Kansas runners to watch: Class 6A boys

After more than two weeks of practice, cross country runners all across Kansas are beginning competitions this week. Here is a list of Kansas City area runners to watch in the Class 6A girls division.

1. Blue Valley Northwest’s Jacob D’Souza has put together one of the most impressive distance-running progressions in the Kansas City area over the past three seasons. 

The Blue Valley Northwest standout finished 34th at the state cross country meet as a freshman in 2023, then made a major jump as a sophomore, placing 15th in 2024. He completed his rise to the top as a junior in 2025, becoming the first boys individual state cross country champion in Blue Valley Northwest history. 

D’Souza won the Class 6A title at Rim Rock Farm in a personal-best 15:42.50. D’Souza carried that championship momentum straight into the 2026 track season. 

As a junior, he captured the Class 6A state championship in the 3,200 meters, running a career-best 9:14.17 to hold off Garden City’s Trevor Fry. He also finished seventh in the 1,600, running 4:25.20 in the state final. D’Souza had already shown his strength in the 3,200 as a sophomore, finishing ninth at state in 2025, making his progression from a state medalist to a state champion even more impressive.

2. Shawnee Mission West’s Kallan Horveath has made a major jump during the past two years, emerging as one of the top distance runners in the Kansas City area. 

After finishing 46th at the state cross country meet as a sophomore in 2024, Horveath took a tremendous step forward as a junior in 2025, placing sixth at the Class 6A state meet. 

Horveath's progression is particularly impressive: 46th as a sophomore followed by sixth as a junior. With one more season of high school cross country remaining, he enters his senior year with the experience and momentum to challenge for an even higher finish at the state meet.

3. Lawrence High’s Oliver Schwartz has emerged as one of the top distance runners in the KC area, making a significant jump during his time as a Chesty Lion. 

After finishing 17th at the Class 6A state meet as a sophomore in 2024, Schwartz returned as a junior in 2025 and moved into the state's elite group, placing seventh at state in 16:10.97. That was a 10-second improvement from his sophomore state time and earned him another all-state honor.

The progression from 17th as a sophomore to seventh as a junior puts Schwartz among the top returning runners in Class 6A heading into his senior season. With another year of development ahead of him, the Lawrence standout has positioned himself to make another run at the state podium in 2026.

4. Olathe North’s Zackary Kliewer has made one of the biggest jumps among the Kansas City area’s top distance runners during his time at Olathe North. 

After finishing 75th at the Class 6A state cross country meet as a sophomore in 2024, Kliewer returned as a junior in 2025 and moved all the way into the top 10, finishing eighth at state in 16:12.39. His performance placed him among an outstanding group of runners at the front of the race and made him one of Olathe North’s leading contenders.

With a top-10 state finish now on his resume, Kliewer enters his senior season as one of the Kansas City area’s most experienced returning distance runners. If he can build on the improvement he made between his sophomore and junior seasons, he has an opportunity to challenge for an even higher finish at the state meet.

5. Blue Valley’s Carter Moser has established himself as one of the area’s top distance runners, making a jump during his junior season.

After finishing 29th at the Class 6A state cross country meet as a sophomore in 2024, Moser returned in 2025 and moved all the way into the top 10, placing ninth at state in 16:19.82. 

Moser carried that momentum into the track season in 2026, finishing sixth in the 3,200 meters and 12th in the 1,600 at the state meet. 

The progression from 29th as a sophomore to ninth as a junior in cross country, combined with a state-medal performance on the track, gives Moser an impressive resume heading into his senior year. 

6. Olathe North’s Grahe Shade has made a big jump, developing into one of the Kansas City area’s top distance runners. After finishing 33rd at the Class 6A state cross country meet as a sophomore in 2024, Shade took a major step forward as a junior in 2025, moving all the way up to 12th at state. 

He ran 16:23.20 at Rim Rock Farm, finishing just behind teammate Zackary Kliewer and helping give Olathe North two runners in the top 12. Shade continued his progression on the track as a junior in 2026, finishing fifth in the 3,200 meters at the state meet. 

With another season of development ahead of him, he has positioned himself as one of the Kansas City area’s top returning distance runners and a legitimate contender to make another jump at the state meet.

7. Olathe West’s Archer Brewer has established himself as one of the  Owls’ top distance runners, making a strong jump during his junior season. 

Brewer finished 16th at the state cross country meet in 2025, giving the Owls another strong runner near the front of the Class 6A field. 

Brewer took another step forward on the track as a junior in 2026, finishing fourth in the 3,200 meters at the state meet with a personal-best 9:29.33. 

A top-20 state cross country finish followed by a fourth-place state finish in the 3,200 gives Brewer an impressive junior resume. With another season ahead of him, he enters his senior year as one of the Kansas City area's leading returning distance runners and someone capable of making another run at the state podium.

8. Olathe West’s Archer Brown made an immediate impact for Olathe West as a freshman in 2025, establishing himself as one of the Kansas City area’s most promising young distance runners. 

Brown finished 18th at the state cross country meet, giving the Owls a strong young runner near the front of the field. For a freshman competing against some of the state's most experienced runners, the top-20 finish provided an impressive foundation for his high school career.

Brown followed that performance with an outstanding freshman track season in 2026. He finished 10th in the 1,600 meters at the Class 6A state meet. 

With a top-20 state cross country finish and a top-10 state track finish as a freshman, Brown has shown he has a combination of endurance and middle-distance speed that makes him one of the KC area's runners to watch closely over the next three seasons.

9. Blue Valley’s Grant Warren has made a big jump during his high school days, emerging as one of the area’s top distance runners. 

After finishing 51st at the Class 6A state cross country meet as a sophomore in 2024, Warren took a major step forward as a junior in 2025, moving all the way into the top 20 with a 19th-place finish. He ran 16:31.56 at Rim Rock Farm, finishing just behind teammate Carter Moser and helping give Blue Valley multiple runners near the front of the state field.

Warren's improvement was evident throughout his junior season, as he established a personal best of 16:21.30 in the 5K. He also showed strong range on the track, with personal bests of 4:46.07 in the 1,600 and 10:03.04 in the 3,200.

With one more season remaining, the Blue Valley standout has already shown that he can make a substantial jump in the state standings and will look to build on that momentum as a senior.

10. Olathe Northwest’s Tyler Palangi has emerged as one of the Kansas City area’s top middle-distance runners during his time at Olathe Northwest. As a junior in 2025, Palangi finished 21st at the Class 6A state cross country meet, establishing himself as one of the Ravens’ leading runners. 

Palangi really made his mark on the track as a junior in 2026, finishing sixth in the 800 meters at the Class 6A state meet in 1:56.58. He entered the state meet with a personal-best 1:55.22, which ranked among the fastest times in Kansas during the season. 

Palangi also showed impressive range, running 4:26.76 in the 1,600 and 9:45.90 in the 3,200, demonstrating that he has both the speed for the middle distances and the endurance to excel in longer races.

His combination of speed, endurance and state-meet experience makes him one of the Kansas City area’s key returning runners heading into his senior season.