Farmington's Fuller cruises while John Burroughs edges DeSmet, Hillsboro for Boys Title
A year ago, the Hillsboro Hawks made a big statement as they opened last season at the 2022 Fleet Feet Cross Country Classic at Arnold City Park. The Jefferson County school made the 24-mile trip northeast to the park, near the banks of the Meramec River and the border of St. Louis and Jefferson County in Arnold. The Hillsboro boys placed 4 in the top 8 of the 2-mile race and scored just 30 points in a field of 184 finishers and 23 scoring teams from Classes 2, 3, 4, and 5.
That was just a sign of things to come for Tom Gordon's squad. The Hawks followed with a nearly undefeated season. The only time they didn't leave a meet with a win Hillsboro took 2nd at the Gans Creek Classic, right between eventually nationally ranked squads Liberty North and Rock Bridge, who would go on to place 1st and 2nd in the Class 5 state race.
Hillsboro went on to dominate the Class 4 state race, with six runners earning All-State honors. Josh and Jonah Allison led the way finishing 1-3 while the Hawks top six placed 1-3-6-12-15-23 as Hillsboro scored just 35 points to win the state title and emphatically end (Jefferson County rival) Festus' state-record streak of eight straight state titles.
There were no such jaw-dropping statements made at this year's Fleet Feet kickoff meet in Arnold, the first of two back-to-back meets on back-to-back days in Arnold and at Parkway Central High in Chesterfield by hosted by Fleet Feet and Start 2 Finish Events.
However, there were plenty of good performances that athletes and teams can build off while others had finishes short of expectations that will motivate for the next couple of weeks.
2023 Fleet Feet Cross Country Classic
Hillsboro junior Landon Pogue, one of two returning All-Staters for the Hawks, led early in the 2-mile race (3218-meters) and at nearly 700-meters Seckman's James House and TJ Evans were close behind at 2nd and 3rd while Farmington's Evan Fuller, Vianney's Noah May and Timberland's Maddox Riley closely trailed.
At 1.15 miles/1860 meters Fuller had moved to the front and had a short lead on Pogue, Riley, St. Charles' Nate Maples, House, and John Burroughs' Charles Glatz.
Evan Fuller powered down the homestretch, crossing the finish in 9:56, for a comfortable win with a nearly 12-second margin of victory. Fuller said his focus was to stay with the lead pack early in the race. He said he tends to go out too conservatively and comfortably in cross country races, doubting that he can maintain a quick early pace.
Fuller's admission of his early race issues is admirable acknowledgement from either coaching or self evaluation. More racers need to battle doubts and quick early paces, however, many high school runners have the opposite problem: going out way too quickly, only to not have the training to back up a hot-pace at the start and then quickly fading. Fuller was able to latch on to a couple of runners in the first few hundred meters before taking control about the halfway point.
Fuller is running to add more to the history book of the Farmington Black Knights cross country and track program under longtime coach Jordon Stone. As a junior a year ago, Fuller placed 22nd in the Class 4 state race to lead Farmington to the 4th-place team trophy.
Stone, staff, and the Farmington boys and girls made two trips to the St. Louis area last week. First, the squad made the 56-mile trip North from Farmington for the Fleet Feet meet on Tuesday then on Friday made the 91-mile drive North to St. Charles for the Fort Zumwalt North Twilight meet. Fuller placed 2nd in St. Charles, just 2.5 seconds away from a 2nd victory of the week.
Maddox Riley, the Timberland junior, passed Hillsboro's Pogue in the final 500 meters and placed 2nd in 10:07. Riley is the latest in a string of individual standout boys for the Wolves. He placed 13th in 4:19.83 in the historic 2023 Class 5 state track 1600-meters, which saw 13 boys go under 4:20 and an All-State Top-8 finish required a sub 4:14 clocking. Riley will seek to improve on his Class 5 state cross country 30th-place finish from last fall.
