Crusaders take big test at Hancock Invitational

The defending Class 1 state champions finished sixth in the boys division with Class 2 teams.

ST. LOUIS -- Saxony Lutheran cross country coach Larry Cleair had heard all about the toughness of the Hancock Invitational.

He and the Crusaders boys team witnessed it first hand for the first time Saturday. The defending Class 1 champions finished a distant sixth in the Class 1-2 event at Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis County.

But it was an experience Cleair believes will help his team down the road.

"It was a good, challenging course and a good cross country crowd," Cleair said. "It was a tough course and a tough field and I liked the fact that they grouped the Class 1 and 2 teams together. I think our field was even bigger than the one for Class 4.

"I knew coming in that the times would not be fantastic. We had never even walked the course before. But I thought we did real well placing two in the top 20 and four in the top 50."

Brandon Etzold had the best finish for Saxony, placing seventh.

"I was kind of nervous coming in but I was happy with the way I ran," Etzold said. "It's a tough course, and I was just hoping to medal. I was happy I was able to pass the Ste. Genevieve runner [Will Everett] at the end. It is the best I have run so far this year. That is good because this is such a big meet with a tough course like the one we will run at state."

Trey Maevers also medaled for the Crusaders, finishing 18th. The team finished sixth among the 19 teams and placed well ahead of district rival Valley Park.

The Notre Dame boys finished second as a team and had five individual medalists.

Greg Kanneberg led the way with a sixth-place finish. Other medalists were: Logan Davis (14th), Neil Kanneberg (16th), Dillon Klaffer (22nd) and Matt Pfau (23rd), who twisted his ankle just before the two-mile mark.

"We were ecstatic," Notre Dame coach Bill Davis said. "We really stacked up well against some teams that we haven't competed with in a while. I'm really proud of them.

"If Matt hadn't rolled his ankle, we probably would've won it."

Ste. Genevieve won the Class 1-2 event with 67 points. Notre Dame was second with 76 and Principia was third with 92. Defending Class 2 individual state champion Larry Paul of Wright City won the individual Class 1-2 race.

The Notre Dame girls finished seventh as a team. Jessica Banda was the lone Bulldogs medalist, finishing 15th. Tori Pfau finished 31st.

The Perryville boys posted a third-place finish in the Class 3 meet. They had four medalists: Jesse Kueker (16th), William Benline (17th), Kyle Bert (22nd) and Montana Giesler (23rd).

The Perryville girls were ninth with Kendra Schilli placing 25th in 22:26.

Central boys finish fifth

The Central boys cross country team thought Saturday's Hancock Invitational at Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis County would be a good measuring stick.

The Tigers measured up well against teams from throughout the state in the Class 4 meet.

Central finished fifth as a team and had three runenrs in the top 30.

"I can't remember the last time we had three individuals come home with medals from this meet," Tigers coach Mark Hahn said. "And all three of those guys ran in the 17's which is exceptional for this course."

Seniors John Kipper, Eddie Glenn and Dan Austin all were rewarded with medals after top-30 runs on the same course they will run in sectionals.

Kipper, who was the individual champion last weekend at the Central Invitational, was 11th on Saturday with a team-best time of 17 minutes, 21 seconds.

"I was anxious to see what I could do against this good competition and on this course, which I have run seven times now," Kipper said. "I was pleased with my performance."

Glenn, who is running cross country for the first year, had a 17th-place finish in 17:36.

"This was my first time on this course, but I guess for me every course is new," Glenn said. "There were a lot of hills here, but I was confident because of the amount of training I have done. I just wanted to medal here, and I felt I finished pretty well."

Austin, who is another four-year runner, also broke the 18:00 mark.

"The day featured heat, humidity and hills," Austin said. "But I like the hills. I knew I had a chance at getting a medal is I could hit my pace time."

Junior Tyler Yeargain finished 37th in 18:19.

"The focus now is on finding that fifth guy," Hahn said. "It was great to get on the course we will be running in sectional. For our season, this is our first chance to run with the big boys, and I felt we held our own. We had some good times and now we need to focus on beating those times at sectionals."

Central finished fifth as a team among the 14 squads which entered full teams. The Tigers finished with 152 points, which was seven better than Columbia Hickman and eight better than Emporia, Kan.

Fort Zumwalt South edged St. Louis University High for the Class 4 boys title. The Bulldogs had 60 points while the Junior Bills, who had individual champion Ben Murphy-Baum, finished with 71 points.

The Central girls finished 11th among the 14 girls teams. The Tigers did not have any medalists. Freshman Brittany Moreland was 33rd with a time of 21:32.

Jefferson City won the Class 4 girls event, while Katelyn Bastert of Carthage was the individual champion.

Boys

Class 1-2

Team results -- 1. Ste. Genevieve 76, 2. Notre Dame 76

Notre Dame -- 6. Greg Kanneberg 17:49; 14. Logan Davis 18:20; 16. Neil Kanneberg 18:23; 22. Dillon Klaffer 18:32; 23. Matt Pfau 18:35

Class 3

Team results -- 1. Potosi 34, 2. Ladue 116, 3. Perryville 130

Perryville -- 16. Jesse Kueker 17:54, 17. William Benline 17:55, 22. Kyle Bert 18:21, 23. Montana Giesler 18:21, 62. Andrew Thieret 19:25

Girls

Team results -- 1. Herculaneum 31, 7. Notre Dame 183

Individual results -- 15. Jessica Banda (ND), 23:01; 31. Tori Pfau (ND), 23:53; 45. Christen Edmonds (ND), 25:03; 47. Brooke Heischmidt (ND), 25:06; 55. Jennifer Hinkebein (ND), 25:41