Perfection is a goal easy to shoot for, but hard to achieve.
But after seeing the results for the Helias Crusaders and Lady Crusaders at the Class 3 District 5 cross country championships last Saturday in Moberly, Helias head coach Mary Haskamp saw just that.
"It was perfect," Haskamp said. "I've been coaching here at Helias for 27 years. We had 14 kids run and we had 14 kids all run their personal-best times for the first-time ever."
Those efforts lifted both teams to the Class 3 state championships this morning at the Oak Hills Golf Center.
"I'm so excited for them," Haskamp said.
The Lady Crusaders had six runners finish in the top 12 and claimed the district title with 27 points.
Kaitlyn Shea, a senior, finished under 19 minutes for the first time with a finish of 18:59 to capture individual honors.
"That 19 has been hanging out there for her a lot of this season," Haskamp said.
Kayla Yanskey (third), Kyle Frank (fourth), Molly Light (ninth), Abby Hake (10th), Lanie Hentges (12th) and Claire McDonald (26th) rounded out the team effort for the title.
The top 25 individuals today earn all-state honors.
"We legitimately have three potential all-staters and we could have four," Haskamp said.
Shea is a three-time all-state runner, including a 12th-place finish in 2013. Yanskey, a sophomore, also was all-state in 2013 by finishing 24th.
The Lady Crusaders figure to be in the hunt for a team trophy, which go to the top four finishers.
"We are ready and pumped," Haskamp said. "We would be very disappointed if we didn't get a trophy."
Festus, Ste. Genevieve and MICDS also figure to be among the top teams once the points are compiled.
"If our number five or six help us out and finish high to add points to the other teams, we have a chance to do something special," Haskamp said.
The Class 3 girls race is slated for a 10:35 a.m. start.
III
While the Lady Crusaders entered the season with state trophy aspirations, the Crusaders came into it with a lot of uncertainty.
Helias had only two boys who had run before on the varsity level.
"The boys got thrown to the wolves and they responded," Haskamp said.
The Crusaders have chugged along this season, showing steady improvement, capped by a second-place finish in districts and a berth in today's state championships.
"They have worked so hard to get to this point," Haskamp said. "We started with 11 boys, ended with nine because of injuries. They just kept plugging away and their improvement has been incredible. They've put in the work and have come a long way."
Helias finished the district with 82 points, trailing only Warrensburg with 54 points.
Elliot Knerschield, a junior, led Helias by taking fifth. He has a goal of finishing among the top 25 individuals to be all-state.
"If he gets out with the front pack and doesn't get caught up in traffic, I think he can do it," Haskamp said. "He's going to go for it, if he wears down, he'll still know he gave it his all."
Thomas Asmar, Helias' lone senior who has missed Thursday practices all season because of online college classes, was seventh at districts.
"It's his last race and he wants to go out and do the best he can," Haskamp said. "He's not planning on running after this year, he's a science/math guy who will be going to a big-time college."
Helias' other qualifiers include Joe Brummer (18th at districts), Nathan Wieberg (21st), Justin Frese (37th), Jordan Wieberg (45th) and Ethan Rackers (48th).
"I told the boys they need to be in the top eight as a team," Haskamp said. "It's a good reason for them to run."
Realistically, Haskamp said a top-10 finish would be a great cap to the season.
"I can see a couple of them posting their best times again because it seems we're peaking at the right time," she said. "We've got nothing to lose, we're going to go for it."
The Class 3 boys race will start at 9:30 a.m.
"I hate waiting all day for those afternoon races," Haskamp said. "When you're the seventh or eighth race of the day, that track gets pounded down."
Both the Crusaders and Lady Crusaders enter the championships healthy.
"Maybe I'm getting smarter about how we go about things in the season," Haskamp said. "There is some nagging stuff, but we're dealing with it."
The Class 3 medals and team trophies are scheduled to be presented at approximately 11:10 a.m.