‘Who’s this Lane Hubbard?’: Pleasant Hill senior making name for himself, Wolves’ cross country program

Pleasant Hill senior Lane Hubbard has won two cross country races this fall and is gearing up for a charge at a Class 1A state meet berth. | Matt Schuckman photo

PLEASANT HILL, Ill. — Lane Hubbard doesn’t let the questions bother him. They fuel him. “A lot of times I hear people say, ‘Who’s Pleasant Hill? What’s the Wolves?’” said Hubbard, a senior runner on the Pleasant Hill cross country team. “Then I’m like, ‘I’m gonna show them.’” Wolves coach Pamela Roach hears the skeptics,…

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Leaders of the packs: QHS boys and girls teams sweep top spots at Tom Oakley Invitational

Quincy High School's Peyton Kuhl, left, and Amick McClelland run side-by-side in the lead during Saturday's Tom Oakley Invitational at Bob Mays Park. | Shane Hulsey photo

QUINCY — The Blue Devil brigade was out in full force at Saturday’s Tom Oakley Invitational. The Quincy High School boys and girls cross country teams blazed a trail through Bob Mays Park to capture the top five positions and team titles in both races. Quincy’s Eli Poe overcame a misstep with a mile left…

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Photo gallery: Cross country runners converge on Bob Mays Park for QHS’s Tom Oakley Invitational

Quincy High School's Eli Poe and Reed Steiner run side-by-side through a curve in the cross country course at Bob Mays Park during the Tom Oakley Invitational. | Shane Hulsey photo

To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photo,click here to visits our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Tom Oakley Invitational took place Saturday at Bob Mays Park with the Quincy High School boys and girls cross country teams sweeping the top five individual spots in both races and taking home the team…

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Harriers tackle Flower City Park’s hills head-on during 10th annual Palmyra Invitational

Monroe City freshman Anna Russell won the girls cross country race Saturday during the 10th annual Palmyra Invitational at Flower City Park in Palmyra, Mo. | Shane Hulsey photo

PALMYRA, Mo. — Monroe City freshman Anna Russell is quick to point out what makes the Flower City Park cross country course — the site of Saturday’s 10th annual Palmyra Invitational — so challenging. “Lots of hills,” Russell said. It wasn’t just the number of hills that made it so tough, either. “The gradual incline…

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Photo gallery: Area cross country runners compete in Palmyra Invitational

Runners charge up one of the hills in Flower City Park early in the girls cross country race Saturday during the 10th annual Palmyra Invitational in Palmyra, Mo. | Shane Hulsey photo

To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. PALMYRA, Mo. — The hilly Flower City Park course proved challenging for the 16 cross country teams competing in the 10th annual Palmyra Invitational on Saturday. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was there and put together this…

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Cross country primer: Wealth of returnees boost expectations for Hannibal, Monroe City girls

Monroe City's Bradi Keller, left, and Liberty's Lane Obert are expected to be among the top cross country runners in the area this fall. | Muddy River Sports file photos

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Before answering the obvious question, Hannibal cross country coach Jim Coniglio paused. Then he took a deep breath. Then he smiled. “Yes, I’m optimistic,” he said. “I’m 100 percent optimistic.” Coniglio’s enthusiasm is easy to understand. The Hannibal girls return all but one of their top seven runners from a team that…

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Final kick carries QND’s Genenbacher top regional cross country championship

Illini West's Emma Whitaker, left, and Quincy Notre Dame's Abigail Genenbacher run side-by-side during the Class 1A girls regional cross country race Saturday at South Park. | Photo courtesy Jessica Genenbacher

QUINCY — A little dose of “secret sauce” was all Abigail Genenbacher needed. The Quincy Notre Dame senior used a burst to catch and pass frontrunners Chloe Kelly of Monmouth-Roseville and Emma Whitaker of Illini West over the final 50 meters Saturday morning to win the girls individual title in the Class 1A cross country…

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Prairie State Profile: Raiders’ Genenbacher making sure her final run is memorable

Quincy Notre Dame senior cross country runner Abigail Genenbacher heads toward the final stretch during Tuesday's Running Raider Classic at South Park. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Abigail Genenbacher’s final run through South Park proved to be one she could enjoy. The Quincy Notre Dame senior cross country runner dashed her way to a fourth place individual finish Tuesday in the Running Raider Classic, clocking a time of 21 minutes, 17 seconds. “I felt a lot of really great energy,”…

