Steeleville boys move on to state
It's always fun being the first.
With a fourth-place finish at the Class 1A Metro-East Lutheran Sectional on Oct. 31, the Steeleville boys cross country team advanced to Saturday's state race in Peoria for the first time as a team.
"I've got to give all the credit to my teammates and my coaches and it leads back to our practices," said Steeleville senior Nic Hagel. "It is really special to all of us.
"We get along so well together. We've grown to be like family and we all consider each other best friends and that makes it more special to move on as a team."
In the sectional race, Hagel paced the Warriors with a time of 17:46, finishing in 16th place. Hunter Fedderke (20th, 17:50), Mel Mulholland (21st, 17:50) and Gavin Conway (24th, 17:55) all finished in the top 25 to help Steeleville advance.
Steeleville finished third at the Chester Regional behind champion Pinckneyville and runner-up Nashville. Fedderke, Hagel, Mulholland and Conway all finished in the top 20 in that race.
"I told them at regionals that we didn't have a very good race and I worked them a little hard," said Steeleville coach Neal Haertling. "We rested and had a good (sectional) race.
"These guys have done everything I've asked them to do and they're a good bunch of boys. I went to Peoria and checked the track out and we're excited."
After last week's sectional race on the SIU-Edwardsville course, the Warriors playfully tackled their coach after hearing they advanced to state.
"It's a really great feeling, it really is," Hagel said. "I wouldn't want to share it with anybody else but these guys.
"I think it's going to set a lot of goals for the younger kids and something we're going to look back on in the future and be proud of. We've really represented our school during this and I think that's something we're proud of."
Steeleville will race as a team on the Detweiller Park course in only its fourth year as a cross country program.
"We would like to be in the top 10," Haertling said. "We know three teams that are going to be tough - Freeburg, Pinckneyville and Nashville.
"(The team) is already talking about next year. We're only a four-year program and we're going to state. I feel good that (Hagel's) getting to go to state because he's worked hard for four years."
With Hagel as the team's lone senior, this year could be the start of many successful years to come for the Warriors program.
"They're going to go out and put forth 100 percent," Haertling said. "If a kid's not where he's should be, somebody's picking them up.
"We'll go up there Saturday and give it our all and see what happens."
Saturday's race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., with the awards presentation at 11 a.m.