RECENT NEWS AND UPDATES
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2025 BOYS TEAM
Pictured are the 2025 Geneseo High School Boys Cross Country Team (minus a few) |
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49th GENE JONES METAMORA
“RUNNIN RED” CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL
WHEN: Saturday, October 11th
WHERE: Metamora’s Black Partridge Park
BUS: Leaves at 6:30 a.m.
TEAMS
Bloomington, Canton, Deer Creek / Mackinaw, Dunlap, East Peoria, Eureka,
Geneseo, Glenbard South, Lincoln, Macomb, Mahomet-Seymour, Metamora, Moline, Morton,
Normal Community, Normal (U-High), Ottawa, Oswego (East), Peoria (Christian), Peoria (Notre Dame),
Peoria (RIchwoods), Pekin, Rantoul, Rochester, Rock Island, Springfield, Springfield (Lincoln),
Springfield (Sacred Heart Griffin), Tolono (Unity), Washington
MEET SCHEDULE
Girls F/S: 9:20 a.m.
Boys F/S: 10:00 a.m.
Girls Varsity: 10:45 a.m.
Boys Varsity: 11:25 a.m.
COME ON OUT AND “BACK da LEAFS”
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FRESHMAN PHOENIX SOTTOS SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Freshman Phoenix Sottos who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the
Freeport Pretzel Invitational
FRESHMAN PHOENIX SOTTOA “RINGS da Bell”
Freshman Phoenix Sottos was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the Freeport Pretzel Cross Country Invitational held on Saturday, October 4th. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
More to come.
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“PRETZEL INVITE MEDALISTS”
Pictured is Henley Bourne being supported by Jaxson Sottos, Graysen Carlson, & Frtiz Bolme
Each man earned a “Top 15” Individual Finisher Medal
LEAFS RUN STRONG IN FREEPORT PRETZEL XC INVITE
On Saturday, October 4th, the Leafs traveled to Freeport’s Highland Community College to participate in the annual Freeport Pretzel Cross Country Invitational. The meet included teams from: Dakota, Durand, East Dubuque, Eastland, Forreston, Freeport, Geneseo, Machesney Park Harlem, Oregon, Rochelle, Rock Falls, Rockford Boylan, Rockford East, Rockford Jefferson, Rockford Our Lady Sacred Heart, Savanna West Carroll, Schaumburg, Sterling, Stockton, Sycamore, & Winnabago. The meet has a good mixture of 1A, 2A, and 3A schools. It is also nice to face some different competition.
After nearly a month of no rain the ground was rock-hard. The extended heat wave also continued with a daytime high of nearly 90˚. The dew point climbed to 60˚ which is pretty nasty for October. Luckily, the winds kicked up. They were blowing from the SSW between 15-20 miles per hour. The racing conditions were far from perfect and due to conflicts, the Leafs were only able to field 13 runners. Each race offered a Championship Trophy for the victorious team and individual medals to the Top 15 finishers.
The Varsity Boys took off at 9:45 a.m. with the temperature in the mid 70’s and climbing rapidly. Using the Athletic.Net hypothetical race calculator (based on 3 mile season best times), the Leafs were “Seeded” to place 4th behind 1A state powers East Dubuque & Winnebago along with 2A perennial power, Sycamore. The Leafs got out well and competed well. When the “Dust had settled”, they were narrowly defeated by East Dubuque by a mere 4 points. They were disappointed but really stepped up. Hopefully, the taste of being so close will help to motivate them to even higher levels of performance in the coming weeks.
Leading the way for the Maple Leafs was Sophomore Henley Bourne who placed 7th overall in the race with a time of 16:19. His time moved him into the #4 All-Time Spot for GHS runners and 2nd on the Sophomore list for the course. Henley dropped his personal best on the course by 1:35 from last year. Great Stuff, Henley. Get ready for “Championship Meet Season. It is just around the corner. All the best.
Next up was Senior Leader Graysen Carlson who sprinted home in a time of 16:39 which placed him 12th. Yup, he was GHS’s 2nd man. The dude is “On Fire”. His time moved him into 11th on the GHS Al-Time List and 5th on the Senior Top 25 list. Graysen dropped his personal best on the course by 26 seconds. Way to roll, Graysen. Keep up the good work. The meets that really matter on almost here. Keep providing omnipotent leadership.
Senior leader Jaxson Sottos was the next Maple Leaf to “Roar” across the finish line. He sprinted home in 16:41 and placed 13th in the field. Jaxson joined Henley & Graysen in the Top 15 to earn “Individual Hardware”. He has run faster on the course (15:52 last year in perfect weather). This 16:41 moved him into the #6 Senior spot on the All-Time GHS List. Championship meet season is almost here, Jaxson. The team really took a step forward on Saturday. With your continued leadership, the team in in position to nail it’s pre-season goals. It’s “Go Time”.
Continuing his “Meteoric Rise” was Sophomore Greyson Claerhout who “Cracked” 17:00 for the first time. He was clocked in 16:57 and barely missed a medal with his 17th place finish. His time moved him into the 16th spot on the GHS All-Time Top 25 list for the course. He is also the new number 6 Sophomore EVER on the course. Great Stuff, Greyson. Keep up the hard work and great racing. Strong amounts of both Passion and Purpose are on display every time you “Toe the Line”. Greyson took off over TWO MINUTES off of his personal best on the course. That’s Amazing. Championship Meet Fever….Catch It.
