Highland cross country teams compete at Alhambra Invite, Madison County meet

On a perfect day for running, the Highland girls and cross country teams did their best to pay homage to the town that has been host to all of their home running events.

Highland’s girls turned in a strong effort as they recently won the Alhambra Invitational with 35 first place points over second place Mascoutah, which scored 47 points.

“That’s right, the ‘Alhambra Invitational,’” Highland coach Doug Bradley said. “Each of our races for roster entry purposes requires a name and after running the Bulldog Season Opener and the Highland Invitational, it was only fitting to honor the town that offers the best real estate in the district for running cross country races.”

Roxana finished in third place with 80 points, Granite City placed fourth with 110 points, Freeburg finished fifth with 122 points, Mater Dei was sixth with 144 points, and Columbia placed seventh with 185 points.

Grace Meyer and Julia Loeh powered the Lady Bulldogs’ big day. Meyer finished first with a time of 19:33 and Loeh placed second with a time of 19:48.

“Grace ran a smart race and made a couple of strong surges that caused her challengers to throw in the towel early in the race,” Bradley said. “Julia, in her race, just put the hammer down and then she had to fight hard in the last half mile to keep the lead over her competitors. They are a potent duo and their strong running helped pull their two teammates along in their respective races.”

The trio of Faith Brindley, Liv Heinzmann, and Jessica Borror rounded out the scoring for HHS. Brindley finished in seventh place (20:03), Heinzmann was just behind her in ninth place (20:05), and Borror finished in 16th place (20:28).

Tarryn Keeney won the JV race, clocking the course in a time of 20:29.

Highland boys place 3rd

It was a good day for the Bulldogs boys as well a HHS placed third in the race with 97 points just behind first place Mascoutah (27 points) and second place Freeburg (77 points). Mater Dei (107), Granite City (110), Columbia (153), and Roxana (153) comprised the remainder of the top seven finishers.

“On the boys side the story was mainly about the great support leader Easton Rosen received from his teammates,” Bradley said. “Easton, who struggled throughout the race but still was good enough to earn a top 10 finish, was 0:46 ahead of teammate Ethan Smith, who ran a personal best 17:26.

“Not far behind Smith was freshman Dallas Mancinas, as well as sophomores Cole Basden and Mason Steinbeck. The race marked the tightest 1:5 split time of the season for the boys and also the first time in 2020 that all five boys ran 3 mile times of under 18:00.”

Rosen, sophomores impress

Rosen paced the Bulldogs with a ninth-place time of 16:40.

As Bradley referenced, Rosen also got a big boost from Smith, Mancinas, and Basden. Smith finished 18th with a time of 17:26, Mancinas placed 21st with a time of 17:48, and Basden finished 23rd, coming in at 17:52.

Mason Steinbeck finished in 26th place (17:59), and Josh Loeh placed 29th (18.19).

Bradley was quite pleased with the efforts of sophomores Smith, Basden, and Steinbeck.

“I thought the sophomore combo of Smith, Basden, and Steinbeck were outstanding today and our freshman Dallas Mancinas continues to impress,” Bradley said. “These guys are really learning what it takes on race day to compete and that makes our team so much better.”

HHS girls compete at Madison County championship meet

The Highland girls cross country team had big hopes of repeating last year’s victory at the Madison County Large School Championship meet in Alton on Oct. 6 but it was not meant to be this time out.

After battling 80 degree temperatures, hills, and a talented Edwardsville team that started strong early, the Lady Bulldogs harriers were forced to settle for second place behind the Tigers, who scored 16 first-place points to capture the Madison County title at Gordon Moore Park.

Highland finished second with 58 points, followed by Triad (77), Granite City (97), Collinsville, and Alton.

“With six of the same runners from last year’s Madison County championship team in place, the girls hoped to defend their title,” Bradley said. “The outcome was decided in favor of Edwardsville very early. Edwardsville went and we didn’t.”

Meyer saved the Lady Bulldogs from being swept out of the first five places of the race with her fifth-place finish. Meyer clocked the course in 20:37.

“Grace Meyer picked up fifth place and led the way for a girls team that mostly struggled on the day,” Bradley said. “If it weren’t for Grace grinding out a hard 3 miles Edwardsville would’ve taken all five of the top places. I’m happy she gutted it out.”

Loeh and Borror also had solid days as they placed seventh and 11th, respectively. Loeh finished with a time of 21:04 and Borror gutted out a sturdy time of 21:28.

“Julia had a tough third mile and that’s kind of her style because she pushes herself pretty hard over the first mile, but Jessica was on the move over that last mile and that’s a real good sign for her going forward,” Bradley said. “That’s two promising races for her back-to-back. “

Highland boys finish 4th at Madison County meet

In the boys race, Highland did not fare quite as well, finishing fourth in the team standings with 98 points. Edwardsville won the boys division with 17 points followed by second-place Triad (72) and third place Collinsville (87). Alton and Granite City rounded out the boys standings in fifth and sixth place with 106 and 120 points, respectively.

Rosen had a top-shelf performance as he led the Bulldogs with a fifth-place finish, running the course in 16:57.

“Easton Rosen, who has struggled in his last two races, had a very inspiring effort in the boys varsity race,” Bradley said. “His body language and his form looked excellent today. I’m very happy he’s back where he should be.”

Basden turned in a solid showing by placing 20th (18:24).

“Cole Basden continued his strong running by taking 20th place in the stacked field,” Bradley said. “His comfort level with racing and his confidence have been on the rise over the last few weeks and, despite losing a shoe in a race a week and a half ago, he’s been steadily improving.”

Josh Loeh finished right behind Basden in 21st place (18:26) while Smith and Steinbeck rounded out the Bulldogs top 30 placers coming in at 23rd (18:43) and 29th place (19:14), respectively. Mancinas finished in 35th place with a time of 19:32 and Kole Fisk finished in 41st place (20:42).

Next up for Highland boys, girls

The HHS cross country teams will be back in action at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, when they compete in the Mississippi Valley Conference Championship meet at Mascoutah High School.

This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 2:16 PM.