CHESTERFIELD • A pair of young runners in the Rockwood School District continue to be ahead of the curve this fall.
Two of the district's better underclassmen -- Marquette's Noah Kauppila and Eureka's Hannah Long -- kept their outstanding seasons going Saturday with first-place finishes in the Class 4 Sectional 1 meet at Parkway Central.
A sophomore, Kauppila came within five seconds of his course record with a time of 15:50.5 in leading the Mustangs to the team title. Billy Leighton of Cape Girardeau Central was second, Ethan Lambert of Eureka third and teammate Cade Netscher fourth.
The Mustangs also got strong performances from Adam Roderique (6th, 16:34) and Dan Lasker (7, 16:37), as they ended up with 53 points to Eureka's 57. Both teams, as well as Parkway West (77) and DeSmet (90) advanced to the state championships in Jefferson City next Saturday.
"It was great weather, and we really wanted to see how well we could do," Kauppila said. "I felt really good. All the factors just came together."
Lambert and Kauppila were 1-2 at the 2-mile mark when the Mustangs sophomore made his move.
"I could tell that he (Lambert) was faltering a little bit," said Kauppila, the district champion last week at Parkway Central. "I knew I had to push then."
Marquette co-coaches Missy and Mike Ebert wore ear-to-ear smiles afterward.
"Noah has been running so well," Missy said. "But our whole team has been outstanding. What makes them shine is that they run for each other."
Lambert, who finished 11 seconds behind Leighton, said he was well-aware that Kauppila doesn't usually make a move until at least the halfway point of a race.
"I was leading for the first mile and a half, and he took off," Lambert said. "And when he goes, he goes. He's a strong runner."
Ditto for Long, a Eureka freshman who jumped in front early and finished in 18:15. Second place ended up being a sprint to the finish, as Hannah Richardson of Kirkwood (18:55.4) edged Oakville's Melissa Brown by four-tenths of a second. Parkway West's Maddy Brown was fourth.
Long's best performance this season was 18 minutes flat on the Forest Park course.
"I like Forest Park a little better," Long said. "I enjoy this course, but it's a little more challenging with all the hills."
The Wildcats also dominated in the team chase, posting 58 points. Summit (80) was second, followed by Lafayette (82) and Kirwood (84). The top four teams and top 30 individuals move on to the state meet.
Eureka coach Kally Fischer said Long has been running so well that her effort wasn't a surprise. But she wasn't expecting such a dominating team performance.
"We try to focus on ourselves and not our opponents," Fischer said. "Our goal here was to just get through."
Other top finishers for the Wildcats included freshman Rachel Yergensen (5th, 20:15.8) and senior Taylor Schulz (11th, 20:26.9).
