The Wright City boys and girls cross country teams battled a tough field in the Warrenton Cross Country Invitational Friday.

The Wildcat boys finished ninth overall.

Sophomore Brandon Culton led the team with a 25th-place finish, completing the course in 20 minutes, 13.54 seconds.

“It was about a minute off his best time of the year, but the conditions seemed to be the biggest factor with him Friday,” Wright City Head Coach Billy Garrett said.

Runners battled temperatures in the mid-90s, which appeared to affect scores throughout the field.

The freshman trio of Richard Vellinga (22:11.52), Cailou Florian Muller-Williams (22:58.51) and Adam Neeley (23:43.11) finished 45th, 52nd and 54th, respectively.

“Our freshmen are beginning to get a feel of how a race should feel and they’re working to find what works best for them,” Garrett said.  “Each runner has their own individual strengths as it comes to running, but they are starting to figure out how to use those within a race.”

Other Wildcat runners included junior Michael Durand (24:09.59), and seniors Jack Simon (24:51.98) and Julian Muller-Williams (24:53.37).

Freshman Evelyn Bruno led the Wright City girls with a time of 26:56.80.

She was joined by junior Maryanna Hale (26:57.60) and senior Zoe Pezold (28:49.59).

“With a small girls team and all of them also on the cheer squad, it has been tough for them to get full good practices without being worn down from multiple practices,” Garrett said. “Finding a good balance of the two can be tough for them sometimes.”

The Wildcats will travel to Hermann Tuesday afternoon.

“Our next few meets are smaller meets where athletes may find some more individual success,” Garrett said. “The key will be for the athletes to focus on improving and pushing themselves to where their abilities should place them.”