Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Rich East Cross Country runners LaRon Rogers, Leon Heard and Devontae Boman have qualified for Saturday’s Class 2A Sectional Boys Cross Country Meet which will be run at Maxwell Park in Normall, Illinois. Janiah Jones also qualified for the Class 2A Sectional Girls Cross Country Race which will also be run on Saturday.
The Rocket runners competed in the Class 2A Regional meet last Saturday at Crete-Monee High School. Rogers, the Rockets’ team captain, and a senior, finished 24th, Heard was 31st and Bowman (35th) earned the final qualifying spot with a nice sprint at the end of the race. Heard and Bowman are both juniors. It is the first time that all three Rocket harriers have made it to sectionals. It is also the first time since 2007 that more than one Rocket runner has made it to the sectional meet. In that year, the Rockets qualified as a team, placing fifth at the Rich East Regional Meet. The Rockets have placed one runner at sectionals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2008, Bryan Minnich made it all the way to the state meet for the Rockets. For Jones, a sophomore who finished 17th in the girls race, it is her second-straight sectional qualification.
"I’m very happy and proud of the way they all ran," said Rich East Boys Cross Country Coach Kevin Kredens. "They fought hard against some pretty solid competition. Now they have to work that much harder at sectionals to get to state."
At the Southland Athletic Conference meet a week before run on the same course Rogers (7th) and Heard (10th) were all-conference as was Jones (10th).
