Village of Bethalto Council Meeting
BETHALTO – Members of the Civic Memorial cross-country team were honored at this week’s Bethalto Village Board meeting for making school and state meet history with their athletic performances this past fall.
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“Anyone who lives in town has seen most of these guys as they run along the sidewalk every day,” Mayor Gary Bost said before introducing Civic Memorial Head Cross Country Coach Jake Peal.
“We had a great cross-country season this fall,” Peal said. “Our boys were very, very dedicated, very talented, they brought home the last Mississippi Valley Conference championship … we’re very, very proud of that.”
Peal shared several other proud moments for the team, who made history at their most recent state meet by securing ninth place, marking the first top-ten finish in Civic Memorial history.
He also noted the team’s second-place achievement at their latest regional competition and third-place finish at sectionals in Mattoon. The only other team from the Metro East to outperform the CM cross-country team were the Edwardsville Tigers, and Peal said “it wasn’t by much.”
The coach said his team was “very blessed to have a lot of senior leadership,” naming the top performing seniors who helped shape the team’s success last fall: Logan Kearbey, Glenn Collins, Jacob Cranford, Tullio Zamperi, Boden Duffy, and Max Weber. Jacob Cranford was also named by Peal for his athletic performance, but was not able to attend the meeting.
Peal said Weber in particular had a “fantastic fall,” winning 10 of the 12 races he participated in and placing second in the other two races, in addition to beating his own record and making history as the 2025 IHSA 2A Cross Country State Champion.
“[Weber] started the school year off [and] went in the CM Twilight meet with 14:28, which at the time broke his school record from the previous year and we had to change some of our goals,” Peal said. “Max went on to win the state meet [with] 14:08, the third-fastest winning time by a 2A athlete in state meet history, and the rest is history. So we’re very proud of him and very proud of all our student-athletes this fall.”
Displayed in the corner of the meeting room was a highway sign honoring Weber as the 2025 IHSA 2A Cross Country State Champion, which will soon be displayed near the entrance to Schnuck’s across the street from Hit & Run Food Stores. Bost said after the sign has been displayed there for a while, it will be gifted to Weber.
A full recording of the Jan. 12, 2026 Bethalto Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
