Home course motivates Klaffer

Notre Dame senior Dillon Klaffer always runs his best times when competing at his home meet, the Notre Dame Invitational.

Klaffer covered the 5-kilometer course in 16 minutes, 23.86 seconds Saturday, finishing first on his team and running the best time of any local runner.

Klaffer crossed the finish line 8.91 seconds before Bulldogs junior Wynn McClellan, who until Saturday had run the best times on his team at every meet this fall.

"Every year since I was a freshman I've always PR'd at this meet," Klaffer said. "I've always done extremely well. So I came into today looking to do really well and that was what was going through my mind the entire race, 'I have to do well. It's my last time here.' I just really love this course. I spend so much time here and everything. This course really means a lot to me and this school means a lot to me. So I figured I just had to open up and just give it all I've got."

Klaffer now has placed first on his Bulldogs team at the Notre Dame Invitational three straight years.

He finished in sixth place overall and helped Notre Dame to a second-place team finish with 46 points.

Festus, which is in Class 3 District 1 with Notre Dame, won with 42 points.

"I'm hoping since this is the first time I've beaten Wynn or any of us have beaten him [this year] ... it will push him even harder so when it comes time to get first place at districts and state, we'll have no problem doing that," Klaffer said.

Klaffer has been an important member of the Bulldogs since his freshman year, when he helped them win the 2005 Class 2 boys title as the squad's fifth-best runner.

Notre Dame coach Bill Davis said Klaffer, who earned all-state honors as a junior, was motivated to run well Saturday after a subpar performance at the Hancock Invitational the previous Saturday. Klaffer finished fifth-best on his team with a time of 18:08 at last weekend's meet.

"He just gets up for this race," Davis said. "Last week he really didn't run real well. ... I think he felt that cost us winning the Hancock meet. ... He has a way of getting himself really up when he wants to. He's a very motivated person, like when we go to the state meet he's usually the guy on the bus [saying], 'Hey, we can do this.'"

Klaffer has applied to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he hopes to gain admittance then become a member of the cross country program next fall.

He said he met with the Naval Academy coach, and that the school features one of the top programs in the nation.

"Since my sophomore year in high school, I've really felt the obligation to serve our country because so many people take things for granted," Klaffer said. "And especially when I get up there and run, I'll be really part of something that not many people get to be a part of, just be one of the best of the best."

McClellan chuckled when asked to explain the reason for Klaffer's dominance over his teammates at the Notre Dame Invitational every year.

"I guess he just wants to put on a good show in front of his home crowd," McClellan said. "I think we all do. It really gets into him. Dillon usually thrives under pressure. He ran good and he'll keep it up for the rest of the season. I know it."

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:Team standings — 1. Festus 42; 2. Notre Dame 46; 3. Herculaneum 58; 4. DeSmet 79; 5. Farmington 121; 6. Sparta (Ill.) 204; 7. North County 212; 8. Saxony Lutheran 223; 9. Oak Ridge 233; 10. Delta 270.

Top 10 — 1. Connor Callahan, DeSmet, 15:38; 2. Travis Blalock, PB, 16:00; 3. Alex Mason, Herc., 16:07; 4. Blake Darnell, Fes., 16:14; 5. Cole Allison, Fes., 16:20; 6. Dillon Klaffer, ND, 16:23; 7. Cody Kern, Kelly, 16:24; 8. Zach Boyle, DeSmet, 16:27; 9. Wynn McClellan, ND, 16:32; 10. Logan Davis, ND, 16:33.

Local finishers

Notre Dame — 6. Dillon Klaffer, 16:23; 9. Wynn McClellan, 16:32; 10. Logan Davis, 16:33; 11. Ryan Johnson, 16:35; 19. Matt Reinagel, 16:50.

Kelly — 7. Cody Kern, 16:24; 21. Tommy Bridges, 16:57; 81. Patrick Moore, 23:10.

Saxony Lutheran — 32. Ross Gage, 17:27; 46. Sam Kluesner, 18:03; 58. Joe Buerck, 18:34; 59. Rhett Obermann, 18:35; 60. Andrew Etzold, 18:35.

Oak Ridge — 40. Caleb Elam, 17:52; 44. Garret Light, 17:57; 52. Stephen Bolen, 18:16; 62. Tyler Lappe, 18:44; 72. Logan Mangels, 19:46.

Delta — 43. Austin Seabaugh, 17:56; 57. Zach Riegert, 18:34; 67. Malachi Brooks, 19:18; 74. Teddy May, 20:03; 76. Brandon Herman, 20:24.