Dealing with injuries is part of the job description for a high school cross country coach, but it's understandable if Granite City's Rich Skirball feels a little frustrated.
As the Warriors' season wound down -- without any qualifiers for the Class 3A state meet -- two of Granite City's best runners were sidelined by injuries suffered outside of the sport.
"The week before the (Southwestern) Conference meet, Emily Leon hurt her back playing soccer," Skirball said. "Her performance tailed off pretty quickly -- instead of being our No. 1 runner, she was No. 4 or 5. She bowed out of the sectional because she was having to take medication.
"Ricky Brawley broke his arm midway through the season, and if he had been there later in the year, it would have made a significant difference. With him and Noah Mizell (who was out due to nagging knee issues), I think our entire team would have qualified for the sectional."
Until injuries took their toll, the Warriors had been making steady progress.
"The boys were getting their times under 20 minutes and in some cases, 19 minutes," Skirball said. "(Freshman) Zach Manion stepped up early in the season and his twin brother, Tyler, made the varsity lineup for the last three or four meets.
"Our No. 2 through No. 5 runners were packing up nicely and the time differential was pretty decent. Now, we just need to close the gap between them and Greg Rogers."
Rogers was the Warriors' No. 1 runner all season. At the Quincy Sectional on Oct. 30, he finished 29th, narrowly missing qualifying for the state meet.
"Greg was disappointed not to qualify, but he gave it everything he had," Skirball said. "He ran all summer and stayed injury free. He paid attention to a lot of details and kept asking questions."
Linette Hernandez ended the season as the No. 1 runner for the girls.
"That's pretty impressive because most of the year she was behind Emily (Leon), Ellen (Nikonowicz) and Haley Broyles," Skirball said. "She finished on a strong note, and next year I hope she'll pick up where she left off.
"If she stays healthy, she could easily be a state qualifier," he said.
The sectional was the final meet for Skirball, who is retiring after 20 years in the Granite City school district. His son, Rich Jr., will take over as head coach.
Skirball was the head coach for four years. Prior to taking over for Tom Miller, he spent 11 years as an assistant coach.
"I've seen a lot of nice things happen and it's been a nice ride," he said. "Next season I'll still do the scorekeeping and entry info, and I'll meet the team for some meets and hopefully be an official at those meets. I'll also get to see the kids during track season because I'm a starter and referee for our home meets."
