Four teams and two individuals will represent Monroe County this weekend at the Southern Illinois Junior High School Athletic Association  state cross country meet in DuQuoin. 

The Waterloo Junior High School girls and boys squads each placed first overall at the Class L regional meet last Wednesday in Waterloo.

On the girls side, WJHS eighth grader Lydia Huffman has not lost a meet this season as she makes a bid to defend last year’s state title. She won the regional with a time of 11:07 for 3,000 meters (1.86 miles).

“Lydia has emerged as one of the fastest junior high runners in the state,” WJHS cross country coach Evan Rathgeb said.

Behind Huffman is a pack of sixth graders that Rathgeb is already impressed about. They include Leighton Feltmeyer, Samantha Ebeler, Penny Jones, Alayna Mazdra and Brynn Glaenzer. 

“This group of girls has exceeded all expectations and, despite being a young group, has outperformed even the most experienced teams,” Rathgeb said.

Another key team member is eighth grader Alana Crews. 

The WJHS girls will look for a second straight team title at the Class L state meet this Saturday. 

On the boys side, WJHS eighth grader Ren Gilbert was the regional champion. He’s also won conference and the Highland Invite this season. 

Gilbert was followed by WJHS teammates Mason Wilhelm, Cannon Hensiek, Dean Baldwin, Elijah Boyette, Carter Stephens and Hagen Day.

“We have a veteran group that has shown resilience and consistency for the entire season,” Rathgeb said. “They are a tough group with a bright future in distance running.”

Every WJHS boys runner placed in the top 15 at the regional meet.

In Class S, Immaculate Conception School in Columbia hosted an SIJHSAA regional on Thursday, featuring runners from ICS, Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic School and other area small schools.

In the girls race, ICS won with a team score of 27, led by Faith Jansen in first place and Maria Holdener in second place.  Other ICS runners in the top 10 were Emelia Doerr and Piper Schuette.

SPPCS placed second as a team with 55 points, led by Addie Riebeling in third place, Mya Kopshever in sixth place, and Lucy Schaltenbrand in seventh.

In the boys race, Steeleville won with a team score of 35, with St. John Neumann from Maryville placing second. 

Winning the boys race was Owen Keefe of ICS, with teammate Kelton Hines about 15 seconds behind him in second. 

Both will join the ICS girls squad as well as the SPPCS girls at the Class S state meet also taking place this Saturday in DuQuoin.