Hall harriers are top flight
Cross Country Preview
by BCR
September 02, 2009
SPRING VALLEY — Nineteen Hall co-ed cross country runners are
logging miles during the start of the 2009-10 school year. But the
practice miles will take a backseat to actual meet miles Tuesday
afternoon when the Red Devils cross country team travels to Mendota
for a five-team meet involving Ottawa, Ottawa Marquette, Mendota
and LaSalle-Peru.
Over the past decade, Hall’s long distance running success has
gone from an under-the-radar secret to common knowledge. As the
season heads toward the fall of 2009, it is common knowledge that
Hall runners — both male and female — will be at the front of the
finishing shoot.
Last season was a very productive one for Hall harriers — they
carried off a regional championship and a state finalist spot from
the boys’ side of the roster and could boast of a female regional
runner-up finish. Junior Scott Janusick and sophomore Elizabeth
Mosbach were responsible for those finishes, and locally, their
names are now household ones.
“I think the boys and the girls are in the same boat — both have a
number of provens — and after that, (finishing spots) are up for
grabs,” says Hall coach Tom Keegan. “There’s no secret about Scott
now. We had other individuals like T.J. and Elizabeth Mosbach step
up, but Scott now realizes he’s not under anybody’s radar this
year. He has worked really hard over the summer to live up to his
expectations, and I think that’s the main thing we’re emphasizing
right now — is to go with his expectations; we can’t worry about
expectations placed by other people.”
During workouts, Keegan has noticed that T.J. Mosbach, who ran
to a third-place regional individual finish at Seneca last fall as
the Hall boys qualified for the 2008 sectional, is running with a
reckless abandon.
“This is T.J.’s last year, and I think that’s dawning on him,”
Keegan said. “Come November, that’s it — there is no more next
year. You can tell by the way he’s practicing. I’m pleased with the
way he’s starting out.”
To cement the three, four and five finishing spots, Keegan will
rely on sophomore Austin Pelszynski, junior Brett Herrmann and
freshmen Brandon Allen and Joey Parochetti to improve as September
turns into October.
“In cross country, your one and two runners can only do so much;
you need to have (other) contributions,” Keegan said. “I think
we’ll get huge improvements from Austin, and Brett and Brandon are
going to get better. Hopefully, the kids can start climbing the
ranks in some of the local meets. At the first couple invites, we
might split into Frosh-Soph and varsity, but I think eventually
we’ll get back together and see where we stand.”
Elizabeth Mosbach, now a sophomore, will team with senior
Daniela Acamovic for the Lady Devil’s 1-2 punch. “We have a couple
provens with Elizabeth and Daniela, and with the rest of the girls
we’re stressing personal improvement,” Keegan says about his female
team.
Junior runner Hillary Klein is sidelined with hip and back
ailments, but Keegan is looking for a mighty sophomore class, that
includes Mosbach and Kristina Acamovic, Amber Huffaker and Xuxa
Piotrowski, to achieve big meet results.
The first Hall home meet is scheduled for Sept. 8 as Kewanee,
Princeton, St. Bede, Putnam County and Fieldcrest run the Spring
Valley course. Following the home opener, the Red Devil runners
head to the always competitive Princeton Invite on Sept. 12.
