Friday, October 30, 2009 10:52 PM CDT
44 area cross country runners hope to qualify for state meet
By MIKE MONAHAN, Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
DECATUR -- A total of 20 boys’ and girls’ cross country runners from the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier area are set to compete in the IHSA Class 1A Decatur St. Teresa Sectional at Hickory Point Golf Course. The boys’ race, which is to start at 10 a.m. today, includes 12 runners on the Shelbyville-Stewardson-Strasburg team coached by Kevin Kramer and 12 on the Sullivan-Okaw Valley squad coached by Ted Kerner as well as one runner from Neoga. A total of 225 runners are set to compete.
On the girls’ side 10 runners from Shelbyville and nine from Neoga are among the 218 competing. The girls’ meet is to start at 9 a.m. Both races are three miles as participants run two 1.5 mile loops.
The top five teams as well as the top seven individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the state meet set for Nov. 7 at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. In addition if the 8th-, 9th- or 10th-place overall individual runner is not on a qualifying team, they advance to the state meet.
Boys
The boys’ meet includes the No. 1 team in the state according to Dyestat.com in Beecher, which also has the No. 2 and No. 3 runners in the state in freshman Grant Nykaza and junior Griffin Nykaza. Monticello is the No. 6 team and the Sages are coached by Arcola graduate Jeff Butler and have the No. 10 runner in the state in sophomore Steve Schroeder. Urbana University High is No. 9 in the state, while St. Joseph-Ogden is No. 11 and Robinson No. 15. Robinson has the No. 21 runner in the state in junior Austin Dart.
Other individuals ranked in the state set to compete in the meet are Paxton-Buckley-Loda’s Tom Pacey (No. 13) and Georgetown-Ridge Farm’s Matt Avenatti (No. 22).
Competing for Sullivan are seniors Alex Bone, Michael Giberson, Taylor Colclasure and Corey Elder along with juniors Matt Garrelts and Zach Righter. Sophomores Drew Bandelow, Bill Borwn, Kent Hanson , Cameron Harvey and Micah Plank are set to run, as is freshman Brock Bales.
Harvey finished fourth overall in the Robinson regional with a time of 17 minutes, 15 seconds on the 2.96-mile course, while Bandelow as fifth in 17:37.
“We are really excited to compete in the sectional meet,” said Sullivan coach Ted Walk. “It is my second year coaching and we didn’t have a team for three or four years. I didn’t know what to expect. The boys have worked hard over the summer, and even if they don’t advance as a team, they will see where we want to be next year. We have four of the top five runners back next year.”
The team has not run on the course before and was to have had practice on it Friday.
“We have run the last several meets in the rain,” said Walk. “No one’s time has improved because you are running in the mud and muck and you get less grip.”
As for the competition, Walk said, “We will have some competition and I hope to be (competitive); that is the goal. I am hoping that Drew (Bandelow) and Cameron (Harvey) can run under 17 minutes. They have been running right over 17 minutes depending on the course length. The middle of the pack (Giberson, Garrelts, Righter) has been running just over 18 minutes, and my goal for them is to get in the 17s. I hope all seen runner can be right there. The middle runners have been very consistent.”
Walk’s second cousin, Neoga’s Travis Walk, is a freshman and is the lone runner of Neoga competing.
“It is an added bonus to have him there,” said Walk. “He is a good kid and I enjoy watching him run.”
Running for Shelbyville are seniors Jeremy Reel, Jake Zerrusen and Jeff Gill, along with juniors Clayton Baker and Nick Selby. Sophomores are Zach England and Kyle Brown, while the freshmen are Neil Yockey, Seth Applegate, Myles Foor and Aaron Thomas.
Yockey was the top runner in the regional, placing sixth with a time of 17:38, Baker, Applegate, Reel, Finks and Foor followed.
Girls
Shelbyville is hoping to make another trip to state after placing 15h last year. The Lady Rams are led by last year’s all-state runner sophomore Katelyn Duckett, who was fifth in last year’s sectional at Paxton-Buckley-Loda in 18:46. Duckett is ranked 20th in the state and won this year’s Robinson Sectional with a time of 19:33 on the 2.96-mile course.
As a team Shelbyville is ranked No. 12 in the state. Runners that were on last year’s squad include seniors Erin Yockey and Jackie Eberspacher as well as sophomores Alicia Pizzo, Kayley Brown and Allie Pasley. Other runners set to compete today are seniors Carisa Wilson and Ranae Julius as well as junior Laura Jesse and freshman Megan Martin.
Pizzo was sixth overall in the regional in 20:50 followed by Eberspacher, Brown, Yockey and Pasley.
Runners for Neoga, coached by Tim Mueller, are seniors Rachel Meyer, Taylor Walk, Olivia Mintun and juniors Ashley Deters, Alison Mueller and Natalie Walk as well as sophomores Emma Baker, Courtney Cornwell and Rebecca Mueller.
Cornell was ninth and Baker 12th in the regional with times of 21:16 and 21:31 respectively.
The sectional features the No. 2 ranked team in the state in Decatur St. Teresa, No. 3 St. Joseph-Ogden; No. 7 Bloomington Central Catholic and No. 8 Bishop McNamara.
Kelly Curran of Bloomington Central Catholic is No. 2 in the state, while Decatur St. Teresa’s Grace McCormack is No.11 and classmate Ellen Devereux is No. 14. St. Joseph-Ogden’s Chelsea Blaase is No. 19, while Oakwood’s Caira Perice is No. 21. Effingham St. Anthony’s Liz Wortman is No.24 and SJO’s Sidney Long is No. 25 in the state.
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854
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