The Baldwin cross country program has been among the state’s best the last 10 years, winning six boys’ state titles, along with a handful of individual titles.

But this year topped the rest.

When the Bulldogs swept the Class 4A boys’ and girls’ state titles at the state meet in Wamego two weeks ago, it marked the first time they’d won a girls’ title, let alone both in the same year.

The boys have won the last five state titles, while the girls have been close every year. Now, they’re both the best.

That makes it easy for the Journal-World to place three runners from each team on its All-Area Cross Country team.

“We’ve always been excited about how well we’ve placed at state,” said Baldwin coach Mike Spielman, the J-W’s coach of the year. “But, both of them winning made it a perfect season.”

Led by junior Erica Ogle’s and freshman Denise Orloff’s all-state performances, the Bulldogs crushed the field at Wamego by 45 points. After finishing third last year :quot; their fourth time among the top three the last five years :quot; the Bulldogs were a force all season.

They had a top-10 finish in September’s Rim Rock Farm High School Cross Country Classic, then rolled to their sixth straight Frontier League title and another regional title in October.

Baldwin had individual champs before, but the girls weren’t going to be denied.

Even when the volleyball team qualified for its first state meet in 31 years, it just fueled the fire.

“Everything around the volleyball team was such a fervor, it gave them a little more incentive to go and win state,” Spielman said. “They didn’t want to be second fiddle to anybody.”

As for the boys’ team, well, this was old hat.

Even without three-time state champ Matt Noonan, the boys claimed their seventh straight league title, their sixth straight regional title and their fifth straight state title.

Not bad for a team whose top finisher at the 2001 state meet, Phil Wagner, was 36th overall.

This year, led by Wagner’s 13th-place finish, the Bulldogs placed all seven runners in the top 34, easily beating second-place Clearwater.

The Baldwin boys, who also won in 1993, are now tied for sixth all-time with Topeka Hayden and Wamego with six state titles.

Baldwin is the first 4A team to pull off the sweep since Hayden in 1990, but that just emphasizes how difficult winning both races is.

“It’s been a nice achievement for both teams,” Spielman said. “We’ve been talking about it for four or five years now. We realize there’s not too many teams in the U.S. that win both the girls’ and boys’ races.”

Boys Selections

Tony Aligo, Tonganoxie

Back row (from left): Tony Aligo, Tonganoxie; Zac Towns, Baldwin; Mike Spielman - coach of year, Baldwin; Phil Wagner, Baldwin; Kyle Norris, Tonganoxie. Front row (from left): Keith Cowart, Baldwin; Jay Matlack, Mill Valley; Matt Scarlett, McLouth.

A senior, Aligo had a breakout year capped by a 10th-place finish at the 4A state meet, covering the 5K course in 17:05. He turned in an All-Kaw Valley League performance for the second straight year, taking third overall with a time of 17:08. His sixth-place finish at regionals helped the Chieftains edge Mill Valley for third place. His time was 16:52.

Keith Cowart, Baldwin

Cowart was one of the Bulldogs’ most consistent runners this year. The only freshman on the varsity squad, he was Baldwin’s top placer at the Frontier League meet, finishing fourth overall, with a time of 17:38. He followed that with a third place finish at regionals, running 16:37. He just missed out on an all-state medal, placing 22. His time was 17:16.

Jay Matlack, Mill Valley

Matlack’s victory in the gold class at the Rim Rock Farm High School Cross Country Classic in September showed his strength and stamina, as he smoked the field by nearly 50 yards, running 17:12. He won the Kaw Valley League meet, covering the course in 16:19, and the 4A regional at Shawnee Mission Park, and ended his year with a seventh-place finish at state.

Kyle Norris, Tonganoxie

The only repeat All-Area pick for the boys’ team, Norris is a three-time J-W selection, who came through with his best race of the year at the 4A state meet. Eighth last year, Norris finished fifth this season, running 16:50 and helping the Chieftains to third place. The senior was fourth at regionals, running 16:45, and second at the Kaw Valley League meet, with a time of 16:35.

Matt Scarlett, McLouth

Scarlett closed out his high school career with another All-State finish at the 2-1A state meet in Wamego, placing 20th overall. He covered the 5K course in 13:14. Scarlett was 18th last year. He was sixth in the Delaware Valley League meet, running 17:49, his second All-League showing.

Zac Towns, Baldwin

Towns was the Bulldogs’ fourth runner at the Frontier League meet, finishing seventh overall, four seconds behind teammate Edd Stansberry. But he followed that up with his best race of the season, placing second at the 4A regional in Tonganoxie the next Saturday, covering the 5K course in 16:36. The sophomore ended his first year on varsity by finishing 23rd at state, running 17:20.

Phil Wagner, Baldwin

Wagner, a senior, was the Bulldogs’ vocal leader all year, reminding them that they would indeed win state again. After placing fifth at the Frontier League meet and regionals, Wagner turned in a 17:07 at the 4A state meet, good for 13th overall. He was the squad’s only All-State runner, helping the the Bulldogs claim their fifth straight state title.

Girls Selections

Back row (from left): Lisa Morrisey, Ottawa; Denise Orloff, Baldwin; Courtney Edmonds, McLouth; Andrea Young, DeSoto. Front row (from left): Erica Ogle, Baldwin; Laura Korb, Tonganoxie; Abby Hofmeier, Baldwin.

Courtney Edmonds, McLouth

A four-time J-W selection, Edmonds slid toward the end of the year, but was still one of the area’s top runners. Fifth at the 2-1A state meet last year, she was 26th this year, running 13:14. Still, she cruised to the Delaware Valley League title, covering the two miles course in 12:49, her fourth All-League award.

Abby Hofmeier, Baldwin

An All-Frontier League runner last year, Hofmeier snagged All-League honors again with a seventh place finish, running 13:20 for the two mile course. The senior was sixth at regionals, with a time of 12:37, finishing fourth for Baldwin. She was even better at state, finishing as the Bulldogs’ third runner, placing 25th overall and helping the girls’ team to its first-ever state title.

Laura Korb, Tonganoxie

An J-W selection last year, Korb won the Gardner-Edgerton Invitational, then took second at the Kaw Valley League meet, running 12:43. The senior was seventh at regionals, just behind Baldwin’s Hofmeier, with a time of 12:40. But, she came through with an All-State finish, placing 20th overall, running 12:49 at the 4A state meet.

Lisa Morrisey, Ottawa

A three-time J-W selection, Morrisey’s accolades are numerous. The junior has already won the Huron League title three times, and defended her regional title this season with a time of 12:15. After placing at the 4A state meet as a freshman and sophomore, she was sixth overall this season, covering the two mile course in 12:21.

Erica Ogle, Baldwin

It was the talented junior that spurred the Bulldog girls to their first-ever 4A state title this year, placing fourth overall, with a time of 12:12. This capped a season in which she won a handful of races, including defending her Frontier League title by nearly 20 seconds and a regional title, in which she beat teammate Denise Orloff by almost 10 seconds. A three-time J-W selection, she’ll be in the running for an individual state title next year.

Denise Orloff, Baldwin

This freshman is already at the top of her game. She snagged All-State honors at the 4A state meet, with a time of 12:29, good for seventh overall. This was after a second place finish at regionals, running 12:08, just seconds behind teammate and winner Ogle, and a third-place showing at the Frontier League meet, where she ran 13:01.

Andrea Young, DeSoto

Young, a freshman, might be the best runner the Wildcats have ever had. She claimed the Kaw Valley League title, covering the two-mile course in 12:21, then took fourth at regionals, running 12:31. She was just 19 seconds from an All-State finish, placing 32nd at the 4A state meet.