Chappel breaks through to win WAC boys title

Buffs repeat as team champions at Dunes

The date was October 30, 2021. The site was 4-Mile Creek Resort near the south central town of Augusta. The occasion was the Class 6A state cross country championship.

Garden City High School’s boys, who had previously captured the Western Athletic Conference championship and the 6A regional team title the previous two weeks, had just completed the 5-kilometer competition.

Despite a strong fourth-place finish by then junior Devin Chappel, the Buffaloes’ youthful squad could do no better than 10th among the 12 teams. The only teams they finished ahead was Dodge City and Haysville-Campus, the same teams they had beaten in the regional meet.

The nearly four-hour trip home was a combination of mixed emotions, but mostly somber with a determination that the 2022 season, still months and another school year away, would be different.

And that, more than anything, has been the motivating factor for just how far the Buffs’ boys team has progressed in one year.

They were able to repeat as WAC champions on their home layout of Buffalo Dunes Golf Course and then they returned to 4-Mile Creek Resort for the 2022 regional and captured the top spot there.

In the process, Chappel continued his impressive senior season by winning both the WAC individual title for the first time over rival Kaiden Esfeld of Great Bend, and then added a regional individual crown to his list of accomplishments.

“Honestly, I think we just started working off of last year,” said Chappel recently after being named WAC Boys Runner of the Year. “I think we all knew we had to work harder to improve so we all ran together during the summer.”

It wasn’t unusual for the runners to put in 40 to 50 miles per week, and workouts included weights three days a week, stopping only at the end of summer as the school year and beginning of the fall season approached.

“I think all the lifting has helped minimize injuries,” Chappel said. “But I stopped with the weights when the season started. It’s hard to do both and have the benefit.”

Veteran head coach Krista Linenberger, voted WAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, echoed Chappel’s assessment of how the Buffs have improved.

“I think we knew at the end of last year that it would take some work over the summer to improve this fall,” said Linenberger, who is completing her 21st season at the program’s helm. “I don’t remember explicitly talking to them on the way home (in 2021) but I think everyone knew we could do better.”

For Linenberger, developing a strong program on an annual basis is getting the runners to buy into the system of training to prepare for the fall.

“It all boils down to the summer, running the miles and developing your base of conditioning,” she said. “If one doesn’t do that, the fall season won’t be very good. We had several who already bought into the philosophy, but we had to get some of the others on board.”

From the outset of the season, which began at Lake Barton in Great Bend, Linenberger saw the potential of this group, which is a mix of seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen.

“We saw from the beginning the consistency and running well,” said Linenberger. “I knew if we could stay healthy, we had a chance to be pretty competitive.”

With Chappel leading the way, the Buffs have seen other team members step up and compete for high finishes all through the season. 

At the WAC championship, Chappel garnered the top spot with a first-time victory over Esfeld, who had claimed the individual title the previous two seasons. 

“I’ve always looked to go out under control in the first mile,” Chappel said of his race strategy. “In the second mile I just want to hold my place and see how the race is unfolding. That final mile is where I want to use my speed and get in position for the final push to the finish line. The third mile is usually just a little slower than the first mile.”

But teammates Kailyn Munoz (3rd), Hayden Nemechek (6th). Transfer Lawson Weilert-Beymer (7th), Evan Gurrola (8th) and Taran Castro (9th) all contributed to a dominating win by scoring just 21 points to runner-up Dodge City’s 58. A year before, the difference had been just four points (30-34).

“We’ve been interchangeable with the kids throughout the season,” Linenberger said. “Our seventh runner has been fourth, our sixth has been third. When somebody hasn’t run their best, I’d say somebody else has stepped up and performed well.”

Linenberger said at the start of the fall campaign, she thought the Buffs might be good enough for a top five finish at the late October state meet, which returns to Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence on Oct. 29.

“We had a top three finish against a tough field at the Rim Rock invitational (late September) and I think a top three finish is doable,” Linenberger said. “The WAC comes at a time where we’re working toward peaking at both regional and state. So while we’re happy to win WAC, it serves as a stepping stone to the bigger meets at the end of the season.”

It’s been six years since the Buffs’ boys placed in the top three to bring home a state trophy, that coming with a runner-up finish in 2016 when they placed three runners among the top 10. 

Linenberger said she feels this team has set itself up to where it can compete with the teams from the East.

“It’s doable,” Linenberger said of a high finish at state. “I think this group has a lot it wants to prove. And I know if all seven run their best, then something special has a chance to take place. WAC gives us local bragging rights in the West. Regionals and state gives us a chance to show people back East that there are some quality runners out here.”

Prior to the state championship, the Buffaloes’ boys were ranked No. 5 by the Kansas Cross Country Coaches Association, behind No. 1 Shawnee Mission East, Olathe South, Lawrence-Free State and Olathe East. 

In the one major meet where they faced the East teams, the Buffs placed third overall at the Rim Rock Classic in late September. The only 6A Kansas team in front of them was Shawnee Mission East. The Buffs finished ahead of both Olathe South and Free State.

The third place finish at Rim Rock was only the second meet where the Buffs didn’t win this fall.  The other came at the Doherty Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo., where they finished behind Coronado High and The Classical Academy, both teams ranked high in Class 4A and 3A in the Rocky Mountain state.

“We’ve had a challenging schedule and I think the boys have done extremely well,” Linenberger said. “We’ve got some of our goals accomplished, but certainly not all.”

---

2022 WAC Boys Cross Country
Final Team Standings

	School	Points
1	Garden City	21
2	Dodge City	58
3	Liberal	64
4	Hays High	107
5	Great Bend	no score

All-WAC First Team

Name	School	Year
Devin Chappel	Garden City	Sr.
Kaiden Esfeld	Great Bend	Sr.
Kailyn Munoz	Garden City	Jr.
Cesar Pavia	Liberal	Jr.
M.J. Foster	Liberal	Jr.
Hayden Nemechek	Garden City	So.
Lawson Weilert-Beymer	Garden City	Sr.

All-WAC Second Team

Name	School	Year
Evan Gurrola	Garden City	Sr.
Taran Castro	Garden City	So.
Danny Lamas	Dodge City	Sr.
David Ultreras	Dodge City	Sr.
Brandon Juarez	Dodge City	Jr.
Trevor Fry	Garden City	Fr.
Angel Vazquez	Dodge City	Jr.