Picture courtesy of Huey Counts: Southeast of Saline’s Brooks Carlin, Joseph Bircher, Caleb Knopf and Zachary Carlin (from left) stick together at the one-mark as they work to move past Holcomb’s Luke Parker at Saturday’s KSHSAA Class 3A State Cross Country Championship. Southeast finished second in the team standings.
LAWRENCE — Sweat and tears mixed freely on the face of Southeast of Saline senior Cole Franklin on Saturday afternoon at Rim Rock Farm. His final high school cross country race was in the books. He had no individual records to his name, nor did he ever cross a finish line in first place for the storied Class 3A program.
Yet, in a transitional year for Southeast, no runner may have been more critical.
Faced with the absence of a traditional front-running “low stick” for the first time in years, the Trojans relied on execution and an overwhelming pack mentality to capture a second-place finish at the KSHSAA Cross Country 3A Championship.
“It’s just weird being done,” Franklin said, trying to steady his trembling shoulders. “It’s been, you know, just so fun running with the guys one last time. I’m so grateful I was able to be their senior and kind of be the one to show them the ropes.”
The Trojans secured the state runner-up trophy with 111 points, holding off third-place Holcomb by 19 points. Wichita Trinity dominated the team standings to take the state title with 41 points.
While Trinity and Holcomb relied on individual medalists—which are awarded to the top 20 finishers—Southeast found its strength in numbers. When the Trojans did hit the finish line, they arrived in a wave.
Brooks Carlin led the charge, capturing 28th place with a time of 17:21.62. He was followed in quick succession by his brother, Zachary Carlin (29th, 17:23.05), Franklin (30th, 17:24.29), and Joseph Bircher (32nd, 17:24.92). Caleb Knopf closed out the scoring five in 40th place with a time of 17:37.82.
“We worked hard all year to be here,” Brooks Carlin said. “We knew [beating] Trinity was going to be kind of a stretch, but for sure we were looking at Holcomb.”
The race strategy for Southeast was to wedge as many scoring runners as possible between Holcomb’s second and third finishers. All five scoring Trojans executed the plan perfectly, effectively neutralizing Holcomb’s point total.
The podium finish extends an elite era of dominance for the program. Southeast has not finished off the state podium since 2018, a stretch that includes three consecutive state championships from 2018 to 2020.
While the roster dynamic looked different this season, the standard of excellence remained unchanged—largely credited to Franklin’s steady presence.
“He’s been an outstanding leader all year,” Brooks Carlin said of his senior teammate. “He’s been super encouraging and super knowledgeable, just with the hard work he’s put in to get to this point.”
For Franklin, the silver trophy was validation that the Trojans belong at the top, regardless of who graduation takes away.
“It was fun to show that even when things are kinda changing, we’re still able to be an elite-type team that can go out and perform with the top guys,” Franklin said.
