SLUH, Rock Bridge renew rivalry

WARRENTON, Mo. – Consider Saturday’s sectional a rematch. Or maybe it was a preview.
 
St. Louis University High and Rock Bridge, the top two teams from last year’s Class 4 boys’ state cross country meet, went head-to-head for a sectional title and a berth at next Saturday’s state meet in Jefferson City.
 
SLUH won last year’s state title with 103 points to edge Rock Bridge by 16 points, and the Jr. Billikens came out on top again at Warrenton High School for the Sectional 2 title with 31 points. Rock Bridge was second with 41.
 
“I think it’s just reminding them about competitiveness and looking for guys and trying to race with each other,” SLUH coach Joe Porter said. “We came in with the idea of just focusing on our gaps. We knew Matthew (Hennessey) would be near the front, and we wanted the rest of the guys to keep that gap real close. We were hoping for 35 seconds or so for one to five.”
 
 
Porter’s pre-race premonition was nearly spot on. The scoring gap was 37 seconds, and SLUH’s Hennessey was up front, winning the race in 16:03.
“My goal was what the team’s goal was – we were planning on getting behind (Ft. Zumwalt East’s Sean) Conlin and follow his lead out because we knew he was good at leading fast races when there was a bigger group,” Hennessey said. “I don’t like to charge out and overdo myself right at the beginning, so I’m not really used to that. Inside I was a little bit worried if taking that risk would be worth it, but it proved to be worth it so I guess I have a little more confidence now in leading.”
 
Thomas Hogan wasn’t far behind in third in 16:10, and then a foursome of Jr. Bills crossed the finish line in a stream of white and blue. Led by junior Joe Butler in ninth, SLUH’s procession continued with Jack Gallagher, Shayn Jackson and Dustan Davidson picking up spots 10 through 12, respectively. Even the No. 7, Jack Sullivan, was nearby in 15th place.
 
“We were trying to run as a group and stay together,” Bulter said. “It feels a lot like a workout out there, and it’s a comfortable feeling.”
That pack running has been key in leading the Jr. Billikens to the last two Class 4 titles. 
 
“They found each other about a mile and half in and started working together,” Porter said. “That’s kind of what we’re looking for, for them to find each other in a race. We haven’t been in crowded fields with the top group since Palatine (IL), so it was good for them to work through finding each other in a race that had a few more guys in it.
 
“We wanted to make sure we worked on the things we could improve on to get us ready for next week.”
 
Rock Bridge coach Neal Blackburn said they were hoping for more than just qualifying for state. The Bruins wanted to measure themselves against the Jr. Billikens and came out to the Sectional 2 meet looking to run for a victory.
 
 
“It mattered to us because SLUH is the team to beat and we felt if we could come anywhere near them then it’s that extra boost of confidence for next weekend,” Blackburn said. “I think we may have had a little more to run for, because for them it’s about getting the job done three years in a row next week, and for us it’s how close can we get to them. Our goal is to get up on the stand next weekend, somehow, someway.”
 
Lucas Harrington and Adam Sandstedt finished fifth and sixth, respectively, to lead the Bruins, and Quinn Miller was eighth, just ahead of the SLUH pack. The last two scoring Bruins were close behind in 13th and 14th. The Bruins' scoring split of 1-5 was an amazing 17 seconds.
 
“We learned some things about what some of our guys can and can’t do and where some of them need to start and where they need to move. Overall I was very pleased and thought we competed well,” Blackburn said. “(Miller) solidifying himself as our No. 3 is really big for us and gives us an increase in that confidence.”
 
Webster Groves finished third with 86 points, and Timberland was fourth with 108 as both teams advance to Saturday’s state meet.