Streaks of various kinds took the spotlight for three Jefferson County teams competing in the Class 3 District 1 cross country championships Saturday in Cape Girardeau.
Streak No. 1: The Festus boys stayed on track, winning the team title to continue their march toward a fifth straight Class 3 state crown. They’ll go for it Saturday at the state meet in Jefferson City at Oak Hills Golf Course.
Streak No. 2: The Herculaneum girls had won 14 straight team trophies (top-four finish) at state, something no other school has ever done. That streak is over after the Blackcats finished fourth at Cape; only the top two district teams advance.
Streak No. 3: The De Soto girls had not made it to the state meet in 22 years. That drought ended Saturday with the Dragons winning their first district championship since 1996.
The De Soto storyline might have been the biggest at the meet, hosted by Notre Dame High School. The Dragons had three of the top eight finishers and scored 48 points, edging out second-place Festus with 57. The Tigers are the defending Class 3 champions.
De Soto freshman Kayla Vogelsang cut 21 seconds off of her personal record and won the district championship in 19:52.35, just a second faster than Notre Dame freshman Esperanza Zalite. De Soto junior Lillie Kaempfe, a two-time state qualifier, came in third in 19:54.44. Freshman Riley Petsch was eighth for the Dragons in 20:38.50.
Vogelsang and Kaempfe overtook Herculaneum’s Nautica Stricklin, the four-time Jefferson County Activities Association champion, in the last 100 meters. Stricklin will be the only Blackcat girl running at Jefferson City.
De Soto head coach Aaron Young said he knew how talented Vogelsang was after watching her win the JCAA championship in eighth grade.
“We knew she hadn’t had her best race until Saturday,” Young said. “I think she has yet to run her best race. She is an extraordinary athlete who goes out and races. She continues to amaze us with every race. She’s been building on each success and she gets more mentally strong.
“The change in mindset from last year is the biggest thing with this team.”
Sophomore Erika Mellor (11th, 20:45.76), senior Kaitlyn McGinnitey (25th, 21:49.82), sophomore Hannah Kamp (29th, 22:17.51) and senior Jewell Kohler (35th, 23:12) rounded out the winning De Soto squad.
“In the past, we’d see a Festus or Herky jersey and cower,” Young said. “We’ve been saying all along we’ve had success early. We were second at (the JCAA championship), won the Clayton meet and finished second at Potosi. We’ve been telling the girls after each race that we’re still not done. We’ve got to continue to build on that success and not let that be the peak. Our inexperience might help. They don’t realize what they’ve done.”
Young said he’s seen freshmen have success at state before (De Soto 2018 graduate Sarah Peoples was 37th as a frosh), so he’s not discounting Vogelsang’s chances at finishing strong in Class 3. Young said Kaempfe’s experience at Oak Hills will benefit the younger runners.
“We’re going to make sure she takes a leadership role and helps guide the girls,” Young said. “She has taken control of this team and has led by example. McGinnitey and Kohler have led by example as well.”
McGinnitey almost didn’t get to run this season after breaking her forearm while competing with the Jets Track Club this summer in New Mexico. She was practicing hurdles and tripped over the last one. She was cleared to run in early August. McGinnitey’s time was a PR by 36 seconds and Young said her finish helped hammer home the team title.
“I told her early in the week, if you need to take this race off, we can run someone else, and she told me to never ask her that again.”
On the Tigers’ tails
Festus head coach Bryant Wright said he’s seen the De Soto girls team coming on for awhile and wasn’t surprised they upset his Tigers.
“We noticed the De Soto girls had run some very good races,” said Wright, who has eight state crowns to his credit (six boys, two girls). “If you look at their times compared to the Cape Notre Dame meet (on Sept. 29) they had some significant improvements. We knew they had an opportunity to beat us.”
