Indiana Runner

Small School Sectional Wrap-Up

By:  Coach Bob Swank

While many of the large school powerhouses view the cross country sectional as merely a nuisance first step in the tournament series, for many small school powerhouses it is extremely important as it may be their only step in the tournament series.  Of the 134 Indiana schools in the Indiana Runner Small School Category, 19% of them (26 boys teams and 25 girls teams) advanced to the regionals.  Contrast this to the 51% of the medium and large school girls and boys teams that advanced. 

BOYS

Two small schools had a sectional championship boy’s team.  They were:  Indiana Runner small school number 1 ranked Perry Central (at Jasper) and number 5 ranked Barr Reeve (at South Knox). 

Three others had runner-up finishes as #3 ranked Northfield, #4 ranked Kouts and Northeastern took seconds. 

Third place sectional finishers were:  #6 ranked Hebron, #8 ranked Monroe Central, #9 ranked Triton and South Knox. 

Fourths were:  #7 ranked Rossville, #11 ranked Clay City, Oldenburg, Crothersville and Frontier. 

Fifths were: #10 ranked Carroll, Lanesville, West Central, Eastern (Greentown), Hamilton, Randolph Southern, Scecina, Cambridge City, Hauser, North White and Vincennes Rivet. 

Vincennes Rivet who advanced with a fifth at the South Knox Sectional is the smallest (77 students) Indiana school which fielded a team of at least 5 runners. 

The only Indiana Runner ranked small school that did not advance was number 2, Guerin Catholic.  They were eliminated in the brutal Carmel Sectional.  It is likely that they would have advanced in almost every other sectional. 
 

GIRLS 

Six small school girl’s teams won sectional titles.  They were:  #1 ranked Tri County, #2 ranked Perry Central, #3 ranked Hebron,  #6 ranked South Knox, # 8 ranked Tri and # 9 ranked Eastern (Greentown).  This was the first girls sectional title for at least four of these schools as Tri-County, Tri, Eastern (Greentown) and South Knox all won a Girl’s CC Sectional for the first time. 

Hagerstown took second in the Connersville Sectional. 

Third place sectional finishes went to:  #4 ranked Dubois, #14 ranked Northeastern and Oldenburg. 

# 13 ranked West Central, International and South Central took fourths. 

Grabbing the last qualifying spots were: # 5 ranked Westview, #7 ranked Bloomfield, #11 ranked Kouts, #12 ranked Carroll, Whiting, Barr Reeve, Shakamak, Jac Cen Del, Monroe Central, FW Canterbury and Lanesville.