Hallelujah! The Hillsboro Hawks finally have a State Championship under their belt!
What an incredible ending to a great story that has included several chapters. The Hillsboro Boys Cross Country team became the first team in school history to win a State Championship. WOW!!!!!!
Athletic Director Chris Schacht had high praise for his XC squad when he stated, “Our programs at Hillsboro all have high expectations. To have a program finally realize and win the State Title is something the District and community will never forget.”
The Hawks knocked off a juggernaut in the Festus Tigers, who have won the last eight straight Titles to claim the Class 4 State Championship. The final score ended up being Hillsboro with 35 points and Festus with 78. That point total is number one in Class 4 State history as the lowest ever score, beating the previous record that Tigers set last year at the State meet with 38 points.
When asked about unseating the vaunted Festus program, Head Coach Thomas Gordon gushed about his runners, saying, “to take down one of the best distance programs in Jefferson County is something to remember. Jefferson County produces great runners year in and year out. Ever since I took over the program 15 years ago, it has been a dream of mine to win a Conference Title. To accomplish that with the group of guys I had this year is incredible. They deserve all the credit. They put in the time, miles and heart ache. They are a unique group of guys who hold each other accountable and that’s what makes them special. Beating Festus in Conference, Districts and State in the same season is quite an accomplishment. Our boys should be so proud that they made history for being the first team to win a championship at Hillsboro High School. I cannot thank them enough for their time, dedication and support for our cross country team.”
Josh Allison was the headliner once again and kept the pedal down all race, claiming the overall winner of the Class 4 Boys race with a time of 15:38. The Hawks had sic All-State finishers that included Jonah Allison finishing in 3rd, Jimmy Mann in 6th, Gavin Vaughn in 12th, Landon Pogue in 15th and Greg Mann in 23rd place. Clayton Schneider finished in 39th place.
That’s all 7 runners finishing under 40th place. Quite an achievement.
Coach Gordon commented on the team’s success, saying, “What a race, and what a great ending for our Senior boys: Josh Allison, Jonah Allison, Jimmy Mann, Vaughn, and Jesse Gore. These guys have done so much for our program, and I wish them the best in their future endeavors and good luck in Track.
On the girls side, Anna Crosby finished her XC career with her best finish at State in 41st place. Sophomore Emily Wright finished right behind Anna in 42nd place and Freshman Katelyn Wiethop finished in 84th place.
Coach Gordon championed the girls as well with, “They all had a great season and should be proud of going all the way this year. Good luck to Anna! She is going to do great things!”
By all accounts, it was Ann incredible and historic season for these running Hawks. Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing the first ever State Championship to Hillsboro in any sport.
Coach said it best with, “It’s time to celebrate Hawks! The town of Hillsboro now has a State Championship Trophy!”
Great job Hawks!
Class 4 State XC Championships – Gans Creek XC Course 11/4/2022 | ||||||||||
DIV | First | Last | 1K | 2K | 3K | 4K | 5K | Finish | Place | Team Scores |
V | Josh | Allison | 302 | 304 | 319 | 307 | 305 | 1538 | 1* | 1st/16 Teams |
V | Jonah | Allison | 302 | 305 | 320 | 316 | 307 | 1550 | 3* | 35 Points – State Champions |
V | Jimmy | Mann | 303 | 304 | 321 | 320 | 311 | 1601 | 6* | 2 – Festus – 78 |
V | Gavin | Vaughn | 307 | 312 | 328 | 322 | 314 | 1625 | 12* | 3 – West Plains – 161 |
V | Landon | Pogue | 308 | 312 | 327 | 324 | 323 | 1635 | 15* | 4 – Farmington – 177 |
V | Gregory | Mann | 308 | 313 | 334 | 328 | 321 | 1646 | 23* | First State Title in School History |
V | Clayton | Schneider | 319 | 318 | 332 | 335 | 326 | 1711 | 39/159 | |
ALT | Jesse | Gore | ||||||||
ALT | Aidan | Belcher | ||||||||
ALT | Sam | Pierce | ||||||||
TM | Kayden | Heffron | ||||||||
V | Anna | Crosby | 349 | 403 | 423 | 416 | 409 | 2042 | 41 | NTS |
V | Emily | Wright | 352 | 407 | 430 | 416 | 358 | 2044 | 42 | |
V | Katelyn | Wiethop | 353 | 413 | 443 | 433 | 419 | 2144 | 84/161 | |
TM | Jillian | Mayer | ||||||||
TM | Maleah | Lambrich | ||||||||
TM | Lexi | Wallis | ||||||||
TM | Ava | Hildebrand | ||||||||
TM | Riley | Kruse | ||||||||
* = Received a Medal | ** = Received a personal best |