The Tigers’ top five runners finished between sixth and 15th place. Sophomore Emma Kettler crossed the finish line first for Festus, placing sixth in 20:21.89. Freshman Allison Faerber was next for the Tigers in 10th in 20:43.73. Senior Melissa Wolk (12th, 20:51.11), junior Sophia Leftwich (14th, 21:03.89), senior Maddie Welsh (15th, 21:11.45) and junior Erika McIntyre (17th, 21:19.38) finished within a 30-second span.
“Most of our girls improved from the Cape meet as well,” Wright said. “The way I see it, possibly a girl or two could have run a better race, but I’m not sure if it would have factored into the overall race.”
Festus senior Max McDaniel won the district race handily in 15:53.94. All that remains for McDaniel to cap his prep career is to take the individual title while helping his team go for that fifth straight championship. He finished fourth as a freshman and sophomore and was second last year. He’s also aiming for Festus graduate Michael Karls’ Class 3 state record time of 15:23.80, set in 2014.
All three goals are well within McDaniel’s reach.
“We had a good workout last week and we were hoping if everything progresses, Max might surprise some people at state,” Wright said. “We don’t like to give away any secrets, but Max will shoot for (the record time). Sometimes you go for the win; sometimes you go for more.”
Of course, if the Tigers are to keep their streak going, they’ll need a strong showing from McDaniel’s teammates as well. Senior Alex Whitener (fourth, 16:46.57), and juniors Simon Ogle (fifth, 16:59.77), Jonah Krieg (sixth, 17:05.34), Garrett Rhine (eighth, 17:20.20) and Dominik Kayser (ninth, 17:23.64) were all packed together tightly at the district meet.
“I think we ran a very solid race and everyone did a great job,” Wright said. “That doesn’t mean there’s not room for improvement. The boys were shooting for seven in the top 10. That would have been really impressive. All of our runners are all-district. If you can be in top 11 at districts, you will probably be top 25 at the state meet.”
None of the boys teams in Class 3 have come within 12 points of Festus during their championship streak.
“Sooner or later this streak will end, but I hope it’s not this year,” Wright said. “The kids will focus on what they need to do to be successful and the rest will take care of itself.”
‘Figuring it out’
In the girls race Saturday, Stricklin led the field until the final 100 meters. Herculaneum head coach Kyle Davis said he watched the field close in, pushing her back to fourth in 19:55.41.
“(Vogelsang and Zalite) are very talented and are figuring it out,” Davis said. “Nautica may have went out too fast. She was a little shocked. We knew she had a pack coming for her in the last mile. It was legit. They were both sub-20 minutes.”
Junior Chloe Richardson, senior Emily Enghauser and sophomore Laura Maddox finished 19th through 21st for the Blackcats, just missing the state cut of the top 15 runners. That leaves Stricklin alone to seek her fourth state medal. She finished third last season for her best finish at Jefferson City. Enghauser had won two medals at state.
“It stings,” Davis said of the trophy streak coming to an end. “Sometimes you need some pain to come out on the other side a little better. Saturday wasn’t the outcome we wanted and a lot of the season never came around. The way De Soto and Festus looked Saturday, I don’t know if we could have beaten them (even) if we were at our best.”
The Herculaneum boys did qualify for state, finishing second to Festus with 59 points. Junior Jonathon Coffman led the way for the Blackcats with a third-place finish in 16:37.18. Coffman was 21st last year in Class 3 in 17:02.05 and came in 15th as a freshman.
“He’s focused. He’s mentally prepared and, more important than anything, he’s injury free,” Davis said. “His goal is a top-five finish. He was third Saturday and the two guys who beat him may be the top two guys in the state.”
Coffman will be joined in Jefferson City by junior Kyle Vinyard (10th, 17:25.02), sophomore Cody Glisson (12th, 17:32.09), junior Matt Bartosch (16th, 17:45.83), senior Jacob Arnold (18th, 17:55.83) and sophomores Colton Parrish (48th, 19:34.64) and Austin Jackson (49th, 19:42.30).
