HS cross country: Both Gillespie teams, Carlinville girls and Southwestern boys advance to sectionals

 

Staunton’s Rhyse Rucker earns individual berth

By JACKSON WILSON
Enquirer Democrat Reporter

Both of the Gillespie High School cross country teams advanced to sectionals, along with the Carlinville girls and Southwestern boys Oct. 26.

Chaz Oberkfell ranked third overall in an 86-man regional race at Shelbyville, seven seconds behind the overall individual winner, and helped boost the Miner boys to a third place team ranking. His final time was 15:13. Gillespie outpaced Shelbyville, Cowden, Cerro Gordo-Bement, Litchfield, Staunton, Sullivan, Greenville, Carlinville and Altamont and was within striking distance of regional champion Monticello. Only seven points separated the Sages from the Miners for the title. Gillespie finished one tally shy of the runner-up spot, which was owned by St. Teresa.

The Gillespie girls also ran at Shelbyville and finished in sixth place. Since there were only seven female squads with enough runners to qualify for a team score, all the Miners had to do was finish the race. Carlinville, which filled the seventh and final slot, had that same mindset.

Staunton, which had won the girls’ South Central Conference crown the previous weekend, had only three participants in Lydia LaRosa, Elsah Clark and Brooke Rucker. Since that wasn’t enough to field a team score, the Shelbyville regional marked the end of the girls’ season after all three runners fell short of an individual berth. However, Rhyse Rucker will be representing Staunton at sectionals after finishing 22nd with a time of 17:19 in the boys’ race.

Southwestern’s cross country athletes ran at the Rushville regional. The Piasa boys, led by Thor Springman’s top 10 performance, finished in sixth place ahead of Beardstown, Carrollton, Havana, Rushville and Astoria while the girls ranked eighth above Astoria and Rushville.

SHELBYVILLE REGIONAL
TEAM RESULTS
Boys
Champion – Monticello 91
2. Decatur (St. Teresa) 97
3. Gillespie 98
4. Shelbyville 103
5. Cowden (C.-Herrick) 106
6. Cerro Gordo-Bement 161
7. Litchfield 177
8. Staunton 202
9. Sullivan 219
10. Greenville 231
11. Carlinville 265
12. Altamont 321
Girls
Champion – Shelbyville 29
2. Monticello 45
3. Decatur (St. Teresa) 79
4. Arthur (A.-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond) 93
5. Moweaqua (Central A & M) 131
6. Gillespie 153
7. Carlinville 169
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Boys (86 total runners)
Champion – Evan Cook 15:06.02 (St. Teresa)
3. Chaz Oberkfell 15:13.57 (Gillespie)
13. Marshall Garwood 16:24.37 (Gillespie)
20. Hank Fletcher 17:17.00 (Gillespie)
21. Carter Sies 17:17.82 (Gillespie)
22. Rhyse Rucker 17:19.10 (Staunton)
34. Peyton Luketich 18:02.30 (Staunton)
39. Henry Truax 18:13.21 (Carlinville)
41. Aiden Green 18:15.08 (Staunton)
43. Matthew Plovich 18:17.91 (Gillespie)
44. Lucca Kapp 18:25.26 (Gillespie)
45. Sam Wilson 18:31.31 (Carlinville)
51. Aaron Bodner 18:39.54 (Staunton)
53. Nolan Hostettler 18:53.46 (Gillespie)
62. Douglas Aikin 19:57.19 (Carlinville)
63. Bryan Podwojski 20:10.81 (Staunton)
65. Dominic Genetti 20:39.93 (Carlinville)
67. CJ Matthews 20:49.18 (Carlinville)
73. Trevor Myers 21:12.93 (Staunton)
74. Brady Seelbach 21:14.19 (Staunton)
80. Kaney Roper 22:51.04 (Carlinville)
GIRLS (61 total runners)
Champion – Tessa Bowers 18:05.14 (Shelbyville)
33. Mia Brawner 24:12.02 (Gillespie)
35. Lyla Drewel 24:25.13 (Gillespie)
38. Nevaeh Thomas 24:47.42 (Gillespie)
42. Madalyn Quarton 25:16.80 (Carlinville)
43. Lydia LaRosa 25:20.98 (Staunton)
46. Elsah Clark 25:59.15 (Staunton) 47. Samantha Scott 26:22.12 (Carlinville)
51. Lara Antaloczy 27:23.05 (Carlinville)
52. Maizie Harris 27:29.76 (Carlinville)
57. Madisyn Thomas 29:27.50 (Gillespie)
58. Brooke Rucker 30:49.24 (Staunton)
59. Abigail Heusing 31:33.75 (Carlinville)
60.Hunter Schwendemen 37:31.65 (Gillespie)
61. Tess Dixon 41:47.26 (Gillespie)

RUSHVILLE REGIONAL
TEAM RESULTS
Boys
Champion – Pleasant Plains 33
2. Quincy (Notre Dame) 86
3. Petersburg (PORTA) 91
4. Carthage (Illini West) 116
5. Liberty 124
6. Piasa (Southwestern) 149
7. Beardstown 158
8. Carrollton 202
9. Havana 240
10. Rushville (R.-Industry) 263
11. Astoria 272
Girls
Champion – Pleasant Plains 24
2. Quincy (Notre Dame) 72
3. Pittsfield 110
4. Petersburg (PORTA) 118
5. Liberty 121
6. Beardstown 147
7. Havana 196
8. Piasa (Southwestern) 202
9. Astoria 205
10. Rushville (R.-Industry) 209
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Boys (79 runners)
Champion – Elijah Teefey 15:52.10 (Pleasant Plains)
7. Thor Springman 16:37.00 (Southwestern)
25. Bram Beuttel 17:41.40 (Southwestern)
31. Evan Makler 18:03.30 (Southwestern)
51. Daniel Hall 19:32.40 (Southwestern)
53. Chase Miller 19:42.60 (Southwestern)
65. Kaden Matuska 21:20.80 (Southwestern)
Girls (71 runners)
Champion – Alaina Hawker 17:54.90 (Pleasant Plains)
36. Katlynn Kemna 23:28.30 (Southwestern)
39. Reagan Beilsmith 23:48.70 (Southwestern)
48. Audrey Vollintine 24:42.80 (Southwestern)
51. Keeley Shoemaker 25:07.30 (Southwestern)
63. Maddie Gordon 27:54.50 (Southwestern)
68. Layla Hall 30:23.90 (Southwestern)
69. Kelsey Behrends 31:25.90 (Southwestern)