Princeville boys take 3rd at regional
Victor Lampe, Luke Hoffmann, Thomas Harmon, Tyler Sheridan, Brendan Williams
and Nick Feller.
By JEFF LAMPE
Weekly Post Staff Writer
PETERSBURG – There was no question about the winner at Saturday’s PORTA High School boys cross country regional. With runners divided into three flighted races instead of the usual one large race, Elmwood-Brimfield’s third-ranked team had an even better chance to prove its dominance.
Trojans runners finished first and second in the first two races and swept the top three spots in the final boy’s race. E-B had five of the top nine finishers in the race and saw its top seven all finish in the top 17.
That left E-B with 23 points, well ahead of runnerup Williamsville (86 points) and No. 3 Princeville (98), which was led by junior Denver Hoerr’s fourth-place finish in 15:38.6.
“You can’t get much better than that,” E-B Coach Gregg Meyers said of his team. “But there were some other coaches wondering why we were at their regional and why we couldn’t have just gone back to our normal regional.”
While Petersburg is not a normal spot for E-B in the postseason, the new course agreed with the Trojans. Senior Luke Hoffmann posted the day’s top time of 14:52.21 on the 2.9-mile PORTA course, which is slightly shorter than the usual 3-mile layout. Next up in the opening race was junior Thomas Harmon in 15:08.43.
Senior Victor Lampe (5th overall, 15:41.16) won the second race, edging senior teammate Tyler Sheridan (6th, 15:45.46).
The day’s finale saw all orange up front, with freshman Isaiah Hill (9th, 15:53.26), sophomore Brendan Williams (14th, 16;12.18) and junior Nick Feller (17th, 16:26.42) sweeping the top three spots.
“For some of those guys, having a chance to be one, two or three in a race, they really enjoyed it,” Meyers said. “If we weren’t going to be able to race together, at least they got to do it that way.”
The same was true in the girls races for E-B, which got its usual strong showings by freshman Addie Symonds (2nd, 18:04.82) and sophomore Melody Glenn (6th, 19:21.82). What helped boost E-B to a third-place finish, though, was gutty performances by its third and fourth runners, coach Kyle Anderson said.
Ashley Wolcott (16th, 19:51.79) and Bre Turner (18th, 19:56.58) battled
through injuries to finish strong. “Bre and Ashley both had great races in the three and four spot. I was very impressed with what they gave in the last mile of the race,” Anderson said. “It’s something they should be proud of.”
E-B’s fifth scoring runner was freshman Aleah Zehr (38th, 21:18.90), while senior Christine Karn (50th, 22:29.63) shaved two minutes off her personal best finish. “We’re really going in the right direction as far as mindset and the desire to do things the right way” Anderson said.
Next up for both E-B teams is a home sectional race Saturday at Maple Lane Country Club. Runners will once again compete in flighted races, with starting position based on finish at regional. Girls races are scheduled for 10 a.m., 10:40 and 11:20. The boys are to run at noon, 12:40 p.m. and 1:20. Based on their finish at regional, all five E-B boys will compete in the first race – where they will run into the five fastest runners from top-ranked Stanford Olympia and four runners from No. 4 El Paso-Gridley.
“There are going to be some good teams here,” Meyers said. “It’s kind of exciting.” Added Anderson, “It’s like a mini state meet.”
Princeville Heading into last Saturday, Princeville Coach Jeremy Melick’s simulation of the regional had his Princes boys team finishing fifth or sixth – right on the edge of qualifying for the sectional. Turns out the coach may have underestimated his squad. With all seven boys runners posting personal best times (even after adjusting for the short PORTA course), Princeville placed third overall with 98 points, behind only E-B and Williamsville (86). That is the highest Princeville finish at a regional.
“I did have high expectations for the kids,” Melick said. “But it went better than I expected.” Junior Hoerr – who would have been playing football this fall if the sport had not been moved back to spring – led Princeville by placing fourth in 15:38.6.
The Princes also got strong races from freshman Joey Bosch (15th, 16:23.78), junior Grant Hunt (16th, 16;25.89), freshman Parker Melick (23rd, 16:49.27) and junior Cole Brower (11th, 17:33.12).
“The format of the meet, I won’t say I loved it, but I didn’t dislike it as much as I expected,” Melick said. “It was nice to just focus on two to three runners at a time. And I think it added more excitement and suspense because the kids’ individual performance didn’t get lost in the mix of seven at a time.”
Two Princeville girls also advanced to the sectional, sophomore Kyra Hilsabeck (9th, 19:31.30) and freshman Makenna Sears (27th, 20:30.30). And all seven of the girls runners also posted personal best times, Melick said.
“When you have that many PRs, that’s all a coach can ask for,” Melick said.
The Lady Princes finished sixth overall with 172 points, one spot out of advancing. Other scoring runners for Princeville were: Carrie Gill (34th, 21:02.86), Emma Stutzman (54th, 22:48.15) and Brinae Rice (59th, 23;11.87).
As for the sectional, Melick said his boys team is looking forward to the chance to run against three of the top five teams in Class 1A.
“I get the sense that some of the boys are excited to face the different competition and the good competition,” Melick said. “I feel like some of the boys are getting into it.”
More proof of that, Melick said, is that some of his runners are talking about seeking an invite to the 2020 XC Championships to be held Nov. 6 at Three Sisters Park.
Farmington
Senior Makenna Hintz earned a spot in Saturday’s Elmwood Sectional
after leading the Lady Farmers by placing 29th in a time of 20:33.91 at the Petersburg Regional. Addyson Neal (39th, 21:21.93) was next for Farmington, which placed eighth overall in the girls race. Other scoring runners were: Lily Sharum (47th, 22:05.58), Annabelle Easley (49th, 22:25.02) and Lindsey Sharum (52nd, 22:34.49).
Brayden Morse (47th, 17:44.18) was top finisher for the Farmington boys team, which placed 10th. Other scoring runners were: Chandler Whisenand (64th, 19:26.59), Aidan Foshay (66th, 19:43.71), David Pepple (70th, 20:32.97) and Connor Keller (71st, 20:44.93).
Williamsfield
At Rock Island, Williamsfield junior Molly Warner (52nd, 23:34) was the No. 3 runner for 9th-place Mid-County, which advanced Emma Seidboldt
(21st, 20:52) to the Seneca Sectional.
Elmwood’s regional champion boys cross country team includes: Front row (left to right) Mason Siegel, L.J. Higgs and Jayden Brandt. Back row (l to r) Isaiah Hill, Eli Stevenson, Victor Lampe, Luke Hoffmann, Thomas Harmon, Tyler Sheridan, Brendan Williams and Nick Feller.
XC ‘State Meet’
While Saturday’s sectionals mark the end of the IHSA series for cross country, Shazam Racing and Mile Split Illinois will host the 2020 XC Championships Nov. 6 at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe. Competing teams can have no school affiliation or coaches. Elmwood-Brimfield boys runners entered, for instance, will compete as the Hibbing Harriers – an ode to the Minnesota town where the team congregates each summer for training and fishing.
We’ll have details next week.
