Imagine watching your son compete for a state championship in his final race.
Now picture watching your twin sons do it together.
That’s what Sara and Heath Allison did at the Class 4 boys cross country state championships at Gans Creek in Columbia on Friday.
Josh and Jonah Allison, seniors at Hillsboro, ran from in front along with their close rival, Festus senior Ian Schram. More than this year’s championship was on the line. This was the Hawks eager to deny Festus a ninth straight title and knock the Tigers off their pedestal for 2022, while certainly not ending their dynasty. Festus has finished first or second every year since 2009.
Heath Allison, the principal at Hillsboro Junior High, was not at the finish line when Josh won, followed by Schram 8.8 seconds back and Jonah in third. All he heard was the PA announce it and the crowd cheer as Hillsboro, a school with a long and proud athletic history, won its first state team championship in any sport.
“I’ve never seen my boys finish a race,” Heath said. “I’m always on the back side near the 3K and 4K because I know they need support from back there. Once they get to the finish, I know there will be thousands of people cheering. I didn’t see them finish, but I was listening to it and I fell to my knees and thanked God and cried a little bit.”
As runners finish at state, they’re shepherded through a long chute as they catch their breath, clutch their sides and reach for water. Some need help making it through before they revive enough to head downhill to the city of team tents, where their families, coaches and friends await them. Results are updated instantly on a huge video board.
Hillsboro head coach Thomas Gordon, who has molded Hawk runners since 2009, pumped his fists and started shaking hands as it became apparent they were going to win. Activities director Chris Schacht handed out T-shirts to the Hawk supporters commemorating the achievement. I snapped photos as fast as I could. Sara Allison grabbed her boys and held them, her eyes surely moist behind her sunglasses.
These are the types of moments I won’t forget – the ones you go into sports writing for.
“This is unbelievable,” Heath said. “We’ve watched these boys compete so hard for six years and all summer long. We’re so proud. It was a great team effort. Great teammates. An unbelievable coach.”
So is Bryant Wright. Since I joined the Leader in 2016, every year-end conversation I’d had with the Festus boys and girls head coach ended the same way: me asking if his Tigers could keep their streak of state championships alive for another year.
I already had nothing but respect for Wright before I found him after Friday’s race, mostly alone and ready to be interviewed while his team made the rounds. Now I have even more, seeing him gracious in defeat. Dedicated to his profession and program as much as any coach – and that includes you soccer coaches (insert smiley face here) – Wright was somber but reflective.
Easing the sting of losing was that the Tigers’ next-door neighbors took them down. Now it’s on Hillsboro to maintain this altitude with a team that’s been flying first class for more than a decade. Both teams lose enough seniors to make you wonder if they (plus Herculaneum, of course) can keep the Jefferson County Activities Association on top of the state next year and beyond.
Josh Allison was the best runner in Class 4 all year and the first JCAA boys runner to win state since Max McDaniel did it for Festus in 2018.
“Ever since junior high we’ve been racing those (Festus) guys and they always dominated us,” Josh said. “We beat them in conference in eighth grade, and ever since then we’ve been talking about beating them again.”
“It’s like beating our brothers,” Heath said. “We’ve had our sights on them for six years and each year we got a little bit closer.”
While I was in Columbia watching the cross country drama, including the Herculaneum boys valiantly attempting to defend their Class 3 title, Laura Marlow was in Cape Girardeau covering Jefferson playing Hermann for the Class 2 state volleyball championship. Not intimidated at all by Hermann’s 15 state titles, the Blue Jays prevailed in four sets to capture their school’s first team championship in any sport, one day after Hillsboro pulled it off.
Sometimes as sports editor, I’m like a proud papa, and reporting on history-making successes brings me immense joy. I know how much it means to our readers to know our local athletes can compete with the state’s best across multiple sports.
And fall’s not over yet. As luck would have it for county gridiron fans, Festus and Hillsboro will meet to decide the Class 4 District 1 football championship on Friday night in what’s sure to produce more memorable moments.
On paper, the top-seeded Hawks (9-1) look unstoppable, but the third-seeded Tigers (6-5) already have one upset on the books, beating No. 2 North County (8-2) 28-15 in Bonne Terre in the district semifinals. Hillsboro beat Festus 58-21 in their conference game earlier this year and knocked the Tigers out of districts last year.
The winner advances to the quarterfinals Nov. 19 against the District 2 champion, either St. Mary’s (8-2) or Rockwood Summit (10-1). The Dragons are the defending Class 3 state champions, while the Falcons reached the state quarterfinals last year.