Rising Star Road Trip: Stanton County cross country seniors aim to defend their state sweep

JOHNSON CITY, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - The Rising Star Road Trip continued on Saturday, taking us even farther southwest - nearly the Colorado border! Although the rural town of Johnson City is small, it has a rich history of runners finding success. The same holds true with a pair of seniors at Stanton County High School, and an argument could be made they are the best cross country duo state-wide.

Seniors Kamryn Golub and Chesney Peterson have had loads of success throughout their three years of high school, compiling a combined total of 21 (!!!) medal finishes between cross country and track and field. The craziest part of it: They didn’t even get a freshman track season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stanton County Head Cross Country Coach Mike Horton said that the two have been some of the most impressive that he has coached in his long tenure.

“It’s really been special these past four years,” he said. “I’ve been out here 23 years and we’ve had some good runs, but nothing that compares to this.”

One of the accomplishments the two have completed together came last fall. The Trojans had a clean sweep of the 2A cross country state tournament. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams taking home team titles, while Golub and Peterson each brought individual titles back with them.

The feat was not only the first in school history, but also the first in all of class 2A history.

“It was just cool because we’ve had both teams win before but we’ve never had both individuals and the team win,” Peterson said. “I don’t know, I feel like it was time.”

Now heading into their final high school seasons, the pair are hoping to add some more medals to their collection while also working to prove that Stanton County is the powerhouse for running in Kansas.

“I mean you could definitely find other places that you could call that,” Golub said. “However I would say this is the closest you’ll get to the actual home of running [in Kansas.]”

And the two said they are grateful to be able to put their footprint on such a historic running program.

“We grew up being told about all the runners that came through here,” Peterson said. “Every practice in junior high, we would be preached to about what the good runners did. . . Now I’m excited to know that in 10, 20 years, we will be talked about like all of them were and that we get to be a part of the legacy that Stanton County is.”

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