“We ran pretty good and were still scared by Cape (Notre Dame),” Davis said. “We were in third place with 800 meters to go and we finished really well. We overtook two Cape runners or we would have lost it on the sixth man.”
The Jefferson girls blew away the competition at the Class 2 District 2 championship in Florissant on Saturday with 29 points. It’s the Blue Jays’ second straight district title after they won District 1 last year.
Senior twins Jordan (20:13.35) and Anna Heacock (20:47.77) finished the race 1-2. Junior Cheney Ervin was fourth in 21:13.75. Freshman Chelsea Badger (13th, 22:01.90), junior Josephine Mijrez (17th, 23:02.43) and freshmen Hannah Wigger (19th, 23:16.70) and Katie Deevers (25th, 24:44.74) will run for the Blue Jays on Saturday.
The Heacocks have been instrumental in Jefferson’s two consecutive second place finishes in Class 2 at the state track and field championships, with Jordan earning multiple medals in the distance events while Anna tops the field in the hurdles, as she did in winning both the 100-meter and 300-meter events last spring.
The top 15 individuals and top two teams qualify for state in Classes 1-3. In Class 4, the top 30 runners and top two teams make it to Jefferson City.
Class 1 District 1
Saturday at Notre Dame Cape Girardeau
GIRLS
Crystal City results: 3. Taylor Sloan, 22:58.52; 6. Taylor Reynolds, 23:35.16; 21. Caroline Kirkland, 26:10.52
BOYS
Crystal City results: 27. Ethan Boyer, 20:46.04; 34. Ian Holdinghausen, 21:12.91; 37. Joey Alley, 21:36.14; 47. Corey O’Hara, 22:48.47
Class 2 District 2
Saturday at Lutheran North
GIRLS
Jefferson team score: 1. 29
County results: 1. Jordan Heacock, Jefferson, 20:13.35; 2. Anna Heacock, Jefferson, 20:47.77; 3. Rita Eimer, St. Pius X, 21:13.38; 4. Cheney Ervin, Jefferson, 21:13.75; 6. Taylor Ficke, Grandview, 21:37.65; 8. Kyrsten Elder, Grandview, 21:45.23; 13. Chelsea Badger, Jefferson, 22:01.90; 17. Josephine Mijrez, Jefferson, 23:02.43; 18. Hannah Wigger, Jefferson, 23:16.70; 25. Katie Deevers, Jefferson, 24:44.74
BOYS
Jefferson team score: 5. 106
County results: 15. Kristopher Parker, Grandview, 18:59.68; 17. Collin Gosnell, Jefferson, 19:18.31; 20. Bradley Glass, Jefferson, 19:22.35; 21. Brennan Barrale, Grandview, 19:24.46; 24. Jeremiah Chipps, Jefferson, 19:27.80; 31. Adam Bishop, St. Pius X, 20:10.04; 32. Christian Stark, Jefferson, 20:16.77; 33. Jackson Hueter, Jefferson, 20:18; 40. Jeff Ehlen, Grandview, 20:50.60; 47. Chris Coaley, Jefferson, 21:14.82; 50. Matthew Glass, Jefferson, 21:43.24; 62. Will Sidwell, Grandview, 25:13.69
Class 3 District 1
Saturday at Notre Dame Cape Girardeau
GIRLS
County team scores: 1. De Soto, 48; 2. Festus, 57; 4. Herculaneum, 95
