Several local junior high cross country runners competed Saturday in the Southern Illinois Junior High School Athletic Association Class S and Class L state meets in Du Quoin.

The Waterloo Junior High School boys and girls squads placed second and third, respectively, in Class L. 

The Millstadt Consolidated Schools girls squad won first place overall in Class L, led by Josie Coughlin.

At the Class S state meet, the Immaculate Conception School boys squad placed third, and the girls placed eighth. 

The WJHS boys won the regional last Tuesday to qualify for state, led by Tyler Devilder in first place and Liam Gilbert in fourth place. At state, Devilder again led the way with a top 10 finish. 

The WJHS girls placed second in the regional last Tuesday to also qualify for state, led by Lydia Huffman, Charley Funk and Emily Vogt in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively. At state, Funk led the way with a top 10 finish. 

The ICS boys did something no other cross country team had achieved in school history after winning the Diocesan Championship on Oct. 1 and the regional championship on Oct. 5.

The ICS boys were again led by Adam Jansen, who placed 13th at state. Lucas Sheehan placed 17th, shaving a full minute off his time from when the team ran this same course just three weeks earlier.  

Will Dalpoas was the team’s third runner to cross the line in 47th place.  

“It is exciting to look ahead to next season because five of the seven ICS runners will be returning to the cross country team to have another chance at the championship,” ICS cross country coach Michael Braun said.

The ICS girls placed eighth among the 14 teams at the state meet. This was the third year in a row a team of girls from ICS had raced at state.  

The ICS girls were led at state by Grace Jansen, Isabel Roche and Lillian Braun who placed 35th, 41st and 45th, respectively.

Dupo Junior High School had four runners compete at state: Payton Logsdon, McCulloch Miller and Ellah Bush in the girls race and Carter Lumpkins in the boys race.