Submitted by Tayloran Atwell
On Saturday, the GHS Girls and Boys Cross Country teams traveled to Lake Story in Galesburg to compete in the Silver Streak Cross Country Invite. With the heat once again playing a factor, meet officials moved the varsity race start times up and combined the Freshman/Sophomore races. Both the Lady Leafs and Leafs had athletes competing in the Freshman/Sophomore race, giving our younger runners another opportunity to gain valuable race experience.
Submitted Photo
For the Lady Leafs, the first athletes to toe the line competed in the Varsity 3.0-mile race at 8:00 a.m., when the temperature was already 80 degrees with a feels-like temperature of 90. Despite the challenging conditions, the Lady Leafs put together a strong team performance, placing three athletes in the Top 20 and finishing just two points behind second-place Metamora. Brooklyn Smith led the way for the Lady Leafs, finishing 1st overall with an impressive time of 19:16.4. Evy DeBaene followed closely behind, taking 3rd place in 19:20.6. Alivia Brown also earned a medal, finishing 18th with a time of 21:52.9. Rounding out the top five scorers were Lucy Wachtel and Ayla Schultz. Stella Allison, Hanna Pirog, and Keely Henry also competed in the varsity race and contributed to the team’s overall effort!
The Lady Leafs finished 3rd with 75 points, just behind Metamora with 73 points. Team champion Dunlap finished with 64 points.
Submitted Photo
Next up was the Varsity Boys 3.0-mile race, where the temperature had risen to 84 degrees with a feels-like temperature of 95. The race was made up of all juniors and one senior, Connor Runty. Henley Bourne was the first finisher for the Leafs, earning 4th place with a time of 16:29.8. Greyson Claerhout also earned a medal, finishing 18th in 17:10.9. Rounding out the top five scorers were Rylan Carlson, Fritz Bolme, and Cole Henson. Connor Runty and Elijah Coppejans also competed and helped contribute to the team’s overall effort.
The Leafs finished 11th with 247 points.
The final race of the day was the combined Freshman/Sophomore 3.0-mile race. The top 20 finishers for both the girls and boys received medals, and our younger athletes stepped up to the challenge as the conditions continued to become more difficult. By this time, the temperature had climbed to 86 degrees with a feels-like temperature of 99.
For the Leafs, Will Ehlert led the way, finishing 3rd with a time of 17:52.9. Fellow freshman Henry Woodward followed right behind in 4th place with a time of 17:54.1, while Ephraim Mueller finished 13th in 19:06.9. Other runners for the Leafs included Kellan Courtright, Hunter Olson, Adler VanOpdorp, and Phoenix Sottos.
For the Lady Leafs, Genevieve Talley was the first finisher, earning 14th place with a time of 26:04.1. Zania Sefton followed closely behind in 17th place with a time of 26:36.8. Sofia Encabo-Alonso and Baylen Poffenberger also competed in the race.
The Lady Leafs did not field a full team of five runners in the Freshman/Sophomore race.
The Leafs finished 4th behind Metamora, Morton, and Peoria (Notre Dame).
Lady Leaf Results:
Varsity Girls:
Brooklyn Smith - 1st - 19:16.4 - Medalist
Evy DeBaene - 3rd - 19:20.6 - Medalist
Alivia Brown - 18th - 21:52.9 - Medalist
Lucy Wachtel - 35th - 23:00.4
Ayla Schultz - 41st - 23:30.7
Stella Allison - 62nd - 25:19.5
Hanna Pirog - 87th - 29:28.5
Keely Henry - 103rd - 33:33.2
Varsity Girls Team Results:
1st - Dunlap - 64 points
2nd - Metamora - 73 points
3rd - Geneseo - 75 points
4th - Morton - 80 points
5th - Peoria (Notre Dame) - 88 points
6th - Knoxville - 178 points
7th - Galesburg - 198 points
8th - Peoria (Richwoods) - 202 points
9th - Monmouth (Monmouth-Roseville) - 249 points
10th - East Peoria - 256 points
Freshman/Sophomore:
Genevieve Talley -14th - 26:04.1 - Medalist
Zania Sefton - 17th - 26:36.8 - Medalist
Sofia Encabo-Alonso - 22nd - 27:33.79
Baylen Poffenberger - 42nd - 37:18.4
Leafs Results:
Varsity Boys:
Henley Bourne - 4th - 16:29.8 - Medalist
Greyson Claerhout - 18th - 17:10.9 - Medalist
Rylan Carlson - 61st - 19:40.7
Fritz Bolme - 100th - 21:37.5
Cole Henson - 130th - 23:31.1
Connor Runty - 137th - 24:05.2