By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Both the St. Joseph boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams recorded dominant performances on Saturday to capture IESA Class 2A regional individual and team championships at Paxton.
The girls’ program had the top two runners in a field of 86 competitors and also outdistanced the field in the team race.
St. Joseph’s girls totaled 22 points. Runner-up Beecher had 76 points and Paxton-Buckley-Loda was third with 97 points. All three teams advanced to state.
There were 10 schools at the regional.
The St. Joseph boys’ program ended with three of the top four finishers and also cruised to a team title.
St. Joseph had 24 points, followed by Pontiac with 72 and Herscher with 84. Thirteen schools had entries in the boys’ division. The top three schools qualified for state.
St. Joseph boys’ cross-country
Eighth-grader Carson Maroon, who is one of seven squad members who competed at state a year ago when the school placed 11th, was the individual regional titlist.
He ran the 2-mile course in 11 minutes, 38.23 seconds.
Teammates Spencer Wilson and Kendrick Johnson – also state-meet veterans – were third and fourth, respectively. Wilson, an eighth-grader, crossed the finish line in 11:57.10 and Johnson, a seventh-grader, was timed in 11:57.71.
In a field of 89 competitors, the Panthers’ other scoring runners were seventh-grader Holden Brazelton (sixth in 12:09.47) and eighth-grader Rowan Musselman (10th in 12:34.25).
The school’s other regional participants were seventh-grader Jack Fisher (16th in 12:52.73) and sixth-grader Zach Harper (21st in 12:59.56).
Other runners on the Panthers’ state roster are eighth-graders Brock Kellenberger and Drew Thurman and sixth-grader Lance Retz.
The boys’ Class 2A state race will be on Saturday at Maxwell Park, in Normal, starting at 11:45 a.m.
There is no charge for spectator admission, but there is a $5 parking fee.
St. Joseph girls’ cross-country
Seventh-grader Savanna Franzen and eighth-grader Helene Jones set the regional pace, ending first and second, respectively, in their 2-mile races.
Franzen was clocked in 13 minutes, 6.69 seconds. Jones came in at 13:13.74.
The Panthers had four other runners place among the top 12.
Eighth-grader Chloe Burkhalter was fourth in 13:26.42, seventh-grader Madison Clampitt was sixth in 13:43.63, fifth-grader Jaci Kellenberger was ninth in 14:11.53 and eighth-grader Chloe Allen was 12th in 14:23.31.
Rounding out the school’s regional lineup was eighth-grader Maya Chahine. She was 18th in 14:29.94.
Other Panthers on the state roster are eighth-grader Macy Reed and sixth-graders Sophie Kasper and Hannah Mock.
In all, St. Joseph’s girls’ team has six squad members who participated at state a year ago – including their top four regional placers – when the school took 15th place in the IESA finals.
The girls’ Class 2A state race will be on Saturday at Maxwell Park, in Normal, starting at 11 a.m.
There is no charge for spectator admission, but there is a $5 fee for parking.
