The numbers don’t lie. With 39 state championships won by four schools, the Jefferson County Activities Association is the best cross country conference in Missouri and maybe even one of the best in the whole country.
So it was no surprise that it took a JCAA team to knock off the Festus boys dynasty in 2022 as Hillsboro won the Class 4 championship, 43 points ahead of the 10-time champion Tigers. That upstart Hawk squad, the first state-winning team in any sport in school history, has lost its core of the Allison twins, Josh and Jonah, Jimmy Mann and Gavin Vaughn to graduation.
After tying West Plains with its state-record 13th state crown in 2021, the Herculaneum boys finished second in Class 3 last year by five points to Father Tolton Catholic, the school across the street from the state course at Gans Creek in Columbia. Graduation didn’t gut the Blackcats, however, and they’ll be strong contenders at the JCAA and state levels. The Herky boys haven’t won the conference meet in 20 years.
The Festus boys won the league title for 13 straight years before giving it up to the Hawks last year as well. It will be a tight three-way race next month.
Already retired from teaching, Bryant Wright has stepped down as the girls head coach at Festus but is staying as the boys coach on a year-to-year basis. Wright said longtime powerhouse West Plains is ranked No. 1 in Class 4. Festus finished third with 107 points in the Green Division at the Forest Park Invitational in St. Louis on Saturday. St. Louis University High won with 66 points.
“Right now, we’re considered to be second in the state,” Wright said. “Now, what do we have to do to win it?”
Longtime assistant Wes Armbruster takes over a Festus girls program that Wright led to state titles in 2014 and 2017. The Tiger girls are the defending JCAA champion, but haven’t been on the state medal stand (top four) since 2018. The Festus girls also ran in the Green Division at Forest Park and were fourth with 131 points. O’Fallon (Ill). won with 88.
“We are fortunate to have a great legacy of success to draw from,” Armbruster said. “These athletes know what it takes to get to the next level. We are focused on becoming the best version of ourselves and if we do that, we will have a chance to be a factor at the end of the season.”
Also on the girls side, Herculaneum owns 11 state titles and is always competitive in the JCAA, but other league schools have had success at state as well. De Soto, Jefferson and St. Pius X all won team trophies in the last five years. Rita Eimer won the Class 2 individual state title for the Lancers in 2020.
“I always feel whatever team is healthy in the long run has a shot at the end,” said Tom Gordon, head coach of the Hillsboro boys and girls. “Our boys and girls have been working hard in practice. I always tell them, never give up and good things will happen.”
Kyle Davis is head coach of the Herculaneum boys and girls, who he led to a state title in 2012. The Blackcats ran at the Arcadia Valley Invitational on Saturday and the boys finished second with 112 points, 23 behind Jackson, while the girls were sixth with 201.
Keith Vance was the only runner the Herky boys lost to graduation. Two all-state Blackcats, senior Sam Vaughn (ninth at state) and junior Nate Wright (17th), return among the top runners in Class 3.
“We’ve got the targets on our back,” Davis said. “But there’s a long ways to go still.”
The road ends Nov. 3 at Gans Creek for boys and girls in Classes 1-2. Classes 3-5 will compete on Nov. 4.
Here is a look at the JCAA cross country teams from the county.
Crystal City Hornets
Class 1 District 1 at Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
State championships: boys 1984; girls 2015
Head coach: Ken Jones, 19th year
Boys: sophomore Nate DeClue
Hornet facts: DeClue is the team’s only returner and Jones said he’s made a major improvement from last year. The girls team is feeling the loss of 2023 graduate Lauren Hartman, who won state medals (sixth and 18th) as a junior and senior.
Coach quote: “We are preparing a young (boys) team to compete at districts.”
De Soto Dragons
Class 4 District 1 at Arnold City Park
State championships: none
Head coach: Robert Hyde, third year
Boys: juniors Clayton Huck, Brennan Brady; sophomores James Aubuchon, Carson Koerbe; freshmen Cruz Anders, Jackson Pyatt, Clayton Rozycki.
Girls: seniors Jailey Pigg, Jazmine Ellsworth, Richelle Rickermann; juniors Autymn Crady, Mya Bell; sophomore Dessie Weidner; freshman Katie Strawhun.
Dragon facts: Pigg, a three-time state qualifier, recently ran two personal bests. At Fort Zumwalt North’s Twilight Invitational in St. Charles on Sept. 1, she ran 20:12.6 (five kilometers). Then she finished fifth in 20 minutes flat at the Stan Nelson Invitational in House Springs on Saturday. “I realized I was breathing deeper and taking slower breaths and that’s what helped me,” Pigg said after Saturday’s race. “I calmed myself down. I learned something new today.”
The Dragon boys finished fifth out of 22 teams at the Twilight meet. Huck runs No. 1 and is helping guide a talented group of underclassmen, led by Anders, Koerber and Aubuchon. Hyde said he’s seeing tremendous improvements on the boys team as he looks for the next William Kaempfe, a 2022 graduate who finished fourth in the state as a junior and 10th as a senior.