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Photo gallery: Schuering, Blue Devils run to titles at Running Raider Classic

Quincy High School's Olivia Schuering took first place in the girls race Tuesday during the Running Raider Classic at South Park. Schuering was the only runner to break 20 minutes, finishing in 19 minutes, 55 seconds. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Olivia Schuering set the pace and her teammates followed suit. The Quincy High School senior cross country runner won the individual title Tuesday at the Running Raider Classic at South Park, posting a time of 19 minutes, 55 seconds to catapult the Blue Devils to the team title with 30 points. Quincy Notre…

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Liberty’s Neisen receives Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Girls Runner of the Year honor

Liberty junior Arianna Neisen was named the Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Girls Runner of the Year. | Matt Schuckman photo

LIBERTY, Ill. — The 2022 prep cross country season was a true coming-of-age party for Arianna Neisen of Liberty. Following a super sophomore track campaign that ended with a state medal in the 3,200-meter run at the IHSA Class 1A state track and field championships in Charleston, one would think big things would be on…

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Bowling Green’s Chance earns Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Boys Runner of the Year honor

Bowling Green's Ben Chance, center, is the Tri-State Cross Country Coaches boys runner of the year. | Photo courtesy Bowling Green High School

LIBERTY, Ill. — It’s no surprise Bowling Green’s Ben Chance showed up on the local and state scene in the fall of 2022 in an impressive fashion. The son of Bobcats coach Matt Chance, Ben has running in his blood, and it was only a matter of time before he made the big jump and…

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Schuck on a Truck: Liberty coach Jared Schmidt talks cross country ahead of state meet

Liberty cross country coach Jared Schmidt, left, joined Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman for this week's episode of "Schuck on a Truck." | Muddy River Sports photo

LIBERTY, Ill. — Liberty junior Arianna Neisen will run at Detweiler Park this weekend. Quincy High School senior Eric McClelland will, too, in what is the ultimate weekend for Illinois prep cross country runners. The state meet takes place Saturday in Peoria with three classes running 3-mile races on both the boys and girls sides.…

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Schuering beats Neisen to finish line in neck-and-neck race at Tom Oakley Invitational

Cross country runners from Quincy High School and Liberty head out on the course at the start of Saturday's Tom Oakley Invitational at Bob Mays Park. | Photo courtesy Teresa Huner

QUINCY — A 3-mile duel was decided by a matter of seconds. Quincy High School cross country standout Olivia Schuering edged Liberty’s Arianna Neisen by six seconds Saturday, winning the Tom Oakley Invitational girls race at Bob Mays Park. The Blue Devils swept the individual crowns as Eric McClelland won the boys race. Schuering and…

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Cross country roundup: Liberty’s Neisen runs among top contenders at Spartan Invitational

Liberty's Ariana Neisen finished third individually Saturday at the Spartan Invitational hosted by St. Joseph-Ogden. | Matt Schuckman file photo

ST. JOSEPH, Ill. — In a field of 140 cross country runners, mostly from the Champaign-Urbana area, Liberty junior Ariana Neisen proved yet again she belongs in the lead pack. Neisen finished third individually, posting a time of 17 minutes, 41.47 seconds at the Spartan Invitational hosted by St. Joseph-Ogden. Tolono Unity junior Erica Woodard…

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Picture-perfect setting turns into stellar times, performances at Running Raider Invitational

Liberty junior Ariana Neisen leads the pack on the final mile of the girls race Tuesday in the 21st Running Raider Invitational at South Park. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — The setting couldn’t have been more picturesque. Sun splashed across South Park’s rolling hills with a cool breeze rustling leaves on the thick, old oak trees looming over the final mile of the 3-mile cross country course spanning from one end of the park to the other for Tuesday’s 21st Running Raider Invitational.…

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

Quincy High School's Anna Schuering is the Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Girls Runner of the Year. Photo courtesy Chris Mitchell

Runner of the Year — Anna Schuering, Sr., Quincy High School If there’s one thing that 2021 showed, it was that 2020 was no fluke for Quincy High School senior Anna Schuering. The reigning Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Girls Runner of the Year used the 2020 season as her coming out party to the area…

