Dragons, Warriors Prep For District

By ERIC X. VICCARO

EVICCARO@STEGENHERALD.COM

The Ste. Genevieve and Valle Catholic High School cross country teams are preparing for their district meets.

Ste. Genevieve has been placed in Class 3, District 1, running at the Arcadia Valley Sports Complex in Ironton this Saturday. The girls will run at 11:35 a.m., followed by the boys at 12:15 p.m. 

This will mark the second time this season the Dragons have run on this course, with both Devin St. Clair and Cylie Carlson recording top performances.

“It gives our athletes a bit of peace of mind since they have raced on the course,” said Ste. Genevieve head coach Sierra Boyd. “The course is flat, and has a section that goes through the woods. It has two loops, and then the athletes run through switchbacks to the finish line.”

Valle Catholic will run a day earlier, on Friday, in Class 1, District 2 at McNair Park in St. Charles, with the boys’ race at 12:30 p.m., followed by girls at 1 p.m.

“McNair Park has three of the same kind of loops with one hill comparable to the one at Jackson City Park,” said Valle Catholic head coach Samer Zoughaib.

To qualify for the state meet — during the period of Nov. 5-7 at Gans Creek in Columbia — individuals must place in the top-15 and the top two teams qualify as well.

Both Boyd and Zoughaib are optimistic for success this week.

“I’m so proud of each of our athletes on both the boys and girls teams for their determination and hard work all season,” Boyd said. “They will all be racing to their best potential, and it will be exciting to see how they all compete.”

Boyd reported teams to watch at district will be Dexter, Potosi and Herculaneum.

There was a time not long ago, St