Coach quote: “Jailey had a great summer. We’re going to focus on keeping her healthy and keep improving throughout the year. We’re hoping to get her an all-state medal this year.
“My expectation for the upcoming season is for the boys to be much improved from last season. We have a really strong group of underclassmen mixed in with a few juniors who work hard and put in a great offseason of training.”
Festus Tigers
Class 4 District 1 at Arnold City Park
State championships: boys 2009, 2012, 2014-2021; girls 2014, 2017
Head coach: boys Bryant Wright, 25th year; girls Wes Armbruster, first year
Boys: senior Bryson Rhine; juniors Trevor Bayless, Aidan Cole, Tate Uding, Lucas Campbell, Jimmy Wacker; sophomore Carson Driemeier.
Girls: seniors Jeannie Thornborrow, Riley Vogel; junior Alyssa Collins; sophomores Katelyn Thurman, Olivia Cole.
Tiger facts: The Festus program is undergoing change, with more to come when Wright decides to retire in full. What he built is self-sustaining with Armbruster taking over the girls side, in part because the school district has stated it doesn’t want coaches doubling up anymore.
Driemeier, 13th at state last year as a freshman, is looked to as a leader and started the season strong, winning the Twilight meet in 15:51.30. Wright said the pack behind Driemeier isn’t set yet. Thornborrow was seventh at the JCAA girls meet and has incentive as a senior to finish strong. Cole and Thurman ran legs for the 4x800-meter relay team that qualified for the Class 4 state track and field meet in May.
Coach quote: “We lost some good runners and these guys knew they had to work hard to get back to the top,” Wright said. “I saw some significant improvement. There’s a little bit of a different attitude. I’m pretty happy with the summer they put in. We’ve got three or four guys who need to learn how to race and if we do that, we can do some special things. As far as the way I’ve seen these guys go about their business, we have leaders we didn’t know we had. Do we have enough to win a state title? We’ll see.”
Grandview Eagles
Class 2 District 1 at Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
State championships: none
Head coach: Scott Meyer, eighth year
Boys: junior Hayden Pruitt; sophomore Gavin Howerton.
Girls: senior Natalee Vogelsang; junior Katie Terrell; sophomore Morgan McClelland.
Eagle facts: The girls are the defending Class 2 District 1 champions and ran to a ninth- place finish at state last year. Terrell was their top finisher in 41st, clocking 22.13.8.
Coach quote: “I’m looking for the team to run at the pace we left off from last season and improve times to continue to place higher at regular season meets, and advance through districts again this year as a team to advance to state. I’m expecting Katie, Natalee and Morgan to place high in the meets. I’m hoping the boys take the next step from running in JV meets last year to be in varsity this year.”
Herculaneum Blackcats
Class 3 District 1 at Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
State championships: boys 1977-1983, 2003, 2007-2008, 2010-2011, 2021; girls 1982-1985, 2001, 2006-2009, 2011-2012
Head coach: Kyle Davis, 12th year
Boys: seniors Sam Vaughn, Landon Boyer, Ashton Harris, Ty Greenlee; juniors Nate Wright, Braiden Schenewerk; sophomores Brandon Marshall, Liam Piet.
Girls: seniors Anna Hartnett, Kendall Huber, Olivia Lindaman, Kaitlin Taylor; junior Madison Roberts; sophomores Veronica Brice, Claira Davis; freshman Finley Hamtil.
Blackcat facts: Among those looking to extend the Herculaneum legacy of state titles (13 for the boys and 11 for the girls) is Claira Davis, daughter of the head coach, and Hamtil, the granddaughter of longtime Blackcat coach Jim Kasten. Claira Davis was the top Herky harrier at Saturday’s Arcadia Valley Invitational, finishing 12th in 21:20.43.
Vaughn and Wright are coming off medal-winning performances at the Class 3 state track meet in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Wright was sixth at Arcadia Valley in 17:07 as the top Blackcat finisher.
Coach quote: “Nate and Sam could be top-three or -four in the state this year. Sam is more of a 5K guy. Nate got him in the mile at state (track). They’re different profiles athletically. Nate is a gamer, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him near the top.
“We have some depth in the girls team we haven’t had in a while. They have a good shot (to win a state team trophy). The last couple of years we’ve had as good a No. 5 girl (as there is) in the state, we were just missing those middle runners. We’ve had some decent off seasons to back that up.”
Hillsboro Hawks
Class 4 District 1 at Arnold City Park
State championships: boys 2022
Head coach: Tom Gordon, 16th year
Boys: seniors Clayton Schneider, Greg Mann, Aidan Belcher; juniors Landon Pogue, Sam Pierce, Kayden Heffron, Sam Stuart.
Girls: senior Rebekah Liew-Nguyen, Kali Walker; juniors Jillian Mayer, Ellie Ludwig; sophomores Katelyn Wiethop, Ava Hildebrand; freshman Bre Guinan.
