Highland cross cross country teams make school history at sectional, show well at state
In weather and on a course better suited for ducks and other aquatic wildlife, the Highland boys and girls cross country teams took their best shot at earning a state berth in the IHSA Class 2A sectional meet Saturday, Oct. 30, in Decatur.
Despite the poor course conditions and not the best running times, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs harriers made school history as both clubs qualified for the first time together with sixth place finishes at Hickory Point Golf Course.
“What we did was we persevered. We on the boys side had pretty much given up hope of getting in and when we saw we were in, we were (thrilled),” Highland coach Doug Bradley said. “Our times were not good, but our finish places were higher than what I thought we needed to have to get into the state qualifying position and doggone it, we pulled it off.”
The HHS boys both finished with 209 points. Dallas Mancinas led the way with a 10th place finish (16:38). Ethan Smith finished in 37th place (17:19), while Mason Steinbeck (17:26) and Cole Basden placed 60th (17:34) to round out the Bulldogs top four finishers.
On the girls side, the Lady Bulldogs scored 175 points, finishing four spots behind second place Mascoutah (116) and just two spots behind fourth place Waterloo (156).
Alyson Pace topped the Lady Bulldogs with a 26th place finish (20:23) followed by Payton Frey in 29th place (20:25). Tarryn Keeney finished in 43rd place (20:42) and Lola Schlarmann placed 44th (20:44) to give HHS four top-50 finishers.
Overall, the sloppy course did not bother Pace.
“I really liked this race and liked the pace of the race and the course,” Pace said. “I felt great after it.”
Frey also embraced the challenging course.
“It felt good and it felt like the race was going well for me,” Frey said.
Boys, girls perform well at state
Both teams ventured to Peoria on Saturday, Nov. 6, and turned in a solid showing in the Class 2A meet at Detweiller Park on Peoria.
In the boys division, HHS placed 23rd (545) overall. Mancinas once again paced the Bulldogs boys as he finished 57th (15:53).
“I loved running that race. It was a whole different experience running with a bunch of kids that were just as fast as me,” Mancinas said.
Smith placed 149th (16:30), Steinbeck placed 165th (16:43) and Avery Brock finished in 175th place (16:49 to round out the top finishers for Highland.
Highland’s girls also had a productive state day, finishing in 21st place (504 points) — two spots ahead of Mississippi Valley Conference rivals Waterloo and seven spots of Triad.
Dortch topped the Lady Bulldogs with a strong performance as she placed 77th overall (19:01).
“I felt good during the race. It felt better than normal: Short, fast, and easy. I am proud and very happy,” Dortch said.
Keeney produced a decent day on the course as she placed 114th (19:20). Frey placed 140th (19:40) and Pace finished 157th (19:40) overall to account for the Lady Bulldogs top four finishers.
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 11:00 PM.