County results: 1. Kayla Vogelsang, De Soto, 19:52.35; 3. Lillie Kaempfe, De Soto, 19:54.44; 4. Nautica Stricklin, Herculaneum, 19:55.41; 6. Emma Kettler, Festus, 20:21.89; 8. Riley Petsch, De Soto, 20:38.50; 10. Allison Faerber, Festus, 20:43.73; 11. Erika Mellor, De Soto, 20:45.76; 12. Melissa Wolk, Festus, 20:51.11; 14. Sophia Leftwich, Festus, 21:03.89; 15. Maddie Welsh, Festus, 21:11.45; 17. Erika McIntyre, Festus, 21:19.38; 19. Chloe Richardson, Herculaneum, 21:22.54; 20. Emily Enghauser, Herculaneum, 21:32.60; 21. Laura Maddox, Herculaneum, 21:35.29; 23. Bailey Moore, Festus, 21:39.68; 25. Kaitlyn McGinnitey, De Soto, 21:49.82; 29. Hannah Kamp, De Soto, 22:17.51; 31. Persepheni Berry, Herculaneum, 22:23.93; 32. Brooke Heberer, Herculaneum, 22:46.05; 33. Emma Pouvaranukoah, Windsor, 22:57.04; 35. Jewell Kohler, De Soto, 23:12; 41. Arielle Prince, Herculaneum, 23:57.83; 48. Keri Voegtle, Windsor, 24:48.25; 55. Reilly Baughman, Windsor, 26:32.54; 60. Abby Young, Windsor, 30:31.06
BOYS
County team scores: 1. Festus, 24; 2. Herculaneum, 59; 4. De Soto, 149; 12. Windsor, 293
County results: 1. Max McDaniel, Festus, 15:53.94; 3. Jonathon Coffman, Herculaneum, 16:37.18; 4. Alec Whitener, Festus, 16:46.57; 5. Simon Ogle, Festus, 16:59.77; 6. Jonah Krieg, Festus, 17:05.34; 8. Garrett Rhine, Festus, 17:20.20; 9. Dominik Kayser, Festus, 17:23.64; 10. Kyle Vinyard, Herculaneum, 17:25.02; 12. Cody Glisson, Herculaneum, 17:32.09; 15. Trenton Childress, Festus, 17:37.23; 16. Matt Bartosch, Herculaneum, 17:45.83; 18. Jacob Arnold, Herculaneum, 17:55.83; 22. Dylan Shelton, De Soto, 18:23.21; 25. William Kaempfe, De Soto, 18:26.64; 31. Wyatt Radford, De Soto, 18:49.45; 34. Chris Brooks, De Soto, 18:53.57; 37. Jared Gardner, De Soto, 19:14.65; 44. Nate Bartch, De Soto, 19:24.49; 45. Kevin Klink, Windsor, 19:29.62; 48. Colton Parrish, Herculaneum, 19:34.64; 49. Austin Jackson, Herculaneum, 19:42.30; 56. Zach Allen, De Soto, 20:02.80; 57. Bradley Ahrens, Windsor, 20:09.08; 64. Tyler Fischer, Windsor, 20:40.58; 65. Joseph McCrory, Windsor, 20:46.86; 66. Alex Ahrens, Windsor, 20:51; 76. Seth Winkelmann, Windsor, 21:54.35
Class 4 Sectional 1
Saturday at Washington
GIRLS
County results: 15. Amie Martin, Fox, 20:09.17; 18. Stephanie Anthonies, Seckman, 20:15.35; 24. Claire Meisch, Northwest, 20:23.11; 31. Samantha Brown, Northwest, 20:39.80; 51. Jeanne Le Ray, Northwest, 21:15.13; 56. Michelle Jones, Hillsboro, 21:29.52; 71. Ashley McMahon, Seckman, 22:14.08
BOYS
County team scores: 7. Seckman, 165
County results: 18. Zach Reed, Seckman, 17:05.43; 23. Nathan Key, Seckman, 17:11.58; 49. Justin Glastetter, Seckman, 18:07.08; 50. Cody Poskin, Northwest, 18:07.16; 60. Tim Maxwell, Seckman, 18:24.27; 63. Michael Wright, Hillsboro, 18:36.43; 68. Aaron Konecnik, Northwest, 18:52.57; 69. Matthew Solovic, Seckman, 18:57.53; 74. Jacob Deuster, Seckman, 19:50.29; 76. Jonny Key, Seckman, 20:19.59