Bulldogs battle to district title in close meet

ST. LOUIS -- Notre Dame boys cross country coach Bill Davis had not tallied the final numbers, but he was all smiles after the conclusion of the Class 2 district meet Saturday at Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis County.

"You could throw a blanket around the top three teams here, but all I know is that we got five boys in the top 15 and that automatically qualifies a team regardless of position in Missouri," Davis said.

But the Bulldogs not only had five runners in the top 15.

They also had a district championship with 38 points, edging Ste. Genevieve (45) and Herculaneum (53) in a very competitive district. The top two teams and top 15 individuals qualified for the state meet next weekend in Jefferson City.

The district produced five top-four team finishes at the state meet in the last three years, including three for Herculaneum and two for Notre Dame.

"To run with teams like Ste. Genevieve and Herculaneum is an honor, and this is a very special win for this team," Davis said.

Seniors Greg Kanneberg and Matt Pfau, who are both four-year runners, paced the Bulldogs with top-five finishes. Kanneberg was third (17 minutes, 27.02 seconds) while Pfau was fifth (17:34.25).

"Those two guys are like coaches," Davis said. "They took care of their business but we also had great production from the rest of the team. A lot of credit today has to go to John Ramsey. He brought us home today."

Ramsey, who has been running sixth on the team during the season, finished 14th overall with a time of 18:10.28. His performance was important because the usual fifth runner, Dillon Klaffer, was hampered with a sore hamstring.

"I missed my PR by 2 seconds but this was easily the best race I have run all season," Ramsey said. "We are trying to establish a tradiiton here, and it is an honor to be part of this district championship. This culminates what we have been working for all season."

Freshman Logan Davis and sophomore Neil Kanneberg had top-10 finishes for the Bulldogs. Davis was seventh (17:44.60) while Neil Kanneberg was 10th (18:02.50).

A pair of Notre Dame girls also qualified for the state meet. Sophomore Jessica Banda finished eighth in the girls race in 20:57.80.

"I was confident I could finish in the top 15 but I had no idea I could be in the top 10," Banda said. "I wanted to go to state so bad. I just gave it my all and got my PR."

Freshman Victoria Pfau finished 15th, running a 22:00.23.

Sophomore Sarah Ruff is the lone Kelly state qualifier. She finished 14th (21:54.66).

Ste. Genevieve edged Herculaneum for the team title, scoring 26 points to the Blackcats' 34.

Class 2 District

BOYS

Team scores (top 2 advance to state) -- Notre Dame 38, Ste. Genevieve 45, Herculaneum 53, Arcadia Valley 122, Hancock 129, Kelly 150.

Individuals (top 15 advance)

Notre Dame -- 3. Greg Kanneberg, 17:27.02; 5. Matt Pfau, 17:34.25; 7. Logan Davis, 17:44.60; 10. Neil Kanneberg, 18:02.50; 14. Jon Ramsey, 18:10.28; 17. Dillon Klaffer, 18:17.46; 24. Richie Bohn, 19:04.97.

Kelly -- 25. Derek Brucker, 19:11.00; 28. Brett Harper, 19:34.97; 31. Chris Cooper, 20:22.05; 33. Jordan Felder, 20:30.73; 38. Joseph Harp, 20:50.31; 39. Brandon Ayers, 21:00.75; 40. Levi Felter, 21:10.89.

GIRLS

Team scores (top 2 advance to state) -- Ste. Genevieve 26, Herculaneum 34, Dexter 99, Notre Dame 100, Kelly 130.

Individual finishers (top 15 advance to state)

Notre Dame -- 8. Jessica Banda, Notre Dame, 20:57.80;

15. Victoria Pfau, 22:00.23; 25. Brooke Heischmidt, 24:18.25; 29. Cori Garrett, 25:13.64; 30. Jennifer Hinkebein, 25:20.53; 31. Stacie Kula, 25:27.09; 32. Jessica Brandon, 25:40.07.

Kelly --14. Sarah Ruff, 21:54.66; 22. Tara Johnson, 23:33.26; 35. Lena Gray, 27:07.17; 37. Elizabeth Ray, 30:04.00; 38. Kathleen Ray, 34:07.00.