JFree State junior Kyra Kilwein, who placed eighth, finishes the Class 6A state cross country race Saturday at Rim Rock.

Free State High cross country runner Hayley Francis borrowed a motto for her running mates this season from a familiar source.

Hayley’s dad, Mark Francis, is the head coach of the Kansas University women’s soccer team, and he uses the phrase “leave it on the field” with his team, Hayley said.

“So we thought we’d play off of that,” she said. “Our motto is ‘leave it on the trail.’ And everybody left it on Rim Rock today.”

Francis was part of a group of Free State girls that ran to a fourth-place finish at the Class 6A state cross country meet at Rim Rock Farm on Saturday.

Only Free State junior Kyra Kilwein’s eighth-place finish topped Francis’ 11th-place run on the girls side for the two Lawrence high schools, as the Firebirds finished just 10 points out of third place overall. Free State was one of 12 teams to qualify for state, which Blue Valley Northwest won.

Kilwein, who collapsed from exhaustion after crossing the finish line, said she tried using a different approach this season heading into state.

“Last year, I just over-trained myself,” Kilwein said. “This year, I took it easy and trained the right way. The 6A meet is like the toughest meet to run in, and I’m really proud of how I placed and how my girls did.”

The state meet was so tough, in fact, that Lawrence High senior Kelly Renfro – one of two LHS girls to qualify for along with senior Kristina Taylor – actually ran a better time than she did last year but finished six spots worse.

“(Competition) has definitely improved since my junior year,” said Renfro, who finished 14th. “I wanted to get top 10 at least, but it didn’t happen. But I was happy with my time.”

On the boys side, Lawrence High qualified as a team, and its top two runners didn’t disappoint. Sophomore Roy Wedge and senior Dylan Hedges finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Hedges, who was in third at the halfway point, said he started to fade near the end.

“The last half mile is where the race really starts,” Hedges said. “I just wasn’t ready when I got there, and other people were. But I was real proud of Roy. He ran awesome today. I’m glad we were together.”

LHS finished in sixth place overall out of 12 teams, with Shawnee Mission Northwest taking the team title for an unprecedented 14th straight season.

For Free State, freshman Logan Sloan and senior Gabe Moss qualified as individuals, and Sloan led the way, finishing 13th.

“I did have a bet with my dad,” Sloan said. “Top 10 and I get a bike. But 13th, it’s all right. I’ll be training year-round for next year.”

Free State coach Steve Heffernan said he saw strides of improvement in his team all season, and it came together at the right time.

“I think all the kids ran really, really tough today,” Heffernan said. “And that’s the first thing you talk about coming into a championship is being ready to put out that kind of effort. I really was pleased with Logan and Gabe and the entire girls team because I didn’t see anybody back down out of intimidation or just nerves from the meet.”

LHS coach Brian Anderson said his team overcame nerves and put on a good showing on its home course, as well.

“We were hoping to get up into the trophies with the boys,” Anderson said. “We knew it would be hard. We were picked fifth coming into state and wound up sixth, so we’re not far off from where we’re supposed to be.”