​Barnes becomes first Eagles boy runner to earn all-state honors since 2019

by Michael Smith
 
Senior Landon Barnes said he could not have ended his high school cross country career any better.

That’s because he accomplished a first at the Class 5 Missouri State High School Cross County Championships as he earned all-state honors by placing in 28th place with a career-best time of 15:52.5, which was a 9 second improvement from his previous personal record last Friday at the Gans Greek Cross Country Course in Columbia.

Rockhurst senior Henry Acorn won the boys individual state championship with a time of 14:52.4.

Barnes’s time is the second-best among all boys in the history of the Grain Valley program and he is the first boys runner to earn all-state honors since
Royce Fisher did it in 2019.

When he crossed the finish line, he didn’t know if his time was good enough to qualify for an all-state honor, which is awarded to the top 30 finishers. He leaned over the fence tired and as he looked up, he saw head cross country coach Nick Small pump his fist. That’s when Barnes knew he accomplished his goal.

“I didn’t realize it,” Barnes said. “I knew I was in that range, but I didn’t know what position I was in. I put in 60 miles per week in the offseason. I built up to 60 miles in the summer. It was tough, but thinking about it now, it was all worth it. I can’t ask for a better ending, really.”

Small said he was elated once he realized his senior earned all-state honors and said Barnes had the right attitude to be successful.

“It’s a culmination for me, a crowning moment for Landon,” Small said. I got to experience him coming up as a freshman. The amount of work he had put in, to capture that moment, it gave me goosebumps. I was proud of him. He approaches the sport with consistency. He’s committed to what we do here. He’s so selfless.

“When he qualified for state, I said, ‘Dude, you qualified for state, you can smile. Let’s go! This is awesome.’ He said, ‘I love it for myself, but it’s tough that my teammates won’t get to go with me.’ It’s that kind of mindset that put him in a position to be able to do this. It’s definitely been a lot of fun to work with him throughout his career. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.”

Barnes said being able to run against elite level competition at state helped push him to crack the top 30.

“I’d say Kearney was definitely a harder course,” Barnes said. I put in a similar effort (as districts). The hill I just wanted to stay in the top 30 and hold on.

“There were some guys I knew there that I have competed with all season, really. Seeing them in there, latching on to them and having that competitiveness helped me out.”

Barnes will now turn his attention to track and field season, but he won’t have to worry about that until the spring. His breakout 2024 season has helped him garner interest from college programs such and Drury University and Southwest Baptist.

Small said Barnes has what it takes to compete at the next level and can be a leader as he was for the Eagles.

“Landon is more than a leader. I saw leadership qualities out of him even as a freshman,” Small said. He knew what it took to get where he needs to go. He’s always been a leader for us. His legacy is going to inspire other kids.”

Senior Amyah Graybill competed at state on the girl’s side. She finished in 106th place with a time of 20:17.8. The year 2024 was a breakout season for her as she was the first Grain Valley girl’s runner to qualify for state since 2020.

“She was doing the same things as Landon,” Small said of Graybill. “We called (Barnes and Graybill) the dynamic duo because they’re dating. It was fun to watch them progress all season. She burst on the season as a freshman. She said she thought she was just a softball kid, but when she started cross country she said, ‘Wow, I really enjoy this.’

​“She has parlayed some of that joy for running and she’s had a really had a successful career here. We couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”

Grain Valley senior Landon Barnes, middle, takes a photo with head coach Nick Small, left, and assistant coach Breanne Norton after earning all-state honors by finishing in 28th place at the Class 5 Missouri High School Boys Cross Country Championships last Friday at Hand Creek Cross Country Course in Colombia.
​Photo courtesy of Nick Small

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