EDWARDSVILLE • With both squads claiming an individual championship and a team title, the Freeburg girls and the Sparta boys dominated the Class 1A Metro East Lutheran Sectional cross country meet Saturday.
Now they hope their success can continue for one more week.
Freeburg senior Kristen Busch, the reigning state champion, ran a personal record of 18 minutes 59 seconds on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville course as the Midgets defeated Roxana 44-91 for the team title. Busch will defend her title next Saturday at Detweiller Park in Peoria.
Sparta's Jon Hill won the boys race in 16:25, beating teammate Wesley Bradshaw by five seconds. The Bulldogs had 36 team points, runner-up Herrin 128.
The sectional championship was Busch's fourth. Twin sister Caitlin was second at 19:47.
"I really wanted a PR today, and I got it," Busch said. "Individually, I wanted to break 19 (minutes) and as a team we wanted to stay in a pack.
"This is the hardest course I run on, but I don't mind it. I think it's a challenge. At state, I think there's going to be a lot more competition than there was last year. Team-wise, we really want a trophy (top three). That's what we've been working for all season."
Rounding out the top five for Freeburg were Olivia Von Bokel (14), Kirsten Thouvenot (19) and Morgan Mense (24).
"We ran great today and packed it up very well," Freeburg coach Carl Florczyk said. "That's going to be the key next week at state. Class 1A is as strong as it's ever been, with five or 10 girls gunning for the top spot. Decatur St. Teresa is going to be the team to beat, but there are about eight teams that could finish second or third."
The top finisher for Roxana was Tori Fulgham, who placed third at 20:20. Teammates Sarah Stogsdill and Dani Wilson were 20th and 21st.
The top five teams advance to state. Carterville (107) was third, followed by Metro East Lutheran (146) and New Athens (155). Jessica Jump (12th) was the top runner for Lutheran, while Molly Works (sixth) and Olivia Hoffman (seventh) led the way for New Athens.
Individual qualifiers were Althoff's Grace Rowan (4), Bluford Webber's Mallory Bergbower (5), O'Fallon First Baptist's Becca Starrett (9), Greenville's Jordie File (10), Columbia's Lauren Kaempf (11), Harrisburg's Taylor McDaniel (13) and Red Bud's Brittney Burmester (15).
Althoff sophomore Savannah Ames, who defeated Kristen Busch earlier this year, is out for the season with a broken foot.
In the boys race, Hill looked sharp while edging Bradshaw for the individual title.
"I took off with about a mile left and thought I was pretty strong," Hill said. "I like the course and I'm fairly used to it.
"(Columbia's) Drew Spargo ran really good early. I also thought Wes Bradshaw was going to be right there with me, and he was.
"For state, if we run a little better than we did today, I think we can get a trophy. I got 22nd last year, so I really hope to get top 10."
The other top runners for Sparta were Trevor Morgan (7), Kenny Heaton (14) and Dylan Huether (15).
"My seniors finished 1, 2 and 7, so I can't say enough about them," Sparta coach Matt Blair said. "I was hoping for our freshman (Huether) to be in the top 20, and he got 15th, so the kids ran out of their minds.
"We ran in Peoria and Springfield and all over the place, and hands down this is the toughest course we ran. Next week we're hoping for top five."
Metro East Lutheran (131) was third in the team standings, followed by Freeburg (133) and Chester (159). Lutheran's Jace Dumont finished 11th while Freeburg's Grant Grimshaw and Jacob Marler were 10th and 12th. Devin Valleroy (8) led the way for Chester.
Michael Brown from Carmi White County was third at 16:38 and qualified as an individual, as did Spargo, who was fourth at 16;46. Other qualifiers were Benton's Dylan Hartley (fifth), Greenville's Reid Rinella (sixth), Benton's Justin Massey (ninth), Carterville's Kyle Adams (13th) and Marissa's Chazz Phelps (17th).
