johns of West Franklin.

Three Braves — freshmen Aaron Crotts and Ronnie Mayer and junior Savannah Johnson — ran personal bests, while Hayden Horton recorded a season-best 19:55. The Braves finished third as a team in a tightly contested field.

Council Grove will next travel to Wichita Trinity for regionals on Oct. 25.