Highland’s Keiffer Sexton (right) runs side-by-side with Columbus’s Josh Keller during the Mike Jay Invitational last week at the Cedarcrest Country Club. Photo by KCII’s Nate Gonner.

A second place finish during the second race of the year has helped fuel Highland senior Keiffer Sexton during his stellar late season run on the race paths in Southeast Iowa. Leading a majority of September 8th’s race at the Keota Invitational, Sexton was passed during the final 600 yards of the race by Columbus senior Josh Keller. Keller would go onto win the race with a time of 16:53, the first individual victory of his cross country career.

Sexton says since the Keota race, every practice run and every meet he wasn’t participating in, he would picture Keller right on his tail,  “I have always had this situation where, if I am ever by myself in a meet, I always imagine my biggest competitors just right behind my back.” Sexton said, “This past month I have been doing this with Keller. In all the meets I haven’t run against him, I’ve always imagined him right behind me.”

Sexton’s new mental approach had immediate results. Two days later, Sexton would win his first race of the season, clocking a time of 17:02 at the Fairfield Invitational. Five days later, he won the English Valleys Cross Country Invitational. Sexton also placed first at the Pekin Invitational on September 26, and won the Washington Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 29 by nearly a full minute.

While Sexton caught fire after the Keota meet, Keller’s success on the race path grew as well. He followed the Keota Invitational with four additional victories in a row, placing first in the Fort Madison, Mount Pleasant, Clear Creek-Amana, and the Winfield-Mount Union Invitationals.

The pair of seniors put their invitational winning streaks on the line last Monday in the Mike Jay Invitational. After running neck-and-neck for much of the race, Sexton pulled away on the back stretch to record another first place finish with a season best time of 16:18. Keller came in second, 36 seconds behind Sexton.

Three days later, the two seniors met again at the Cedarcrest Country Club for their final Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet. The two had a similar finish in the conference meet. Sexton crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 16:40, Keller was 19 seconds behind for a second place finish.

After successfully conquering him on the race paths, Sexton couldn’t help but admire Keller’s athletic accomplishments over the past 10 months, “If he can wrestle in the winter time, get second at state, and come around and do cross country like this its just amazing.” Sexton said, “I wish I was as athletic as he is but that’s why I only do cross country.”

Keller followed up his back-to-back second place performance at the Cedarcrest Country Club by placing first in Tuesday’s Central Lee Invitational, clocking a time of 17:40. Sexton is set to finish up his regular season races tonight in Mediapolis.

Hear an interview with Sexton on the PM Sports Page, debuting tonight at 6 p.m. on KCII and KCIIRadio.com.