The 2018 boys highlight reel was a solid jump start to a solid season for many of southern Illinois' top teams
The skinny: The weekend invitational will get off to its customary start with top 1A teams from primarily the St. Louis metro area. Approximately 50 boys and girls teams will battle for two plaques. In addition, over 100 runners in each gender will be eligible for an award.
Mascoutah once again dominated matters in terms of both genders. The girls used a 1:30 scoring spread to tally 75 points in defeating Freeburg who scored 97 points. Breese Mater Dei and Decatur St. Teresa followed in third and fourth place. These teams should be in the same mix again. Individually, it was Lydia Roller of Staunton who slayed the tough SIU-E course under 20:00. Roller should have some solid competition behind her, mainly in the name of Breanna Chandler of Freeburg. Look for another good effort despite the climes hovering around 80F at game time.
The boys may not see a replica of years' past dominance if Father McGivney and Freeburg has something to do with it. Don't look for superfast times as the high per man averages have dictated over the past few years. But then again, let's see if Mascoutah can win another team title. The race to the finish line could see senior Blake Morris of Cape Girardeau, MO going for another "W." Morris clocked 16:39 on the rugged course and later went on place third in Missouri's Class 4 state championship.