By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Panthers' Esfeld captures third-place medal
esfeld4
Great Bend Panther (1429) races at the 5A state cross country championship at Augusta. - photo by JIM MISUNAS/Great Bend Tribune
Updated: Oct 31, 2021, 5:46 PM
Published: Oct 31, 2021, 5:29 PM

Panthers’ Esfeld achieves goal

BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com


AUGUSTA – Great Bend’s Kaiden Esfeld (15:54.7) ran a near-perfect pace to earn third-medalist honors at the 5A state cross country meet at 4-Mile Creek Resort. State champion St. Thomas Aquinas (55) won the team trophy behind 5A medalist Logan Seger (15:39.2) and runner-up Ashton Higgerson (15:51.1).

Esfeld’s goal was to earn a top three finish and perhaps challenge the Aquinas runners. He ran back-and-forth with Higgerson during the 5-kilometer race, but they were unable to keep pace with Seger.

Esfeld learned a lot at last year’s 5A state meet when he pushed the pace too quickly last year and finished 18th.

“I’m proud of myself,” he said. “From last year, I showed I’ve learned how to run better and stick to a game plan. I ran my race really well. I showed I’m improving every day.”

Esfeld fought the temptation to chase down Seger based on last year’s race.

“I saw Logan Seger go out fast, but I told myself to run smart,” he said. “I wanted to run in the middle group and stuck in there and saw what everyone else was doing.”

Esfeld and Higgerson broke from a 5-runner pace with about a mile left.

“The first two miles were evenly paced,” he said. “The last mile it wasn’t crazy fast. We were doing a doable speed. We picked up the pace, Ashton Higgerson and took off and we kept going at that pace until the finish.”

Conditions were dry with light wind and 55-degree temperatures.

“It was perfect weather, the best you could ask for,” Esfeld said. “It was cool weather and a breeze to cool you off in the straightaways.

5A AUGUSTA

BOYS 5A TEAM SCORES—1—Aquinas 55; 2—BVSW 69; 3—Wichita Carroll 91; 4—St. James 96; 5—Kapaun-Mt. Carmel 155; 6—Maize 195; 7—Shawnee Heights 195; 8—Lansing 198; 9—Maize South 198; 10—Arkansas City 220; 11—Topeka Seaman, 278; 12—Newton 296

1—Seger, Aquinas, 15:39.2; 2—Higgerson, Aquinas, 15:47; 3—Kaiden Esfeld, GB, 15:54.7; 4—McEachern, Carroll, 16:00; 5—King, Aquinas, 16:03; 6—Moore, St. James, 16:03.2; 7—Paschke, BVSW, 16:13.5; 8—Brock, KMC, 16:18.9;  39.7 5:14.7 3:15.8 9—Irvine, St. James, 16:19.8; 10—Howell, Lansing, 16:23.6; 11—Waymire, Carroll, 16:23.7; 12—Vega, MV, 16:25.2; 13—Esquibel, SHeights, 16:27.4; 14—Hartegan, St. James, 16:28.7; 15—Newberry, DeSoto, 16:29; 16—Dombrosky, BVSW, 16:29.4; 17—Schieber, MV, 16:30.5; 18—Caul, BVSW, 16:32.2; 19—Griffith, Salina Central, 16:34; 20—Sutton, SHeights, 16:38.9

\

 
2025 Western Athletic baseball
GBHS Panther logo clr
WAC spring awards
Updated: Apr 7, 2025, 7:22 PM
Published: Apr 7, 2025, 7:19 PM
WESTERN ATHLETIC BASEBALL Hays High 2-0 3-1 Great Bend 1-1 5-1 Liberal 1-1 3-5 Garden City 1-2 2-3 Dodge City 0-1 4-3 HAYS HIGH (2-0, 3-1)—WL Rock Creek 8-1; 4-5; W Great Bend 5-4; W Dodge City 10-0; 4-11—at Garden City (2); 4-15—at Great Bend (2); 4-17—at Clay Center (2); 4-22—Dodge City (2); 4-25—KC Piper/Spring Hill; 5-1—Liberal (2); 5-2—Garden City (1); 5-9—Manhattan/Brush Colo.; 5-10—Wichita Life Prep; 5-15—at Liberal (1); 5-16—Junction City (2) GREAT BEND (1-1, 5-1)—W Garden City 13-0; WW Hutchinson 15-1, 13-6; L Hays High 4-5; WW Pratt 6-0, 7-5; 4-7—at Dodge City (1); 4-11—at Liberal (2); 4-15—Hays High (2); 4-18—at Wichita Carroll; 4-22—at McPherson quad; 4-25/26—at DeSoto (St. Thomas Aquinas/Gardner Edgerton); 4-29—Liberal (1); 5-2—Dodge City (2); 5-6—at Garden City (2); 5-9—at McPherson quad; 5-14—Manhattan (2) LIBERAL (1-1, 3-5)—LL BV West 6-18, 5-20; LL Holcomb 6-13, 5-11; WW Hugoton 10-0, 23-8; WL Garden City 20-8, 3-7; 4-8—Goddard Eisenhower (2); 4-11—Great Bend (2); 4-17—Woodward, Okla.; 4-19—at Olathe East/Olathe West; 4-22—at Garden City (1); 4-25—at Cimarron (2); 4-29—at Great Bend (1); 4-24—Garden City (2); 5-1—at Hays High (2); 5-6—at Dodge City (2); 5-13—Dodge City (1); 5-15—Hays High (1) GARDEN CITY (1-2, 2-3)—L Great Bend 0-13; WL Holcomb 4-3; 0-7; WL Liberal 7-3, 8-20; 4-4—at Goodland; 4-8—Dodge City (1); 4-11—Hays High (2); 4-19—at Junction City/Manhattan; 4-22—Liberal (1); 4-29—at Dodge City (2); 5-2—at Hays High (1); 5-6—Great Bend (2); 5-9—Scott City; 5-13—at Hays TMP DODGE CITY (0-1, 4-3)—WL Newton 3-1, 6-8; WW Ulysses 10-0, 14-6; WL Salina Central 7-3, 4-14; L Hays High 0-10; 4-7—Great Bend (1); 4-8—at Garden City (1); 4-19—Manhattan; 4-22—at Hays High (2); 4-25—at Wichita Heights (1); 4-29—Garden City (2); 5-2—at Great Bend (2); 5-6—Liberal (2); 5-13—at Liberal (1); 5-15—Goddard Eisenhower
Would you like to keep reading? Only $6.25 a month online or FREE with a subscription to the newspaper.
You have 2 free views remaining. Use one of your views to read more.