The even years have been kind lately to the Blair Oaks girls cross country team. The Lady Falcons have finished fourth or better in the last six years at the Class 2 state meet, taking third in 2004, second in 2006 and fourth in 2008. What does 2010 hold? If the trend continues, the Lady Falcons will be back on the podium hoisting the school's fourth trophy. It will be a tough task, but doable. "We're going to have to run our best," Blair Oaks coach Marc Keys said as the Lady Falcons prepared to run at the Class 2 championships at 1:05 p.m. today at the Oak Hills Golf Center. "There's potential there," Keys added. "That's the fun part. There's probably three really strong teams and six or seven teams that can fight for that fourth spot." Herculaneum is the four-time defend- ing state champion. But Springfield Catholic, which finished second last year, has a good shot at putting an end to Herculaneum's run of consecutive titles. Lutheran: St. Peters figures to be in the trophy mix as well.
"Springfield Catholic could have all five (runners) in the top 25," Keys said. "They're just a great team."