Olathe West's boys cross country team won its first state championship Saturday, Oct. 31, beating Washburn Rural by a single point at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.

The Owls scored 83 points to Washburn Rural's 84 in the Class 6A race, according to the Olathe Record. It was the closest team title race of the meet, the Olathe Record reported, citing the Wichita Eagle.

The victory adds to a cross country dynasty head coach Kelsey Burrow, formerly Kelsey Carbajo, has built at Olathe West. Burrow, who coaches both the boys and girls programs, previously guided the Owls girls to five consecutive Kansas 6A state championships, the Olathe Reporter reported.

"We have a really great family culture," Carbajo told the Olathe Reporter. "It's more than just doing it for yourself."

No single Olathe West runner finished in the top three. Instead, the Owls packed four runners in the top 30 and relied on sophomore Anthony Petelin, the Owls’ fifth scoring runner, to close the deal.

Senior Archer Brewer led the Owls with a fifth-place finish in 15:50.80, according to official results on MileSplit. Junior Lincoln Allen placed eighth in 16:04.68. Junior River Cheney finished 19th in 16:34.98, and sophomore Archer Brown came in 30th at 16:44.72. Petelin, a sophomore, rounded out the scoring in 55th place at 17:09.78.

Carbajo told the Olathe Reporter that Cheney's performance most propelled the Owls to the title. She said Cheney had been somewhat inconsistent in his placements during the season but delivered when it mattered.

The one-point margin came down to fractions of seconds across the field.

"There's a bunch of different instances where our kids beat somebody by point-some seconds, and that's the difference in one point," Carbajo told the Olathe Reporter. "We talk about how every point matters and how you have to go be hunters at the end of the race, and I think they did a really good job at that."

That team-first philosophy is a hallmark of Carbajo's program. In an October profile on MileSplit Kansas, Carbajo described the program's mantra: "Cross country is only a team sport." She wrote that she coaches alongside her sister, Macy, and fellow assistant Todd Klamm. She is also a special education teacher at Olathe West and helps lead the school's leadership program.

"Running is hard, and we talk about that all the time," Carbajo told the Olathe Reporter. "This sport is way more fun when we do it as a team and you don't have to rely on one person."

Blue Valley Northwest's Jacob D'Souza won the individual 6A boys title in 15:27.56, according to MileSplit results. Olathe North placed sixth as a team with 155 points. Olathe North senior Zackary Kliewer finished sixth individually in 15:56.26, and teammate Grahe Shade added an 11th-place medal in 16:17.68, the Olathe Record reported. Gardner Edgerton's Jackson Fry placed 15th in 16:22.43.

On the girls side, Manhattan won the 6A team title. Olathe West finished seventh, the Olathe Record reported.

Before Saturday’s victory, Burrow said the school’s cross country and track programs had combined for eight state championships.