JEFFERSON CITY • There were no visions of sugarplums in Kaitlyn Fischer's dreams Friday night. Instead, there were hills, valleys and finishing kicks as visions of the Missouri state cross country championships played on an endless loop.
"It was kind of like the night before Christmas where you can't sleep," the Herculaneum junior said.
Saturday, Fischer set a different agenda for her night's dreams. Out with worries and hills, in with smiles and state medals.
Fischer and Mary Moloney led Herculaneum to the girls Class 2 state championship at Oak Hills Golf Center in Jefferson City. With Fischer finishing second and Moloney ninth, the Blackcats were able to pull the rug out from under defending state champion Springfield Catholic.
Herculaneum won with 95 points. Springfield Catholic (125) and Stockton (130) were second and third.
The win was the fifth in six years for Herculaneum. The Blackcats now have 10 girls team titles.
With the exception of Herculaneum, St. Louis girls were shut out in title bids Saturday. The area's top showings were by Francis Howell and Ladue. Howell, paced by Kristen Adams and Whitney Adams, was third in Class 4 behind champ Lee's Summit West and Rock Bridge. Ladue, with Anna Nelson leading the was third in Class 3 behind first place Kearney and Farmington.
Saturday's win was the fifth in a row for Lee's Summit West and the third straight for Kearney.
No St. Louis runner managed an individual title, but there were several near-misses. Notable was the strong showing in Class 4 by freshmen Hannah Long of Eureka and Sophia Racette of Nerinx Hall. Long (18 minutes, 29.71 seconds) was second and Racette (19:11.18) fifth behind champ Samantha Nightingale (18:5.51) of Blue Springs South.
"I didn't really know what to expect," said Long, who was undefeated until Saturday's race.
In Class 2, Fischer led a strong St. Louis showing. Fischer was second behind 2009 champ Saga Barzowski. of Arcadia Valley. Barzowski won in 19:37.89. Fischer came in in 19:47.74 and defending champ Courtney Rogers of Lutheran St. Charles was third in 20:06.29. Karsten Klotzer of Lutheran North and Herculaneum's Moloney also broke into the top 10, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively.
While Herculaneum has been the state's premier small-school girls program, the Blackcats came into Saturday's race feeling like the team everybody had forgot.
"We were the underdogs," Blackcats coach Jim Kasten said. "We should not have won but we did."
"Nobody thought we could win it," Fischer said.
Kasten said Saturday's victory ranks with the most satisfying ever during his run as the Blackcats coach.
"I'd say it's right up there with the first (2001) one or maybe the third or fourth ones, the ones you didn't think you were going to win, but did," he said.
