2021 Tri-State Cross Country Coaches boys all-area team

Runner of the Year — Miles Sheppard, Sr., West Hancock

If you’ve ever watched Miles Sheppard race, there is one thing that is constant. He races with a passion and determination that is unmatched by most. It has become his calling card in the tri-state area and across the Land of Lincoln over the last four years. He pushes himself to his limits on a consistent basis and continues to strive for greatness. The 2021 season was no different for the West Hancock Senior.

In the 2021 season, Sheppard essentially went undefeated during the regular season. His only blemish was a 2^nd place finish at the QND Running Raider where he had the race in hand, but cramped and fell just feet before the finish line only to lose by a few seconds as he stumbled across the line. The rest of his regular season included 10 meet victories, 8 course records, and a steady improvement from start to finish. Victories included the 1A division of the First to the Finish Invitation run on the Illinois state course in early September. There Sheppard clocked an impressive 14:59 leading from start to finish and winning by 30 seconds. He also rattled off local victories at the Macomb Invitational, Tom Oakley, and Liberty Invitational as part of his 10 meet championships.

Sheppard’s big crescendo occurred in the post season where he was untouched for three straight meets. He won the West Central Conference at Liberty by 1 minute and 26 seconds, giving him four straight conference titles. He followed that up starting the IHSA State series off with an impressive 14:46 solo effort at the Liberty Regional to set a new course record and win by 1 minute and 20 seconds over his teammate Noah Stout and lead the Titans to their second straight Regional championship. At the Elmwood Sectional the following weekend, Sheppard would not be denied. After finishing runner-up for the previous three seasons, Sheppard was finally able to get the monkey off his back and take home the Sectional title running an impressive 15:06 in soggy conditions to win the meet by over 30 seconds and help the Titans qualify as a team for the IHSA State Championships.

On November 6^th, Sheppard put the finishing touches on his illustrious high school career by placing 3^rd overall at the 1A Illinois State Championships running a career best 14:31 for 3 miles on the historic Detweiller Park course. His effort was good enough that he would have placed 11^th across all divisions in Illinois based on time.

Since the end of the season Miles has committed to continue his running career at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. For his efforts on the course in the fall of 2021, Miles Sheppard has been named this year’s Tri-State

Cross Country Coaches Boys Runner of the Year.

First Team All-Area

(Listed in alphabetical order)

Ben Chance, Soph., Bowling Green – Consistency was the name of the game for this incredible sophomore in 2021. Chance ran under 17 minutes for 5k in the last 6 races of his season. Included in that was a runner up finish at the conference meet, running 16:36 for 5k at his home course before finishing 3^rd at the Missouri district meet, running 16:50. Chance would then go on to finish 9^th overall at the Missouri Class 3 State Championships running 16:31 for 5k. With a senior heavy all-area team, Chance is on the short list of runners that will look to take over the Runner of the Year crown in 2022. 

Elija Henningfeld, Fr., Bowling Green – Running number 2 for the Bobcats all year, Henningfeld shined in his first year of varsity experience. Considered one of the top freshman in northeast Missouri, it’s safe to say this probably won’t be his last time on the 1^st team list. He was both 1^st team All-Conference and 1^st team All-District for the Bobcats. He finished his season placing 46^th overall at the Missouri State Meet, running 17:40 for 5k.

Eric McClelland, Jr, QHS – The Devils Junior progressed from start to finish in 2021. McClelland was 9^th at the Running Raider, 5^th at Tom Oakley and 7^th at the Liberty Invite. However, his strong performances in the post season is what put him on this list. He was All-Conference finishing 4^th at the Western Big Six meet before he placed 11^th at the Normal Regional, running a PR of 16:22. McClelland narrowly missed an individual trip to the State Meet by 2 seconds in muddy conditions at the QHS Sectional. He will look to parlay his 2021 season of success into the fall of 2022 and earn a trip to Detweiller Park and the IHSA State Meet.

Gabe Miller, Sr., West Hancock – The consistent number 3 runner for the Titans, Miller had a consistent Senior campaign. Top 10 finishes at the Quincy Tom Oakley and Liberty Invites, were bolstered by his 4^th place finish at the West Central Conference Meet. Miller was 7^th at the Liberty Regional, and finished in 17:03 at the IHSA State Meet to help the Titans team to a 16^th place team finish.

