Familiar with the home course, Emily Mauch knew she might have an advantage during the Warrenton Invitational on Friday.

The Warrenton junior also knew the race might turn into a friendly one-on-one competition against her summer training partner.

Mauch had run with Holt’s Hannah Lucas during the offseason and realized beating her would probably result in a medal.

She was right.

Mauch edged Lucas by six seconds, finishing first in a field of 52 competitors.

“I was really happy with the way I raced,” said Mauch. “(Hannah) always beats me, so I was like, ‘OK, you’ve got to stick with her.’ And I thought that I stuck with her really well.”

“Watching Emily and Hannah run really set up a neat last 200-250 meters,” added Coach Mike Spoede.

While Mauch also finished first at the Troy meet, Friday’s Invitational presented a broader range of talent from throughout the area.

“She was overwhelmed and happy to have achieved that,” said Spoede. “We had a really great turnout and think that was motivating for her.”

Spoede says it’s those voluntary workouts that made the ultimate difference. Despite being the only upperclassman on the team, Mauch has not backed away from her training routine.

“She’s really driven with the work she’s put in during the summer,” said Spoede. “That helped to push her through.”

Girls from 14 different schools took part in the varsity run.

Sophomore Melora Broker also earned a medal, placing 12th with a 22:11. She and Mauch are the only varsity runners on this year’s team, forcing them to hold one another accountable.

“I thought I tried my hardest, but of course I’m jealous of Emily,” quipped Broker, in a joking, admirable manner. “I’m really proud of her. She’s worked really hard and deserves this.”

Spoede noticed Broker strategically advancing throughout the race.

“Melora was running in groups and moving ahead, trying to move forward to other groups,” said Spoede.

“So far I’m really happy with the way the season is going for me, and I’m enjoying it a lot,” added Broker.

Mauch has taken a leadership role, despite having just one teammate to follow her guidance.

“I’m really glad that she’s here to push me and make me better,” said Broker. “She’s taught me a lot, and without her, I’d really be lost. We’ve gotten a lot closer since track season.”

The boys’ team didn’t fare as well as Spoede had anticipated.

“The boys just didn’t seem have it,” said Spoede. “I didn’t see a lot of internal drive, so hopefully we get that turned around before district time.”

Sophomore Cloud Wharton was the only Warrior to earn a medal, completing the course in 16th place with an 18:30.

Kenny Cushing of Holt took top honors in the race.

Warrenton senior Bryan Groeper finished 26th, clocking a 19:11

Brett Arnold stayed at what Spoede says is a fairly consistent pace for the sophomore, logging a 19:43.

Spoede opted to run several of his competitors in the junior varsity race.

Jacob Ruby finished 31st with a 22:03.

Corey Lovelace turned in a 27:33, while Austin Adams clocked a 27:39.

Spoede says the talent was abundant during Friday’s run.

“Holt brought a lot of quality runners,” said Spoede. “And even some of the smaller schools bring at least one or two competitive runners.”

The course had not previously been used for a varsity race, since the event had formerly been held at Country Lakes Golf Course. Warrenton was recently chosen to host the district meet, so Spoede felt this was a successful trial run.

“I think the course ended up being a little tougher than we originally thought,” said Spoede. “