Class A boys season preview
- jayslagle
- 4 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Contributor: The Nerd
Class A top State returners
’25 State Finish, Name, ‘26 Grade, School, Track PRs
2, Aiden Gehring, 11, Papio South (1:54, 4:20, 9:27)
3, J'Shawn Afuh, 12, Lincoln North Star (1:54, 4:26)
4, Liam Gonzalez, 12, Norfolk (2:08, 4:32, 9:35)
6, Elijah Bickley, 12, Millard West (1:57, 4:24)
8, Isaiah Coleman, 12, Creighton Prep (4:29, 9:55)
11, Trey Crabtree, 12, Lincoln High (2:59, 4:25, 9:26)
12, Maddox Helgoth, 10, Kearney (2:02, 4:31, 9:47)
13, Aden Soto, 12, Fremont (2:04, 4:28, 9:38)
15, Caleb Thome, 12, Millard North (2:05, 4:48, 9:30)
18, Mitchell Ripley, 11, Lincoln Southwest (4:38, 10:01)
19, Dylan Linscott, 11, Lincoln East (2:03, 4:41, 10:16)
20, Aaron Robles, 12, Creighton Prep (2:01, 4:31, 9:56)
21, Harrison Rundle, 12, Grand Island (2:03, 4:39, 10:09)
22, Leveret Stricklett, 11, Creighton Prep (1:59, 4:30, 9:47)
24, Martin Aringu, 12, Omaha Central (52.18, 1:57, 4:23, 9:31)
31, Peter Lickteig, 10, Creighton Prep (4:41, 9:40)
33, Titus Bitker, 11, Lincoln North Star (4:47, 9:45)
34, Liam Thoman, 11, Millard West (no track results)
35, Oliver Reeves, 11, Millard North (2:11, 4:49)
37, Pablo Chavez Arellano, 11, Lincoln North Star (2:11, 4:53)
39, Beckett Anderson, 12, Millard North (2:03, 4:36, 10:37)
40, Lincoln Haussler, 12, Elkhorn South (1:57, 4:34)
41, Franky Turek, 11, Lincoln North Star (4:39, 9:53)
2025 Class B finishers now in Class A
20, Thomas Morgan, 12, Bennington (4:45, 9:59)
40, Luke Kreifels, 11, Lincoln Standing Bear (2:04, 4:45, 10:11)
Other top returners
Peter Youell, 12, Creighton Prep (2:05, 4:24, 9:54)
Hutton Rettig, 12, Lincoln High (1:59, 4:30, 9:36)
Liam Bell, 11, Papio South (2:05, 4:31)
Jude Martz, 11, Elkhorn North (4:37, 9:59)
Potential freshman additions
Kamden Cupples, Creighton Prep (2:07, 4:36)
Camden Luther, Lincoln? (2:08)
Kyler Cover, Lincoln Southwest (2:16, 4:58)
Dominic Martz, Elkhorn North (4:59)
Trevor Stott, Kearney (2:05, 5:05)
Cameron Gilliand, Elkhorn North (2:07, 4:57)
Classification changes
North Platte and South Sioux City have moved from Class A to Class B this fall, while Elkhorn North, Bennington, Lincoln Northwest and Lincoln Standing Bear are moving up to Class A.
Individual outlook
The 2026 field includes eight boys who have run the 1600 in under 4:30, while two have run under 9:30. Aiden Gehring, a junior at Papio South, has finished 12th and 2nd his first two years, with the possibility of becoming just the 11th Class A boy since 1960 to finish his career with four State XC medals. Aiden has the fastest 1600 time (4:20) and second-fastest 3200 time (9:27) among returners; Trey Crabtree of Lincoln High had the fastest 3200 at 9:26. Trey’s teammate Hutton Rettig had a tough end to the 2025 XC season, but he ran extremely well during track season (4:30, 9:36). Two high-level teammates can produce an optimal training environment, so Trey and Hutton should both do well if they stay healthy.
