The heat was already bearing down on Warner Park Saturday morning, but Manhattan High cross country opened its season with plenty of momentum.

The Indians’ defending Class 6A champion girls won the Manhattan Invitational, while the boys finished second Saturday on a hot, hilly course that challenged runners from the start.

“We’ve been training for a long time, so we’re excited to finally get to compete against other schools,” head coach Susan Melgares said. “It feels a little like Christmas to finally get this put together and get out here.”

Senior Gabrielle Converse won the individual race in 19:03.23, followed by sophomore Zara Koehn in 19:48.23 to give Manhattan the top two finishers. Allison Knopp placed seventh in 20:34.07, Scarlett Williams was eighth in 20:34.73 and Andie Strathman finished 14th in 21:17.27 to round out the Indians’ scoring five.

Manhattan totaled 28 points, well ahead of Washburn Rural with 54 and Free State with 63.

The result marked a strong first step for a team returning much of the core that helped Manhattan win its first girls state championship in a decade last fall. Still, Melgares emphasized that last year’s success is not something the Indians can simply carry over.

“I told them, it’s like a fresh start,” she said. “Regardless of what we did last year, it’s a new start, so we’re excited for that.”

Converse, who arrived at Manhattan last summer and immediately helped lead the Indians to the state title, opened her senior season with another victory at Warner Park.

“We all knew we were getting into a hot day,” Converse said. “We could feel it from the second we got here. So I think the goal for us was not to aim for time, but more place. Just see how hard we can push in this heat.”

Her second season in Manhattan also comes with a different role. No longer the newcomer, Converse has become one of the group’s leaders.

Melgares said that growth has been noticeable.

“I think just being here last year, because she was new, and so having been here a year, she’s gotten her feet under her,” Melgares said. “She’s more confident to speak out and show that team leadership, which she brings a large amount of. And so that’s fun, too, to see her just kind of blossoming.”

The Indians know what they are chasing again this fall.

“I have definitely seen these girls working really hard over the summer. This is probably the hardest-working summer,” Converse said. “We just really want to defend our title. I think that’s what we’re going to go out and do.”

Converse said she does not view that goal as pressure.

“I don’t think we see it as pressure, more as motivation,” she said. “I think we go into practice trying to remember, ‘Hey, we’re defending state champions. We’ve got this.’ It just adds a little confidence boost for us as we’re going through races and practices.”

That confidence was on display at the front of Saturday’s race, where Converse and Koehn finished together at the top.

“Man, I love Zara. I love all those girls,” Converse said. “She works really hard, and I’m very proud of her. Just seeing her progression from freshman year to sophomore year, I know she’s going to be amazing by the time her senior year comes.”

Converse said having Koehn alongside her provides another source of motivation.

“It’s nice to have someone there with me, running together and pushing each other,” she said. “I like to tell myself that when we’re strong, we’re strong together.”

The Manhattan boys also opened the season with a strong showing, finishing second with 65 points, just nine behind Washburn Rural.

Jaxon Wheeler led the Indians with a third-place finish in 17:06.07. Benjamin Huser placed seventh in 17:21.05, followed by Kyler Grogg in 16th at 17:49.77, Levi Gurgel in 17th at 17:52.19 and Ethan Birkhead in 23rd at 18:12.05.

Trent Swanson finished 24th in 18:21.28, while freshman Brecken Fabrizius was 25th in 18:21.35.

The close gap with Washburn Rural stood out to Melgares as the Junior Blues won the Class 6A state championship last fall.

“I would say we’re in a good spot this year,” Melgares said. “To come back this strong, only be nine points back and see where we can gain some ground, it’s a really exciting spot to be.”

“We’re close enough to see them, but we aren’t going to get complacent,” she continued. “So I feel like we’re in a really good spot on the guys’ side.”

Wheeler’s third-place showing also caught Melgares’ attention.

“He’s running tough. He’s a competitor, talented,” Melgares said. “He’s done the work, and that leaves you in a real good spot.”

Wamego

Also at the Manhattan Invite, Wamego’s girls finished fourth with 87 points, led by a fifth-place finish from Shayne Pittenger-Reed in 20:25.84.

Zulia Wells placed 17th in 21:50.17, Colleen Murphy was 20th in 22:22.08, Brenn Blume finished 37th in 26:07.96 and Rachel Barber was 42nd in 27:12.29. Marabelle Aldridge (45th, 29:24.62) and Lauren Yakel (48th, 30:34.90) also competed for the Red Raiders.

The Wamego boys placed fifth with 118 points, paced by a 10th-place finish from Logyn Evans in 17:26.65. Benny Jones was 18th (17:53.42), Greyson Stream 21st (18:01.27), Michael Clark 31st (18:32.14), Braxton Williams 42nd (19:04.70) and Jordan Freidline 57th (20:18.93).