The first thing one should note about Effingham (St. Anthony) freshman Anna Sophia Keller is the immediate impact and notoriety that she brought to the classification. For the first time since the middle 2000’s and the era of Katelyn Bastert (Carthage), there is a superstar in the making who may one day become the best overall distance runner in the state.
Girls-
The first race of the day was marred by a 30-minute power outage delay that affected nearly 20,000 homes and businesses in the area. The effect that it had on Keller may have turned out for the best. She indicated afterwards that the delay quelled her nerves. “The delay made me feel less nervous,” she said shyly.
Keller proceeded to go out hard on a windy day at historic Detweiller Park and blew away her competitors with a finishing time of 16:35. The freshman sensation used a bullet train first mile in 5:23 to wow the crowd and put away any notion of an upset. In the process, she established a new classification championship meet record previously held by Bastert. It would also be the tenth fastest IHSA state meet time and 45-seconds ahead of second place finisher Kelsey Hildreth (Sr., Byron).
Freshman Daly Galloway of Gardner (G,-South Wilmington) bolted out of nowhere to outkick last year’s runner-up finisher Rachel Devereux (Sr., Decatur St. Teresa) for third place. Peterburg-Porta sophomore twins Adrienne and Maria Brauer finished virtually side by side to take the fifth and sixth spots. Next up to polish up the top ten was Chicago (Latin) senior Victoria Bianco. She ran to a personal best 17:45 to earn the seventh place slot. Metro-East Sectional champion Deanna Deterding (Jr., Red Bud) finished eighth, Taylor Bartolozzi (So., Rochester) took the ninth position of Rochester finishing ninth, and Urbana (University) freshman Annemarie Michael anchored the tenth position.
Despite the early morning chill and unexpected delay in action, the all-state cutoff was 18:14. It was a fast year for the 1A girls, and with so many underclassmen finishing in the top ten, it does not look to get slower any time soon.
#1 Decatur (St. Teresa) came as the heavy favorite and did what was expected of them and win their fourth consecutive blowout title scoring 73 points.
The Bulldogs produced two all-state runners led by Devereux and 25th place finisher Audrey Vandercar (Sr.). The scoring split of 1:11 is a tremendous feat with a talented front runner like Devereux running the show.
Rochester earned a second place trophy on 116 points. The Rockets were led by Bartolozzi and 27th place Krissy Finley (Sr.).
Tipping the rankings for a trophy was surprise third place finisher Chicago (Latin) tallying 130 points. Head Coach Dan Daly brimmed with a smile as he stated that this was “easily my best team ever.” The Romans finished the season strong with Bianco and 23rd place Abigail Nadler (Jr.).
Another team that finished a surprising fourth with 202 points was the Oregon Sectional champion Kewanee (Wethersfield) squad. The Lady Hawks transitioned well from a tough sectional course onto a faster Detweiller speedway.
Monticello, who was #1 during a significant part of the season, had to endure significant health issues faded to ninth in the team standings.
Boys-
The boys portion of the state meet was full of surprises on both the team and individual level.
The individual race saw a strong finish from sophomore Jon Davis of Fithian (Oakwood) put together a solid veteran like race to end his season as state champion with a time of 14:47. Davis shadowed the favored Nick Hess (Sr., Champaign St. Thomas More) for the majority of the race- dogging him through splits of 4:43, 7:14 (1.5 miles), and two-miles (9:47). Hess was ordered by his coach Dave Behm to put Davis away before the end of "Bermuda Triangle" but he didn't.
The two young men battled it out for the next half-mile leading up to the 2.5 mile mark. It was shortly before 600m to go that Davis made a strong move and left Hess. Davis moved hard up the incline to the finish line as the state champion.
Hess was mired in a fight for second with junior Michael Cook of Kewanee (Wethersfield). Cook made a final surge to catch Hess but fell just short 15:03- 15:04. Mooseheart senior Wal Khat made a bold decision to run with Hess and Davis hung in there for over two miles. He was caught in the late going by Cook but he maintained the fourth position in 15:09.
Eric Ponder (Jr., Tuscola) and Connor Ehnle (Sr., Tremont) also chased after the leaders finished fifth and sixth in 15:16 and 15:18.
Cody Baele (Sr., Kewanee-Wethersfield) and Alex Pettis (Sr., Henry (H.-Senachwine) for seventh and eighth. Wrapping it up for the top ten were Nick Monkemeyer (So., Rockford (Christian) and junior Curtis Reed of Mt. Zion for ninth and tenth.
Maybe this is something someone should put their history book: A fourth place sectional team going into state to win it all! While it's not a surprise according to how they looked in the preseason, some pundits were shocked to see the Elmwood-Brimfield Trojans take the cake. And who could blame them?
All season long, it seemed like teams from Monticello to Winnebago were going to blow everyone away. Monticello and Tolono (Unity) were battling each other week after week that ultimately doomed them.
Elmwood-Brimfield was too busy setting their sights toward peaking at state to get too carried away in the regular season slug fests. The Trojans were led by 22nd place finisher Nate Herridge (Jr.) and 27th place finisher Matt Osmulski (So.). It would be the deal that sealed the title with 161 points.
Only six points behind Elmwood was Winnebago. The Indians were led by Nathan Ambrose (Jr.) and his 26th place finish. His scoring teammates held a dense pack behind him.
Third place Monticello also ran a race worthy of a trophy at 178 points. The Sages were led by Matt Norvell (Jr.) who put together a nice 19th place all-state finish.
It was an exciting season that may perhaps mark a new era of 1A cross country. Not one marked so much by Elmwood dominating with much of their varsity returning next season, and two feeder schools supplying them with solid talent. And not too likely one marked by Davis dominating the individual race (not to underestimate his potential in the future). But rather a new era marked by tight races from teams and individuals of roughly equivalent talent, as modern coaches now have access to program-building resources like they have never before. Now it is a battle of pure wits and innovative tactics—on the part of runners and coaches alike—for who can end the season victorious. Parity, my friends.