After leading early, Hillsboro's Pogue placed 3rd in 10:10. St. Charles senior Nate Maples edged DeSmet junior William Poelker a year ago in the Class 4 state race, both earning All-State honors as they placed 19th and 24th. The margin that day last November was just under 4-seconds. In Arnold, Poelker was charging hard down the finish straight, quickly making up ground on Maples. Maples noticed before it was too late and kicked it into high gear. He held off Poelker by just 0.4 seconds as the pair finished 4th and 5th in 10:14.7 and 10:15.1
John Burroughs School's returning Class 3 All-Staters from last year's 3rd-place state team led the Bombers at Fleet Feet. Junior Charles Glatz placed 6th in 10:21 and senior Ted Spetnagel placed 10th in 10:28. Sophomore Chris Tao was 11th in 10:31 while 4th and 5th runners placed 18th and 46. That earned John Burroughs 86 points and the team title.
The John Burroughs boys claimed the Fleet Feet CC Classic at Arnold City Park title/JBS photo
Behind DeSmet's Poelker (Jr) were his senior teammates Mateo Perales in 7th in 10:26 and Brian Bessire
9th in 10:27. Those finishes led the Spartans to a runner-up team finish, scoring 99 points. Behind individual 3rd placer Pogue, Hillsboro put three more in the top 30 and scored 103 points to take 3rd as a team. St. Charles was 4th with 124 and Eureka 5th with 130 points.
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Everett back for Westminster
A new experience for Spetnagel
It was an unusual experience for David Spetnagel at the meet this year than the previous dozen or so. The former University of Michigan runner, NASA and McDonnell Douglas aerospace engineer and his wife Debby sold their five Fleet Feet stores in the St. Louis area to Eric and Lissa Johnson last spring. The Johnson's already owned the Springfield MO., store. The Spetnagel's also sold the event management and timing business to Start2Finish Event Management, giving the company a 4th location to go along with its ones in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Memphis.
Spetnagel, who had previously coached at the high school and college levels including at Lindenwood University, joined the John Burroughs coaching staff in the previous year or two. Daughter Cori, now at Michigan, was an All-State performer for Burroughs and placed 10th in helping the Lady Bombers win the 2020 Class 3 state cross country title. David got to present his son Ted's medal to him at the state awards ceremony as a coach after Ted placed 7th last fall in helping the Burroughs boys team place 3rd and earned a state team trophy.
Coach Spetnagel didn't have to concern himself this year with how the Fleet Feet meets were directed or worry about announcing the awards and everything else that goes into hosting meets since the Fleet Feet ownership transition was complete. David was able to just focus on being a coach and a dad. And from that standpoint, the meet was a great success with Ted taking 10th place and the boys winning the team competition. The girls team finished 8th.
Daniel Everett back for Westminster
While one of the best sets of twins in state history was starring at the meet a year ago as Hillsboro's Josh and Jonah Allison placed 1st and 4th, another half of one of the all-time great sets of twins in Missouri cross country and track was at the meet this year.
Daniel Everett and David Everett were superstars at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis County. After many state titles, All-State honors, and blazing marks, Daniel and David went 1-2 in their final high school races in MIssouri in the boys' high school race at the 2011 Festival of Miles. The pair finished in 4:07.68 and 4:10.81.
Daniel dropped his mile personal record down to 4:06.91 a couple weeks later as he finished 3rd in the NSAF/New Balance Outdoor Nationals Boys Championship Mile to earn All-American Honors. Daniel went on to run at Columbia University in New York City before finishing his eligibility as a graduate student at Iowa State. David ran at Belmont University in Nashville.
Everett-WCA photo
Daniel was at the Fleet Feet meet for the first time as he is back at his alma mater as a coach. Everett now gets to enjoy the "House that the Everett's Built", otherwise known as Westminster Christian Academy, the new school grounds and buildings which were completed in June of 2011, the month after the Everett's graduated. The new facility includes a nice track and field facility, the first for the school. Daniel and David and Westminster didn't have their own track to train at and did their workouts at other schools facilities.
Even more impressive than what Daniel and David did as athletes is what they and their family did for Missouri MileSplit. Father Paul Everett was the Missouri Editor for a number of years while mother Tracy, brother Andrew, and Daniel and David worked tirelessly to cover, promote, and improve the sports of cross country and track and field in Missouri.