The Parkway West Dale Shepherd Invitational's home for about the last six years has been Living Word Church in Wildwood, on a course Shepherd made on the church grounds. The course isn't spread out over very many acres, which requires racers to run over the same ground multiple times. That provides lots of good viewing for spectators who don't have to sprint from point to point to see runners many times over 5,000-meters.
The course also curves thru the wooded areas multiple times like a trail run, giving racers a sense of being on a solo or small group run in the woods before suddenly being popped back into the open in front of hundreds of spectators, and back into an actual race.
The meet also features seven races, giving athletes more opportunities to shine with more than just varsity and junior varsity competitions. In additional to varsity and junior varsity races for each gender, there is a boys sophomore race, a girls freshman-sophomore race, and a boys freshman race.
The varsity team battles were close two-team duels for first place. O' Fallon Township (IL) High School boys made the trip across the Mississippi River like they do most years for the meet. Junior Dylan Ybarra ran to an early lead before Pattonville junior Luke Stevenson moved by him and at 2,000-meters Stevenson led with Fort Zumwalt West's Jaxson Copelin and O' Fallon's Zach Thoman on his shoulders.
At 2,800-meters, Stevenson had a 10-15-meter lead on O' Fallon's Ybarra, and Thoman, with teammate Eli Street two strides back. Ten meters back of him was a string of four, led by St. Louis University High's (SLUH) Molan Meara, West's Copelin, and SLUH's Carter Lowe and Timothy Greiner. O' Fallon's Ethan Nieroda was 15-meters back.
Junior Billikens on Parade
Fort Zumwalt West's Jaxson Copelin (2nd from left) breaks up the string of St. Louis University High School's Nolan Meara (front), Carter Lowe, and Timothy Greiner after the halfway mark of the Varsity Boys 5k.
Stevenson powered up the slight incline of the finish stretch, crossing the finish in 16:10, for a 10+second victory. O' Fallon's Ybarra, Thoman, and Greenstreet followed, taking 2-4th in 16:21, 16:28, and 16:29. SLUH's Meara, Greiner, Lowe, were 5-7th while SLUH's Charles Murray held off O' Fallon's Nieroda. Clayton's Andrew Thompson ended the streak of O' Fallon and SLUH runners at 8, taking 10th.
Prevailing Pirate
Cross River Clash
St. Louis University High's Carther Lowe (#1128) crosses the finish line as teammate Charles Murray (#1137) leads O' Fallon (IL)'s Ethan Nieroda (#970) as SLUH and O' Fallon dueled for the varsity boys team title at the Parkway West Dale Shepherd Invitational. Lowe finished 7th, Murray 8th, and Nieroda 9th, as O' Fallon edged SLUH 29-33 with the teams finishing in 8 of the top 9 spots, O' Fallon 2-4th and 9th, SLUH 5-8th.
Host Parkway West, wearing old jerseys that could be from the 1990's, scored 95 points to take 3rd ahead of Webster Groves in 4th with 114 points. Farmington, who made the longest trip to the meet, placed 5th with 123 points in a field of represented by 22 schools and with 13 scoring teams.