Mineral area teams have seven All-State runners

By DONN ADAMSON
Daily Journal Sports Editor

Published: Sunday, November 08, 2009
Updated: Sunday, November 8, 2009 4:08 AM CST

JEFFERSON CITY — Saturday was a big day for Arcadia Valley cross country. Break out the ticker tape parade as not just one but state champions returned from the State Cross Country Meet and there may be more to come in the next years.

The Class 2 girls race was the first of the day on the Oak Hills Golf Course with 149 girls taking off at the sound of the starter’s gun, but 19 minutes and 40 seconds later it was a lone figure who crossed the finish line. Arcadia Valley’s Saga Barzowski, a freshman, bested the field by 30 seconds to claim her first state championship.

Two races later, the Class 2 boys also took off on their 3.1 mile run, and this time it was junior Caleb Sutton who won the race for Arcadia Valley with a time of 17:15, besting the second place runner by 13 seconds.

Arcadia Valley had four runners entered in the state meet. Jeff Kolstedt, a junior, ran the course in 17:54 to place 10th to also claim All-State honors, and freshman Mary McGill finished in 138th place with a time of 27:10.

Valle, in their first year of cross country, had three runners in the Class 1 boys race, and junior Jacob Grass, who won his district championship, was able to claim All-State honors with a 10th-place finish of 18:21.

The day’s temperature increased 10 degrees by the time the Class 3 girls race began, and it took its toll with several runners struggling to finish. The greatest victim of the heat and the final uphill climb to the finish line was Potosi’s freshman Sarah Jacobsen.

Jacobsen had led the race by a comfortable margin for the first three miles, but upon making the final turn with a 150 yard lead over her teammate Sarah White, also a freshman, with only a 150 yards to the finish line, Jacobsen’s legs could take no more as she collapsed to the ground.

With fans on both sides of the final gauntlet cheering her on with encouragement, the gamy freshman forced herself to her feet, but the legs would not go as she struggled just to maintain her balance and fell again after just a few steps.

White and Clinton’s Sierra Jenkins closed quickly as Jacobsen again returned to her feet, and both girls passed the front-runner with still over a hundred yards left. Jenkins, sensing that she now had a shot at the first place still had some energy left and in a dash with White to the finish line, the Clinton senior crossed first with a time of 19:49, and White was second at 19:51.

Jacobsen continued to battle the elements with slow, painstaking steps, but the field which the three girls had left far behind, began to catch up and by the time she was able to finally collapse into the hands of the officials waiting for her to cross, she was in 14th place.

Runners are not allowed to be assisted by anyone while still in the race, unless it is imperative health-wise. Being assisted means disqualification. Jacobsen was on pace to possibly best the 19 minute mark, but her finish of 20:56 still earned her All-State honors.

After the race, Potosi coach Steve Davis said, “She will most likely be all right, but they are going to be safe in taking her to the area hospital to check her out”. Several girls collapsed n the race causing a half-hour delay before the final two races could be run.

The Ste. Genevieve Hunters came up four points short from placing as a team as they finished in fifth place with 170 points behind Kearney, West Plains and Warrensburg.

Senior Jennifer Bauman made All State with a 24th-place finish of 20:56. Seniors Ashley Brewster came in 45th, Lydia Huelskamp placed 59th, Emily Braun was 61st. Juniors Hannah Jaegers was 86th, and Jessica Filer and Emily Callahan finished 144th and 145th respectively.

Farmington had two runners with Jacqueline Wolf finishing in 64th and Alexis Kiefer coming in 77th. Both girls are sophomores.

In the boys Class 3 race, Potosi senior Jacob Mathis and sophomore Justin Doss both made All State with finishes of 22nd and 23rd.

North County’s Garrett Degonia finished in 33rd place  just a step in front of Farmington’s Colton Wooldridge, who placed 34th. Bother runners are juniors. Farmington’s freshman Jake Burch came in 45th.