Shorthanded Trojans race in Burlington

BURLINGTON ? Rarely does school spirit hurt a team.

Yet the Fairfield cross country teams experienced one of those unlikely occurrences Thursday at the Grayhound Invite in Burlington.

The Trojan girls, missing Homecoming Queen Sage Richmond and fellow court candidate Hannah Sobaski to the pep rally in Fairfield, finished fourth in the seven-team field with 93 points. The boys, meanwhile, were without queen escorts Randy Andermann and Makena Dettmann as well as Jonah Marks and wound up sixth out of 12 teams with a tally of 195.

?It was a tough night for us team-wise with all the kids who didn?t run,? said Fairfield head coach Jerrod Belzer. ?I was really happy, though, with our effort tonight. We had a lot of runners step up into varsity spots and do a really nice job.?

No one impressed Belzer more with their effort than a pair of seniors.

Jessica Lamb, who was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday?s meet, crossed the finish line fourth in 16:31 to pace the Trojan girls. Brandon Taglauer led the Trojan boys with a 31st-place finish in 19:24.

?Brandon and Jess both did a wonderful job out front for us. They both had some great competition to compete against, and it?s always nice to have seniors who know how to step up and lead us.?

Behind Lamb, several underclassmen dotted the girls? lineup in the absence of seniors. Freshman Taylor Ferrel finished 14th overall in 17:11, sophomore Tracy Andermann was 24th in 18:15 and freshman Abby Melcher took 38th in 18:51.

?Our underclassmen continue to make big strides,? Belzer said. ?I was really pleased with how hard they ran.?

Brianna Redmann, a senior, put a cap on the team score with a 36th-place finish (19:10), freshman Chloe Spalla was 37th (19:16) and senior Kaitlyn Daugherty 40th (19:31).

Fort Madison won the girls? team title with 37 points, while Macomb (Ill.) finished runner-up at 75.

In the boys? race, Trevor Starnes was second for the Trojans behind Taglauer in 35th place (19:38). Matt Carr (41st, 20:06), Darrin Dimmitt (42nd, 20:22) and Adam Mueller (46th, 20:51) finished close together to complete the team score.

Varsity newcomers Nathan Thompson (70th, 23:31) and Josiah Wilbur (72nd, 24:02) ran alternate times for Fairfield.

The boys? team title went to Burlington, which tallied just 29 points. Davenport Central (58) and Fort Madison (74) took home second and third, respectively.

In JV action, Holly Bennett (19:18) and Danielle Garrison (19:19) turned in a pair of competitive finishes for sixth and seventh place, respectively. Jesse McCabe (26th, 21:13), Jordan Van Dijk (45th, 24:38) and Gannon Haile (50th, 25:42) ran for the boys.

The Trojans continue their season Tuesday at Washington.

Final Team Scores ? Girls

1. Fort Madison 37, 2. Macomb (Ill.) 75, 3. Mediapolis 92, 4. Fairfield 93, 5. Davenport Central 101, 6. Illini West (Ill.) 107, 7. Burlington 181

Fairfield Individual Results

4. Jessica Lamb (16:31), 14. Taylor Ferrel (17:11), 24. Tracy Andermann (18:15), 28. Abby Melcher (18:51), 36. Brianna Redmann (19:10), 37. Chloe Spalla (19:16), 40. Kaitlyn Daugherty (19:31)

JV ? 6. Holly Bennett (19:18), 7. Danielle Garrison (19:19)

Final Team Scores ? Boys

1. Burlington 29, 2. Davenport Central 58, 3. Fort Madison 74, 4. Mediapolis 121, 5. Macomb (Ill.) 138, 6. Fairfield 195, 7. Illini West (Ill.) 201, 8. Danville/New London 210, 9. Keokuk 229, 10. Clark County (Mo.) 265, 11. West Hancock 267, 12. Harmony 346

Fairfield Individual Results

31. Brandon Taglauer (19:24), 35. Trevor Starnes (19:38), 41. Matt Carr (20:06), 42. Darrin Dimmitt (20:22), 46. Adam Mueller (20:51), 70. Nathan Thompson (23:31), 72. Josiah Wilbur (24:02)

JV ? 26. Jesse McCabe (21:13), 45. Jordan Van Dijk (24:38), 50. Gannon Haile (25:42)