Ethan Nelson, Sr. Clark County – The Clark Senior has turned into the Indians program leader. Developing over the last 3 seasons, Nelson finished his career with strong performances throughout the season. He was the Clarence Cannon Conference individual champion running 18:24 for 5k, a result used to propel himself into the post season. He placed 5^th at the Missouri District meet before placing 29^th overall at the Missouri State Championships where he ran 17:36 for 5k on the Gans Creek course.

Cameron Nichols, Jr., Hannibal – Nichols has established himself as a top tier runner in the area in 2021. He was the NCMC Conference runner-up running 17:45 for 5k before placing 15^th overall at the Missouri District Meet. In his first trip to the Missouri State Meet, the Pirate Junior placed 73^rd overall in the Class 4 Race. Nichols also won the individual title at the Palmyra Invitational earlier in the 2021 season.

Sam Northcut, Fr., Mark Twain – Only one of two freshman to make the All-Area 1^st team, Northcut finds himself on this list after a strong year in one of the smallest classes in Missouri. The Mark Twain Freshman had 6^th place finishes at the South Callaway and Centralia Invitationals along with a runner-up finish at the Marion County Invite. He placed 27^th overall at the strong Bowling Green Invitational where he ran 17:59 for 5k. Northcut would place 3^rd overall at the EMO Conference meet running 18:10, before placing 12^th at the Missouri District meet to earn a trip to the Missouri State Championships. He would go on to run 18:04 in the Missouri Class 2 State Championships to place 56^th overall. 

Fiker Rosen, Sr., Quincy High School – Rosen is no stranger to the 1^st team. The 2019 Runner of the Year had another stellar year to cap off his high school XC career. Included in his 2021 resume was his 4^th straight Western Big Six Conference championship and his 4^th straight trip to the Illinois State Meet. He saw meet wins at Lanphier and the Running Raider along with two runner-up finishes throughout the season. He was 2^nd at the Normal Regional and 5^th at the QHS Sectional. A staple of the area for the last four years, his consistency will be missed on this list. 

Noah Stout, Sr., West Hancock – Stout busted onto the scene late in the 2020 post season. He didn’t leave off after those performances. Consistently at the front of the pack, Stout placed 8^th at the First to the Finish meet early in 2021 running 15:50 and was 3^rd at the QND Running Raider. A midseason injury sidelined him for a bit, but he rebounded nicely to place 2^nd at the West Central Conference meet and the Liberty Regional. Stout was 7^th at the Elmwood Sectional before placing 56^th overall at the IHSA Class 1A State Meet where he finished in 16:08 for 3 miles.

Ayden Triplett, Sr. Quincy High School – Triplett gets the 1^st team nod in his senior season with consistent results across the board. He was 7^th at the Running Raider, 4^th at Tom Oakley, and 6^th at the Liberty Invite. He was All-Conference in the Western Big Six again with a 10^th place finish overall. In the post season, the Devils senior continued his strong season finishing 21^st at the Normal Regional. Triplett finished his career with a 16:34 PR for 3 miles. The Devils will miss his consistency and leadership in 2022.

Cannen Wolf, Sr., Liberty – After a shortened 2020 due to injury, Wolf was on a mission from start to finish in 2021. After getting over an early season illness, Wolf never looked back. He was 5^th overall at the SJO Spartan Classic in 15:21 before finishing 2^nd at the QHS Tom Oakley and 3^rd at the Liberty Invite. When the post season rolled around, Wolf was on his game. He finished 3^rd at the West Central Conference, Liberty Regional, and Elmwood Sectional to qualify for his first IHSA 1A State Meet appearance. Wolf would go to Detweiller the following weekend and cap his Eagle career with an All-State performance finishing 12^th overall running a PR of 15:18.

Honorable Mention

Hannibal — Eli Hess, Jr., Xavier Damotte, Sr.

Illini West — Cole Kirkham, Sr.

Liberty — Devon Funk, Soph., Luke Obert, Jr.

Macomb — Carl Blome, Sr., Mathew Sadler, Soph. 

Marion County — Levi Wright, Fr.

Mark Twain — Brandon Black, Jr., Brandon Fullenwider, Sr., Will Owen, Sr.

Pittsfield — Brayden Veile, Jr., Jackson Veile, Soph.

Quincy Notre Dame — Joseph Warning, Fr.

Quincy High School — Tommy Hess, Soph., Cameron MacDonough, Fr.

Rushville-Industry — Dylan Koch, Soph.

South Shelby — Noah Wilt, Fr.

West Hancock — Quentin Althar, Soph., Parker Quinlan, Soph.

Editor’s note: All selections are made by the Tri-State Cross Country Coaches