It's hard to miss Herculaneum on the cross country course. It could be the candy-striped shorts, but it's just as likely to be the mass of Black Cats near the front of the pack.

Herculaneum has reignited the tradition that carried the distance program to multiple state titles in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In total, the boys have won 10 titles and the girls have eight state championships. The teams' current runs have only added to that total, as the girls are in search of their fourth consecutive Class 2 title today at Jefferson City's Oak Hills Golf Course. The boys are in line for their third straight title.

The candy-striped shorts began under coach Clark Wille. Current coach Ryun Kasten, who is an alumnus of the program, always wanted to bring the standout uniforms back. The team returned to its throwback shorts last season.

"It's kind of become our symbol," Kasten said. "I wanted to bring them back, but I wanted to wait till we had a program that had the right to wear them."

It's not just the coaches and alumni who respect the uniform. The current runners understand what it means to don the stripes.

"It's more of a responsibility, even without the shorts, to the tradition," said senior Alex Mason, who took fourth at the state meet as a junior. "You feel prideful when you wear them, and you feel others' expectations of you."

Herculaneum won both the boys and girls district titles without much challenge to advance to the state meet. The girls finished in a pack second through seventh and scored 15 points. Freshman Kaitlyn Fischer led the way in second place, and defending state champion Eileen Schweiss was third.

Both teams won large invitationals throughout the season, with the girls winning the Hancock Invitational and a 40-team meet in Orlando, Fla. The boys won at Jefferson City and were second in Orlando.

All the competition against larger programs only helps to bolster the two squads when they face off against Class 2 competition at state. But ultimately, it's the family atmosphere that begins in junior high and pulses through the varsity programs that carries the teams to success.

"It's not just winning titles and the success of the program," Mason said. "You realize all the things you've been through and realize it's more of a family than a team.

"It's not just about being a good runner, but being people of character. This program has made me an all-around better person."

ILLINOIS CROSS COUNTRY

Freeburg twins Kristen and Caitlin Busch have a chance to finish first and second today when they run in the Illinois Class 1A girls state cross country meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

The 1A girls race, one of three girls races and one of six for the day, begins at 9 a.m.

Kristen Busch won the Metro-East Lutheran Sectional title last Saturday at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 19 minutes, 34 seconds as she easily beat her sister, who ran 20:22 over the 3.1-mile rugged, hilly and extremely muddy course.

The two sophomores, who finished fourth and seventh, respectively, last season in the state meet, also helped the Midgets to the team title with 45 points as they outpointed Sparta (87).

A 1-2 finish today also could mean a state title for Freeburg, which would be a first for the school in cross country. The Midgets were seventh last season.

In the 2A girls race, which starts at 11 a.m., Ellen Toennies of Mater Dei, Aly Smith of Mascoutah and Alyssa Edwards and Aubree Schreder of Waterloo will run for individual awards.

In the 3A girls race at 1 p.m., O'Fallon will try to win a team trophy and Ariane Wright of Edwardsville and Sammie Grove of Belleville West run for individual awards.

In the 1A boys race at 10 a.m., Freeburg is the team representative, while Drew Spargo of Columbia and Josh Bergbower of Gibault run individually.

In the 2A boys race at noon, Brett Conway of Triad, Ryan Todd of Jerseyville and Landon Goldstein of Highland will race individually.

In the 3A boys race at 2 p.m., O'Fallon and Edwardsville will try to win a state trophy. Sophomore Garrett Sweatt of Edwardsville won the Normal Community West sectional title last Saturday with a 15:40 time, as he edged out junior Michael Scolarici of O'Fallon at the finish line.

The Panthers won the sectional championship, while Edwardsville finished fourth.

-- Ken Roberts