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

West Hancock's Miles Sheppard is the Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Boys Runner of the Year. Submitted photo

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…

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Schuckman: Wolf’s run to glory comes with angel helping guide his way

Liberty senior Cannen Wolf nears the finish line at the Class 1A state cross country championships at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Wolf finished 12th to become the ninth runner in Liberty history to earn a state medal. Photo courtesy Clark Brooks, iPhotoNews

LIBERTY, Ill. — The distractions needed to be muted, so Cannen Wolf did his best to ignore everything coming at him as the week progressed. He drowned out any chatter regarding the start of basketball practice and the fact the Liberty boys were being touted as a top-10 team in Class 1A. He brushed aside…

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Eagles’ Wolf to run at state meet

ELMWOOD, Ill. — Cannen Wolf’s determination will allow him to run his final high school cross country race where he envisioned it ending. Detweiler Park. The Liberty senior turned in one of his most controlled and complete runs of the season Saturday, finishing third at the Class 1A Elmwood Sectional to earn a berth in…

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Blue Devils’ Rosen and Schuering earn spots in state cross country field

Quincy High School senior Fiker Rosen leads a group of runners during the Class 3A sectional Saturday at Bob Mays Park. Photo courtesy Glenn Meyers

QUINCY — The sun sparkled Saturday, which made for perfect weather to run the Class 3A boys and girls cross country sectionals at Bob Mays Park. The only problem was there wasn’t enough sun prior to Saturday to dry out the 3-mile course. Muddy conditions seemed to bog down some runners, leading to higher times…

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Rosen, Schuering, Blue Devils sweep WB6 cross country championships

The Quincy High School boys cross country team defended its Western Big 6 Conference championship Thursday at Hoover Park in Sterling, Ill. Photo courtesy Glenn Meyers

STERLING, Ill. — Fiker Rosen made it a clean sweep. Anna Schuering and the rest of the Quincy High School cross country runners did, too. Rosen won his fourth consecutive Western Big 6 Conference individual championship while leading the QHS boys to back-to-back titles during Thursday’s conference meet at Hoover Park. Meanwhile, Schuering won her…

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Scoreboard for Saturday, October 9

Prep Cross Country At Uhland Acres, Liberty, Ill. Liberty Invitational: Quincy High School had three of the top four runners and dominated the girls race, while West Hancock senior Miles Sheppard broke the 15-minute mark to win the individual title of the boys race. The Blue Devils’ Anna Schuering finished in 18 minutes, 47.2 seconds…

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Scoreboard for Tuesday, October 5

Prep Cross Country At Uhland Farms, Liberty, Ill. West Central Conference Championships: Quincy Notre Dame senior Teresa Drotar was the only runner in the girls race to break 21 minutes and the Raiders had four of the top six runners to win the WCC title. Drotar took first in 20 minutes, 45.4 seconds, while Abigail…

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Scoreboard for Saturday, October 2

Prep Cross Country At Bob Mays Park, Quincy Tom Oakley Invitational: Anna Schuering, Alexandria Meyers and Olivia Schuering finished 1-2-3 in the individual standings as the Quincy High School girls won their home event. Only two of the nine teams had enough runners to qualify for the team event. The Blue Devils finished with 16…

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Scoreboard for Tuesday, September 14

Monroe City’s Audri Youngblood hits a pitch during Tuesday's game against Hannibal at the Veterans Complex in Hannibal, Mo. Photo courtesy Mathew Kirby

Prep Cross Country At South Park, Quincy Running Raider Invitational: The depth of the Quincy High School boys and girls cross country teams were on display, as was the Blue Devils’ high-end talent. The boys race featured a showdown between Blue Devils senior Fiker Rosen and West Hancock senior Miles Sheppard. Rosen won the individual…

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Scoreboard for Saturday, September 11

College Football At QU Stadium, Quincy Quincy University 59, Iowa Wesleyan 27 At Ellison Poulton Stadium, Canton, Mo. Culver-Stockton College 38, Evangel 35 Men’s Soccer At John Wood Community College, Quincy JWCC 2, Heartland 1: The Trail Blazers’ Adam Naim converted a penalty kick in the first overtime to knock off the nation’s No. 7…

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