TAYLORVILLE - Civic Memorial's Max Weber is off to a phenomenal start in the postseason races, with a first-place clocking of 14:29.60 for three miles in the Taylorville Class 2A Regional Cross Country Meet.
Liam Bettis of Taylorville was second in the race with a time of 14:38.03. Boden Duffy of CM was ninth with a time of 15:38.24. Highland's Caleb Knobloch was 14th in 15:47.65, followed by teammates Adin Roach and Joshua Knobloch with times of 15:49.37 and 15:50.18 for 15th and 16th places. Jacob Cranford of CM was 17th (15:55.00); Logan Kearbey was 19th (16:10.09). Glenn Collins of CM was 27th (16:26.83).
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Kaden Strohbeck of Jersey qualified for the sectional with a time of 16:42.47 for 31st.
Taylorville won the team championship for boys with 54 points and CM was second with 66 points and Highland was third (78 points). Jersey was ninth place (260 points).
In the girls race, Ali Londrigan won with a time of 17:03.01. Highland's Katie Fenton was 14th with a time of 19:14.12. Amelia Jumper had a strong race for Jersey with a 23rd-place finish of 19:51.16. Sabrina Eccles of Marquette was 25th with a time of 19:54.42.
Gillespie Runners Stand Out At Shelbyville Regional Meet
SHELBYVILLE — Gillespie High School’s cross country teams marked a significant milestone Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the regional meet in Shelbyville, with both the girls and boys squads advancing to sectionals. The boys' team captured the regional championship, a first in several years of pursuit.
The boys team delivered a dominant performance, scoring 52 points to outpace second-place Shelbyville’s 81 points and third-place Monticello’s 85.
Senior Chaz Oberkfell set a new course record with a time of 14:38.40, significantly improving on his previous best and securing first place.
Senior captain Carter Sies followed in 10th place with a time of 16:25.30, marking a substantial improvement from last year.
Fellow seniors Marshall Garwood and Hank Fletcher placed 11th and 19th, respectively, both posting times better than their previous season’s performances. Junior Matthew Plovich, noted as a breakout star this season, finished 21st at 17:18.07. Lucca Kapp and Nolan Hoestettler completed the scoring team in 30th and 36th places.
The girls' team secured seventh place in a highly competitive field, edging out Central A&M for the final qualifying spot. Freshman runners Paige Swank and Caley Head led the effort with personal bests, finishing 20th and 34th, respectively.
Swank completed the course in 20 minutes, 23 seconds, while Head crossed the line at 21:20.33. Senior captain Nevaeh Thomas contributed a time of 23:38.02, improving on her previous season’s performance. Her leadership helped pace teammates Lyla Drewel and Olivia Hitos, who also recorded season-best times. Drewel finished 46th at 23:38.51, and Hitos placed 49th with a time of 23:48.37. Additional team members Madisyn Thomas and Chyla Crainick rounded out the scoring positions, finishing 68th and 69th, respectively.
Both teams will compete next at sectionals, scheduled for Saturday at Lakeland College in Mattoon. The Gillespie cross country squads aim to build on their strong regional showings as they continue their seasons.
Triad's Girls Cross Country Squad Advances To Sectional
Triad freshman Emberlie Goins qualified from the Carterville Regional with a time of 18:23.92. Teammate Abigail James was 16th with a time of 20:19.36.
The girls were fourth to qualify as a team with 102 points.
The Triad boys squad was seventh at Carterville with 170 points.
Caden Meier was the top finisher for Triad with a time of 16:00.32 for three miles; teammate Michael Schram came in with a time of 16:09.07 for 22nd place.
Triad's cross country girls advance to the sectional next weekend with a fourth-place finish.
