IHSA Sectional/State Final
Congrats to Neli Crawford and Ryan Root for qualifying for the State meet at the Centralia sectional on Saturday, November 1st. Neli finished 16th and was the 6th individual to qualify while Ryan finished 14th and grabbed the 7th and final individual qualifying spot. Both teams finished 9th in the team standings. Considering the age and experience of our top seven male runners (4 true freshmen/1 first year junior) we had an excellent season and can look forward to continued success in the seasons to come. Much the same case can be made for the girls as well who have 2 freshmen and 2 sophomores in their top 4.
After finishing 14th at the sectional Ryan had an amazing race at the state meet finishing 35th in a career best time of 15:50 on a very cold and windy day. Ryan competed in singlet and shorts, with no hat or gloves (tossed off right before the start), and no tights or long sleeves. Way to be tough! Hall of Fame coach Bill Harbeck of Mt. Zion (formerly of Decatur MacArthur) noted that it was definitely not a PR kind of day on Saturday. If Ryan continues to work as hard as he has been he has every right to expect to become Centennial's 1st male All-Stater next fall. Neli ran a solid race and finished 53rd in the girls race with a very respectable time of 19:01. Both runners competed very well considering that it was their 1st trip to the state meet and the conditions were less than ideal. A big thank you to everyone who traveled to the state meet to support their teammates.
Next up is equipment turn-in. BOYS-Please return all equipment (clean & dry) to me by next Monday, November 17th. Girls-See Coach Buss for instructions.
The team awards banquet will take place on Tuesday, Nomevber 25th at the Savoy United Methodist Church which is located at the intersection of Duncan Road and Old Church Street in Savoy. Further details will be posted as they become available.
Winter training begins after you have had a week off from running. I hope to see you soon.