Hancock County cross country programs breeding grounds for success

“I was really excited,” Chambers said. “Everyone noticed because I threw my arms up in the air and I was all excited. I thought I had a chance because I knew I was ranked 10th and I was right on the line. So, I was kind of scared. But after I found out that I got top 10, I was really excited.”

On the other hand, Mastrantoni was utterly frustrated. Not being up on that podium with her teammate Virtue was a devastating blow. This disappointment started a fire of passion inside of her heart so strong that she knew she wouldn’t falter this season.

“This year I was determined to not let that happen and I wanted to be able to go downstate and run the best I possibly could, so I was happy that turned out so well this year,” Mastrantoni said.

Standing next to her at the awards ceremony, Virtue was just as ecstatic to have her close friend and team mate with her and to see Oak Glen achieve the success it has in recent years.

“It makes me feel really good that I can represent the county and our school,” Virtue said. “Having two people from our school and Kelsey from our region – it just felt really good that we could represent our region with that, and it was just awesome to stand on the podium with everybody.”

These performances put the cap on potentially one of the best state meet showings Hancock County has ever seen. For two programs that have remained relatively quiet over the past decade, how could this be? Coaching is a huge factor, according to the girls. Even more so is the bond they all have with each other. At Weir High School, the girls describe themselves as a little family. Because they are so close, they strive to put forth 100 percent effort each time they toe the line.

“I love the sport, and I love to run,” Mastrantoni said. “I like to do good for our team because our team is like a little family and I like doing good and making them happy.” After losing several of their talented runners from last season’s squad that placed fourth at the state meet, the Weir High girls utilized their strong bond with each other to qualify for the state meet and claim ninth. Oak Glen jumped a spot from last year’s state meet to snatch sixth.

Both teams may be fierce competition for each other. Yet, after they cross the line and take off their racing spikes, it’s obvious that they support each other equally.“It makes me really proud,” Mastrantoni said. “I’m glad that we could bring back so much to our county and it’s nice to know that Oak Glen,even though they’re our rivals, but they’re still kind of like we have a littlealliance there, it’s nice to see that their team is also doing well.”

A young leader on the squad, Chambers showed tremendous strength in the strides she made this season. Higher mileage and working more on speed seemed to be of the greatest benefit to her. She accomplished a feat that has not been done in recent history at Oak Glen, if ever.“I definitely felt more confident because last year I was new,” she said. “I had no idea what I was doing really. It was just weird last year, but it was definitely easier this year.” Knowing she was a part of one of the strongest representations for Hancock County, Chambers is ecstatic.“It feels awesome because I came in and didn’t even know about cross country.

I just kind of came in and did it, and it feels great to just be one of the first people to be in the top 10 from Oak Glen.” Enjoying this milestone is something Weir Coach Jeff Lewis doesn’t take lightly. Looking back, he remembers the first day of practice when only a few girls showed up for practice. His dreams for the upcoming season were crushed at that moment.

Without five girls, the team wasn’t in contention to qualify for the state competition. But like the last year has shown him, things have a way of working out when everyone is on the board with the same goals and objectives. “I am so glad that our team got to go down and compete together,” Virtue said. “It wouldn’t have been the same if just me and Kristen would have made it down as individual qualifiers because we had a lot more fun having our team there with us.”

Coming full circle and being able to watch his team travel downstate for the second consecutive year and having two of his athletes place in the top 10 made the tumultuous journey worth it.

The effort that his two leaders have set forth for the rest of the squad is nothing short of inspirational. Watching Kristen take her talent to another level with her unlimited dedication to the sport shows how much of a leader she has become this season for his team. “I can’t say enough for all of the hard work that Kristen’s done,” Lewis said. “But not only that, she’s a solid leader on the squad and to have somebody as dependable as that on your squad, if you need something done,

she’ll take care of it, she’s truly a blessing and it’s a true honor to be her coach.”While Mastrantoni excelled all year, Virtue had a rough start and races that weren’t consistent with her potential. Somehow she found her focus again just in time for the most important part of the season.

“Her season has been kind of like a roller coaster, but she finished it in the right way,” Lewis said. “I could tell the last few weeks that Alexis is really focused and I saw the Alexis that I coached last year, focused. She’s a hard charger, and she showed the last few meets the intensity that she has.” Watching these young ladies perform at the high levels that they have been the last few years is special for Lewis. Talent like this doesn’t come around very often in Hancock County - at least not until now. “I feel honored to be a part of this,” he said. “To see it within the last few years with both teams making two consecutive trips to the state meet,

it’s something very special and actually shows the development of both programs in this county. It’s something very special for these girls that they’re setting a mark and they’re continuing to strive for that and achieve that every year.”