Pekin and Fairfield go one-two in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE - Monday marked the beginning of cross-country season for both Pekin and Fairfield, and both Union area teams showed out at the 2019 Early Bird. Pekin swept the team titles and Fairfield finished second in both. The Panthers won the girls' race with 24 points, followed by Fairfield's 58. In the boys' race, the Panthers clipped the Trojans 39-43, with third-place Knoxville not far behind. The only other school present was Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.

The Panther girls dominated, placing all seven runners in the top 12. Pekin took three of the four top spots in the girls' race, led by Lauren Derscheild, who took second in 20:30.1.

Derscheid, a sophomore, was led by four sophomores. Lily Fariss took third overall, in 21:49.9. Emily Laumeyer was fourth, in 21:53.1, and Sarah Eubanks finished seventh, in 22:00.7.

Freshman Lily Reneker was the fifth scorer for the Panthers, taking eighth-place. She crossed the tape in 22:22.7. Right behind her was another freshman, Sabrina Reneker, who took ninth, in 22:22.9. Mia Clark, another sophomore, was 12th, in 23:14.5.

Fairfield senior Hailey Pohren-Gevock had a strong start to the year, taking fifth overall in 21:53.6. A couple of freshman followed her in the Trojan lineup, with Makenzie Kraemer taking sixth, in 21:54.7, and Ashlyn Lisk placing 10th, in 22:47.7.

Senior Mahayla Mellott took 18th place, in 24:31.1. Junior Amiritha Kumar was close behind her, taking 19th, in 24:31.7. Freshman Tisha Brinkschroeder placed 22nd, in 26:43.7, and senior Destiny Gridley rounded out the Fairfield girls with a 25th-place 27:16.6.

Colten Glosser and Brady Millikin picked up right where they left off for the Pekin boys. Glosser, a senior, took the boys' race with a final time of 16:19.3, and Millikin, a junior, took second, in 16:43.8.

Sophomore Zack Wise gave the Panther boys three of the top four spots with a fourth-place time of 17:24. Gavin Brown, a freshman, took 11th, in 18:27.6. Junior Simeon Buie rounded out the scorers with a 21st-place time of 19:52.4.

Senior Devin Fraise placed 23rd, crossing the tape in 20:42.1. Bailey Skarbek, a sophomore, placed 27th, in 21:20.5.

Fairfield was led by junior Alex Forrest, who took third place, in 17:05.6. Fellow junior Blake Holden placed second, in 18:13.4. Freshman Gavin Van Veen was eighth, in 18:17.3.

Sophomore Kaidyn Mickels placed ninth for the Trojans, finishing in 18:21.3. Junior Brecken Courtright placed 16th, in 19:08.7. Aidan Daugherty, another junior, was 17th overall, finishing in 19:34.1.