Liam Gonzalez (4:32, 9:35) of Norfolk was arguably the biggest surprise of the 2025 XC season, improving from 37th in 2024 to 4th last fall. He followed that up with a strong spring and should be in the top-five mix. Elijah Bickley of Millard West had an exceptional spring, running 1:57 and 4:24. Maddox Helgoth of Kearney earned a medal last year as a freshman, and look for the co-captain to run even more confidently this year.
The Creighton Prep squad reminds me of the Lexington team from 2018-2023. They have quite a bit of talent but the order of finish each week could be unpredictable. I’d expect a few of the Prep boys to medal at State, but I have no idea which boys it will be.
As in past years, we’ll be posting individual rankings every Tuesday during the season. As a reminder, we provide rankings to generate increased interest in the sport, and we’re not out to hurt anyone’s feelings. The great thing about cross country is that the State meet represents the only rankings that matter. Even then, that’s just one day and just one race, a snapshot in time, and it in no way reflects an athlete’s future or their chance of success in life. We don’t love distance running because of the medals; we love distance running because it makes us better people. Keep that in mind if you face a few struggles this season.
Team outlook
Creighton Prep appeared poised for a second-place finish in 2025 before upsetting top-ranked Lincoln North Star. Prep is arguably deeper in 2026, returning four 2025 State competitors plus Peter Youell (4:24, 9:54, injured last fall), freshman Kamden Cupples (2:07, 4:36), senior Mercier Cerasoli (10:13) and a deep bench that could help fill any injury gaps. If Prep were to win again this year, it would be their third title in four years.
North Star returns four of their top six boys but has graduated Josiah Bitker (UNL) and Tyler Smith (South Alabama), who together scored 36 individual points and were part of 12 relay points that propelled LNS to the Class A track title in May. They’ll be led by J’Shawn Afuh, who finished second in the 2026 Class A 800 and was part of the 4x800 championship team, but the Gators will have to add some depth from their other returners to keep pace with Prep.
Millard West finished third in 2025 and returns four of seven, led by senior Elijah Bickley (1:57, 4:24). Millard West’s roster is typically huge and it seems likely that JV runners from last season will step up.
A few miles away, Millard North returns five State runners from its sixth-place team. Caleb Thome was their only medalist in 2025 and ran 9:30 this spring, but the Mustangs will need improvements from other boys to crack the top five.
On paper, Papio South doesn’t appear to be in the hunt for a top-three finish since it only returns two 2025 State competitors. However, junior Aiden Gehring (4:20, 9:27) will be the top runner in our pre-season rankings, and he’s joined by Liam Bell (4:31).
Elkhorn South finished eleventh last season but returns its top five runners. Lincoln Haussler saw big improvements during track season (1:57, 4:34), and Elkhorn South has a large JV team to fill their open spots.
North Platte was the only Class A team from 2025 that didn’t feature a senior, but they are moving to Class B this fall.
Elkhorn North was the only one of the four new Class A schools to qualify for Class B State last fall, and they return 3 of their 6 competitors. Elkhorn North is bringing at least two sub-5:00 freshmen (Dominic Martz, Cameron Gilliand) who should compete for varsity spots.
Nerd predictions
The Class A coaches will produce bi-weekly rankings, but here is my best guess:
1. Creighton Prep
2. Millard West
3. Millard North
4. Papio South
5. Lincoln North Star
Errors and omissions
Our season previews are based on prior results and an assumption that underclassmen competing at State in 2025 will run again this year. If you’re aware of an error in the article above, or have information on an impactful runner not listed above, please email jayslagle@hotmail.com so we can determine whether the article should be updated. Our goal as volunteers is to be a resource for fans of Nebraska high school country, but we readily acknowledge that we need feedback from followers and coaches to provide accurate information.
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Originally written and published in August 2026 at www.preprunningnerd.com.
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