O’Fallon boys, girls cross country teams wrap up season at IHSA sectional competition

The O’Fallon boys and girls teams ran in the last cross country meet of the 2020 season on Saturday in Normal. In what was an IHSA sectional meet unlike any other, with four heats and 15 schools participating, the runners were placed in different heats and ran with at most one other teammate.

The Lady Panthers started the day by meeting at 5:45 a.m. Saturday so they could make the 2 1/2-hour bus drive to Normal and be ready for the first race of the day at 10 a.m.

Neither the early morning start nor the long bus drive could slow these Panthers down as Peyton Schieppe led the way for O’Fallon by finishing second overall. She was followed by Julia Monson, Ella Peterson, Hannah Zura and Catherine Gould. The team finished seventh and is set to have a strong season next year as O’Fallon’s top five runners will all be back to run for the Panthers.

The boys team caught a break and did not have to meet until 8 a.m. to make the long bus ride to Normal. Coach Jon Burnett did some of his best coaching as he was faced with numerous injuries, illnesses and, of course, all the new COVID-19 guidelines to adhere to.

And Saturday’s race was no different with brutal wind gusts and Burnett taking perhaps his youngest team ever to a sectional meet. Once again the Panthers were led by Dylan Ybarra, who had a strong freshman season and did not let the unusual race format or the wind slow him down at the sectional meet.

Ybarra was followed by fellow freshman Eli Greenstreet and sophomore Ethan Nieroda, who continued to improve all season and are poised to take the team to new heights in the coming years.

The team placed ninth at the meet and, while the season was not typical in any way, these young runners gained valuable experience and are poised for great things in the coming years.