The Macks Creek Lady Pirates and Pirates Cross Country teams opened the 2026 season Saturday morning at the "417XCKickoff" in Nixa. Both the girls and boys competed as full varsity teams, marking an exciting milestone for a program that continues to grow under the leadership of Coach Kenny Ratliff.
The Lady Pirates were led by Alejandra Sanchez, who finished 27th with a time of 23:51. Kaelee Keehler followed in 43rd place at 26:51, with Izzy Willey finishing 51st in 28:02. Kelsie George placed 54th with a time of 29:08, while Bailey Allan rounded out the Macks Creek girls' varsity runners in 55th at 29:55.
Here are photos of the Lady Pirates on the course this morning:
Go Allie!
Go Kaelee and Izzy!
Go Kelsie!
Go Bailey!
The XC Pirates are going to make great strides this season!
The Pirates were led by Carter Ferrell, who turned in an impressive 19th-place finish with a time of 18:10. Karsyn Jensen finished 44th in 20:01, followed by Parker Christian in 60th at 21:09. Sebastian Sanchez-Chavez finished 65th in 21:26, Fisher Wiethop placed 67th in 21:24, and Jason Bryant completed the team’s varsity lineup with a 75th-place finish in 22:06.
Here are photos of the Pirates in action this morning:
Go Carter!
Go Karsyn!
Go Parker!
Go Sebastian!
Go Fisher!
Go Jason!
Coach Ratliff is proud of the effort demonstrated by all of the athletes. Many members of the team dedicated themselves to preseason workouts throughout the summer and have continued to work hard at practice each day since the season began. That commitment has helped the Macks Creek Cross Country program grow to the point where the school is able to field two full varsity teams this season—one on the girls' side and one on the boys' side.
Carter earned a spot on the medal stand with his 19th place finish. Great job Carter!
The Lady Pirates and Pirates will look to build on their strong opening effort as they prepare for their next competition at the Tolton Catholic Invitational. The meet will be held at the University of Missouri's Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, providing the teams with another opportunity to compete against strong competition and continue their progress throughout the season.
Macks Creek is proud of the dedication, perseverance, and Pirate spirit demonstrated by these student-athletes and looks forward to following their success throughout the 2026 season!
The Pirates are pictured here on the starting line just before race began.
The team wishes to thank the fans who cheered them on and shared so many great photos of today's race included in this article.
#MCPirates