Hawk facts: The question is, what can this team do for an encore after six of their seven runners made all-state (top 25) in winning the 2022 Class 4 title, capping a remarkable undefeated season? Pogue (15th at state), Mann (23rd) and Schneider (39th) were the back three on that team and they return to take over leadership.
Gordon said the miles Pogue put in over the summer have solidified him as the No. 1. He was fourth at the Twilight meet in 16:05.9. “His confidence level is up pretty good,” Gordon said. “He knows he can run with just about anybody in state.” Wiethop is the top girls returner from last year; she was 84th (21:44) at state as a freshman and finished 56th at the Twilight meet in 21:49.5. Mayer is the team captain and she and Walker are expected to set the tone.
Coach quote: “Last year was a phenomenal (boys) season and when you lose four out of six all-staters, it’s going to be hard, but we’re bound and determined to get back to where we want to be. When the girls get it figured out, they can have just as much success as the guys this year.”
Jefferson Blue Jays
Class 2 District 1 at Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
State championships: none
Head coach: Mollie Rhodes, 12th year
Boys: senior Alex Breeze; sophomore Levi Heacock; freshman Bryant Horn.
Girls: juniors Payton Easter, Ayla Karch; sophomores Emerson Selsor, Addison Meyer.
Blue Jay facts: It’s been only five years since the Jefferson girls won their first state trophy, placing third in Class 2. Last year the Blue Jays finished second at districts and sent a pack of underclassmen to the state meet, where they ended up 13th. Selsor made all-state, placing 20th in 21:10.6. At Saturday’s Forest Park Festival, Jefferson finished fourth in the White Division with 107 points as Selsor came in third in 20:52.6 and Easter was 16th in 23:12.20. Horn was the Blue Jay boys’ top finisher there, running 17:57.7 in 13th place. Heacock and Breeze were both state qualifiers last season, finishing in the top 100.
Coach quote: “We have some young talent on this team this year, with only one senior on the boys side. I expect it to take our younger runners a little bit to adjust to the new distance, but by the time we get to the end of the season I expect them to be dialed in. Alex brings a lot of experience and great leadership to the team. I expect these boys to only get better and better as the season goes on.
“We return almost our entire girls team from last year. This is still a young team with no seniors on the squad. These girls experienced success last season and I know that they are hungry for more this season. I have a lot of hopes about what they are capable of doing this year. They are pushing themselves hard, and have set goals for what they would like to accomplish.”
St. Pius Lancers
Class 2 District 1 at Cape Girardeau Notre Dame
State championships: none
Head coach: boys Jon Daly, sixth year; girls Michaela Eimer, first year
Boys: seniors Andrew Hentz, Keegan Wade; sophomores Jayden Metzler, Braeden Caldwell, Ethan McVey, Gus Herrell.
Girls: sophomore Taylor Robinson.
Lancer facts: Powered by Rita Eimer’s individual state title, the Lancer girls won their first state trophy (third place in Class 2) in 2020. They qualified as a team in Class 2 last year and finished eighth. Rita’s cousin, Michaela, who ran for both state-qualifying teams and just graduated this spring, may be the youngest head coach of any prep sports team in the St. Louis area. Robinson, the lone returner from the 2022 state team, ran 24:29.6 (61st) at the Stan Nelson meet Saturday. Metzler and Caldwell both ran at state as freshmen and finished in the top 100. At the Stan Nelson meet, Metzler placed 70th in 18:03.6 and Caldwell was 76th in 18:15.4.
Coach quote: “The goal for 2023 is for the boys to qualify for state as a team,” Daly said. “The ladies’ future looks bright as five new runners joined this year’s squad.”
Windsor Owls
Class 4 District 1 at Arnold City Park
State championships: none
Head coach: Sally Helton, first year
Boys: juniors Scotty Moravec, Noah Kizer, Evan Fraser; sophomores Brandon Rapp, Matthew Muessig, Colton Mohart; freshman Jon McCain, Nathan Akers.
Girls: seniors Katie Boyster, Riley Merchant, Amelia Schaefer; juniors Sarah Winters, Camryn Deters; freshmen Chloe Lammert, Ericka Watkins.
Owl facts: Boyster, Merchant and Schaefer have provided great leadership to the junior varsity and middle school teams as well. Winters should help in her first season on the varsity and Deters is working hard to rejoin the team after recovering from an injury.
Moravec and Kizer have worked side by side all summer with one goal – qualify for state. Moravec was the top Owl at Arcadia Valley, finishing 16th in 17:49.7.
Coach quote: “Their dedication to the team and their training has shown just what (the boys) will do for that goal. I have seen so much improvement in their abilities. Colton joined us late last season, so I’m excited to see what he does in a full season.
“Our (girls) team is small but with several returners, I’m hoping we will see great strides. This team has a bond, both on the course and off, that I haven’t seen in my years of coaching. The camaraderie of the team has shown to push them in workouts and hopefully will carry over to our meets.”