The Winnebago girls claimed the program’s 14th state title on Saturday, Nov. 8, sparking another powerful charge for the Rockford-area contingent at Saturday’s IHSA state cross country meet in Peoria.
Led by sophomore Molly Webb, who placed 14th in 17:19.08, and senior Morgan Capriola, who took 21st in 17:40.47, Winnebago earned 150 points to win the Class 1A girls state championship. Shelbyville took second with 210.
It was the 14th state title for the Winnebago girls, and the seventh since Joe and Janet Erb took over in 2004.
“Our race strategy was ― well, I just told the girls to just be themselves,” Joe Erb said. “And they did. … It was just, go out there and race your race, and that’s what they did. I knew that would be enough.”
Also for the Winnebago girls: Ella Carlson placed 50th; Svea Glidden came in 71st; and Avery Dimke took 82nd. But Webb and Capriola sparked the fire.
“It just feels super good,” Capriola said. “I just key on Molly, so when she took off, so did I. I didn’t want to let the team down, you know.”
The Rockford Christian boys, led by Evan White, placed third in the final 1A boys team standings. White took seventh in 14:51.55, and he and Lutheran’s Abagail Baumann had the highest finish for any Rockford-area runner in any class. Baumann took seventh in 16:49.97 in the 1A girls showdown.
Belvidere North’s Judah Binger finished with a charge and took 11th in the 2A boys race in 14:37.24. He’s just a sophomore. And his freshman sister Lilly Binger earned a 27th place finish with a 17:55.39 in the 2A girls race. Boylan’s Nora Wedwick took 27th in the 2A girls race, and she’s a sophomore.
The only other Rockford-area runners who finished in the top 50 came out of the 1A races: Rockford Christian’s Julian Honeyville finished in 22nd in the 1A boys race and his teammate Blake Lindberg took 26th; Winnebago’s Aiden Vazquez placed 40th; and Lutheran’s Kyle Enke took 48th. Hononegah’s Kylie Simpson placed 105th as the lone Rockford-area representative in either 3A races.
But the highlight came out of 1A, once again.
“This is so exciting,” Winnebago’s Webb said. “And now all I can think about is how much fun it’s going to be for my junior and senior years.”
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: IHS State cross country Winnebago shines again, and more from Peoria
