By JOHN ROARK

john.roark@register-news.com



FORSYTH — To Connie Harre-Blair, it didn’t require rocket science, nor did she feel the need to deliver a Knute Rockne-style speech to get her Mt. Vernon Township High School girls cross-country team motivated for Saturday’s Decatur MacArthur Class 2A sectional.

“I just told the girls that they’ve done it all season, and they did it again,” Harre-Blair said after the Lady Rams finished third in the team standing and qualified for next weekend’s state finals.

Led by senior ace Margo Richardson’s repeat championship performance, MVTHS (127 points) mucked its way through a muddy Hickory Point Golf Course layout and advanced its runners for the first time since 2006 — when Richardson and teammate Toni Huff were freshmen.

Richardson, the defending Class 2A champion, spent the least time over the course, negotiating the 3-mile race in 18 minutes, 3.1 seconds. Taking control at the outset, Richardson left the field behind her: Sacred Heart Griffin’s Madz Negro (18:39.35) by almost 40 seconds.

Still, Richardson said the racing surface left her drained, especially after the second time around the 1.5-mile loop.

“I don’t think, for me, the conditions, could be any worse,” said Richardson. “Running in that mud like at the beginning of the race, it doesn’t affect you mentally, but going around the second time, it felt like you were running around in quicksand.”

The footing was softened due to the heavy rains, plus the decision to run Decatur St. Teresa’s 1A sectional races prior to the 2A boys and girls trials.

“The two races before ours made the mud even worse,” Richardson said. “When (we ran in patches) that weren’t as muddy, you could speed up. Just as soon as you hit the mud again, it was like you had to work your legs more. It took a lot of leg muscles to run through it.”

And MVTHS used those muscles — and Richardson’s winning effort — quite a bit, to avoid any chance of being a “bubble team.”

Sacred Heart Griffin scored 50 points to win the team title, followed by Springfield (91), MVTHS, Chatham Glenwood (169) and both Centennial and Urbana (175 each).

Each aforementioned team qualified for next weekend’s championships at Peoria’s Detweiler Park.

“We didn’t leave anything to chance,” Harre-Blair said. “If the girls hadn’t qualified as a team, they had still raced very well.”

Among those runners whose teams had qualified out of the regionals, MVTHS placed four of its five scorers in the top 30.

Stephanie Modert, in another brilliant performance, finished 14th overall (scoring 13 among team entries) in 19:38.4.

“Stephanie raced her race again,” Harre-Blair said. “She went out and had the courage and go out with the front-runners. It seems like she is always hanging with people up front, and it really paid off.”

Jenna Wilemon was 22nd team-wise and 36th overall in 20:08.45 and Toni Huff ran 28th (64th overall) to give the Rams a strong foundation.

Freshman Rachel Rexing (63rd, 127th) as the final scorer, and Davianne Kirk (22:02.45) and Jessica Cooper (23:40.6) served as pushers.

“Four going in the top 30 was strong,” Harre-Blair said. “Rachel coming in 68th was big. Coming in as a freshman, every course is a new trip for her. Davianne and Jessica also did well, and we warmed up quite well.”

MVTHS BOYS FINISH 17TH

On the flip side, Clint Turner’s MVTHS boys did not advance as a team, nor did any individuals qualify Saturday.

The Rams (354 points) finished 17th of 20 teams. Adam Hurst ran 42nd (17:25.7), Jared Wilemon 50th (17:35.7), Victor Durham 86th (18:29.2), Dustin Ferguson 87th (18:29.8) and Collin Young 89th (18:34.1).

Pushing the count were Steven Boss (18:39.6) and Adam Brookman (19:03.65).

MVTHS’s girls will run in the finals at 11 a.m. Saturday at Detweiler Park.