STERLING — Great Bend's youthful boys cross country team enjoyed a team highlight with a first-place finish in the ninth-grade boys division at Thursday's Sterling Invitational. 

Great Bend scored 25 points to beat Buhler (59) in the ninth-grade boys division. Panther runner-up Noah Kaiser (19:17.8) joined third-place Randy Weber, 19:22.5; sixth-place Sullivan Luttrell, 20:01.1; eighth-place Lennon Johnson, 20:19.0; and 13th-place Alexis Garcia, 20:55.5 on the winning team.

"It was nice to see how well all the guys competed, especially on a short week," said Great Bend coach Lyles Lashley. "They've made great progress throughout the season."

Great Bend's Ismael Ramirez (16:09.9) earned third medalist honors in the varsity division won by Buhler's Jacob Lindstrom (15:54.7). Hoisington's 3-time state qualifier Kamden Tarlton (16:15.7) placed fourth and Great Bend's returning 5A state qualifier Tavon Stroup (16:19.1) finished fifth.

In the girls division, Hoisington's Tristin Compton (20:47.0) earned seventh-medalist honors. Buhler's Corbin Starkweather (19:09) earned medalist honors.

Macksville's Kennedy Butler (22:28.5) won the ninth-grade girls division.

STERLING INVITATIONAL

BOYS TEAM TOTALS—1—Hutchinson Trinity 46; 2—Buhler 82; 3—Great Bend 95; 4—Berean 105; 5—Skyline 167; 6—St. John 184; 7—Pratt 189; 8—Hoisington 198

TOP 10 MEDALISTS—1—Lindstrom, HT, 15:54.7; 2—Trumpp, Buhler, 16:06.4; 3—Ismael Ramirez, GB, 16:09.9; 4—Kamden Tarlton, Hoisington, 16:15.7; 5—Tavon Stroup, GB, 16:19.1; 6—Kiser, HT, 16:20.3; 7—Mendenhall, Buhler, 16:22.7; 8—Lindstrom, HT, 16:27.5; 9—Lara, Pratt, 16:31;3 10—Briscoe, Berean, 16:34.1

ST. JOHN—14—Quade Smith, 17:00.1; 28—Aaden Gonzalez, 17:50.6; 43—Emmett Delp, 18:38.3; 52—Garrett Dunn, 19:26.5; 64—Liam Knight, 20:19.5; 77—Kaden Foote, 21:14.7

HOISINGTON—13—Brody Rossman, 16:52.7; 48—Kasey Andereck, 18:52.3; 68—Harrison Henning, 20:46.1; 82—D.J. Wyant, 22:18.2

GREAT BEND—31—Diego Pasos, 17:55.3; 32—Isaac Aldana, 17:56.1; 33—Brogan Lashley, 17:58.2; 36—Anthony Lawrence, 18:05.0; 47—Parker Coleman, 18:52.2

LARNED—41—Lane Elam, 18:27.5; 79—Kayden LaPointe, 21:38.1; 85—David Lumpkins, 23:03.5; 87—Landon Haney, 26:28.0

JV BOYS

MACKSVILLE—6—Aiden Gandara, 19:09.3

GREAT BEND—16—Monte Velasco, 21:01.6; 40—Ryan Oden, 28;49.9

ST. JOHN—18—Sye Crockett, 21:04.2; 28—Rafael Gonzalez, 22:27.4; 36—Josh Chapman, 24:16.1

CENTRAL PLAINS—31—Alden Metro, 23:00.5

LARNED—26—Asher Olivier, 22:07.6; 42—Tristan Bauer, 31:05.0

NINTH-GRADE BOYS

GREAT BEND—2—Noah Kaiser, 19:17.8; 3—Randy Weber, 19:22.5; 6—Sullivan Luttrell, 20:01.1; 8—Lennon Johnson, 20:19.0; 13—Alexis Garcia, 20:55.5

ST JOHN—19—Jayce Feril, 21:52.0

LARNED—20—Jayden Ramirez, 21:58.6; 26—Hunter Hewson, 24:16.4; 27—Ryan Hill, 24:18.7 

STERLING INVITATIONAL

GIRLS TOP 10 MEDALISTS—1—Starkweather, Buhler, 19:09; 2—Richert, Hillsboro, 19:44.2; 3—Newcome, Hutchinson Central Christian, 19:58.8; 4—Friesen, Buhler, 20.10;1; 5—Funk, Hillsboro, 20:11.9; 6—Kilgore, Sterling, 20:42.5; 7—Tristin Compton, Hoisington, 20:47.0; 8—Walden, Wichita Classical, 20:52.8; 9—Busenitz, Berean, 20:55.3; 10—Hirsch, Berean, 20:58.7

HOISINGTON—22—Monroe Walker, 22:08.2 

LARNED—40—Teagan Walker, 24:26.1; 56—Emma Corman, 37:24.1

OTIS-BISON—19—Destiny Mitchell, 21:59.3

NINTH-GRADE GIRLS

MACKSVILLE—1—Kennedy Butler, 22:28.5; 11—Ashley Barron, 27:12.8

ST. JOHN—13—Abi Herrera, 27:55.6

LARNED—20—Addison Snodgrass, 31:10.1