Senior Leader Kaden Elmer was the next Leaf in. He sprinted across the finish line in 22nd place to just miss earning an individual medal. He was timed in 17:10 which was a personal best for him on the course even though it was hot out. He now owns the 22nd fastest GHS time for any grade level EVER on the course. He also moved into the 9th spot on the GHS Senior list. Keep up the great job, Kaden. Championship Meet Season is almost here. Keep providing strong leadership for the team. All the best in the coming weeks!!!
Fellow Senior Leader Aidan Bries was close behind and also clocked a personal best on the course. Aidan was timed in 17:30 which moved him into the 12th best Senior on the course for a GHS Runner EVER. Aidan placed 29th in the race. Aidan is a critical member of the Strong GHS Senior Class that has done a wonderful job of leading the 2025 Maple Leafs Squad. Keep up the good work, Aidan. Championship Meet Season is almost here. Get ready to “Go for the Gold”. All the best for you and the team in the coming weeks. Keep Dreaming BIG!
Sophomore Kael McCord closed out the Varsity Race’s Maple Leaf action. He sprinted home in 17:30 which destroyed his personal best on the course by over a minute. He placed 30th overall in race (All 7 Leafs in the Top 30……AWESOME STUFF.) Kael’s time moved him into the #10 GHS Sophomore Top 25 spot on the course. Great Race, Kael. The dude is on a serious roll. (So it the whole team.) Keep up the great work. Championship Meet Season is almost here. Sharpen your spikes and get ready to “ROLL”.
The rest of the team raced in the J.V. Race. That race started at 11:15 a.m. and it had really warmed up by then. The Leafs were missing a few guys due to conflicts but still were able to place 5th overall in the team standings (over 20 total teams). The team did race 6 men.
Sophomore Fritz Bolme was the lead Maple Leaf. He raced hard, trying to hang in the Top 15 and earn an individual medal. Mission accomplished. Fritz placed 14th overall in the race and was timed in 19:00. That is OVER 90 seconds faster than his previous best time on the course. Fritz is now the 25th fastest GHS Sophomore EVER on the course. Great Job, Fritz. Get ready to hammer at Metamora before “Toeing the Line” at the WB-6 Conference Meet at HOME. Then, it will be time to race at the “JV STATE” meet when the team heads to Sterling for their 09 & JV Invite. Keep up the great work. You are “On Fire”.
The next man up was Sophomore Rylan Carlson who sprinted home in 19:18 which placed him 18th overall, just missing an individual medal. Rylan’s improvement from last year is “Jaw-Dropping”. He took off almost TWO MINUTES from his previous personal best time on the course. He was the Maple Leafs’ 9th Man on the day. Great Stuff, Rylan. Get ready to finish your season strong. Championship Meet Season is almost here. Nail Metamora and then get ready to Fly at Home for the WB-6 Conference Meet. Then, “JV STATE” awaits in Sterling. All the best. Passion & Purpose are a powerful force.
Next up was “da Little Johannson”. Junior Micah Johnson sprinted across the finish line in 39th place and was timed in 20:35. He was a bit off of his personal best on the course but ran a gutsy race in very warm conditions. Great Effort. Keep up the good job as Championship Meet Season is just around the corner. Hammer the Metamora Invite and then get ready for GHS to play host for the WB-6 Conference Meet. After that, the team will travel to Sterling for their annual 09/JV Invite (we call it JV STATE). Then, help lead the “Hype Squad”. Thanks for being such a great guy!
“Rookie” Cole Henson was the next Maple Leaf to “Break the Tape”. The Sophomore was timed in 22:18 and placed 51st overall in the race. It has been a lot of fun watching Cole figure out how to train and race. His improvement during the course of this season, has been dramatic. Great Stuff, Cole. Finish your season Strong. Attack the Metamora course before the Leafs play host to the WB-6 Conference Meet. After that, your racing season will end at the Sterling 09/JV Invite (JV STATE). Following that, we hope that you will join the GHS “Hype Squad” to support the team during the IHSA Series. Thanks for joining the team. We hope you will be back next fall. You helped make this team better.
Fellow “Rookie” Noah Arnold “Cracked” the tape in 60th place and was timed in 23:07. The Sophomore has been battling a few aches and pains. Sadly, some of this just comes with being an athlete. Noah has a great attitude and had battled on anyway. He has been a great addition to the team. All the best on Saturday in Metamora. Then get ready to have some fun as the Maple Leafs host the WB-6 Conference Meet. After that you will conclude your racing season at the Sterling 09/JV Invite (JV STATE). After that, we hope that you will also join the GHS Harrier “Hype Squad” to support the Varsity Team during the IHSA Series. We also hope that you will be with us again next fall. Thanks for being such a great guy.
Freshman Phoenix Sottos was the next man up for the Maple Leafs. Phoenix was timed in 26:59 and placed 70th overall in the race. Phoenix gives it his all each and every time he races and we are extremely proud of him. He is extremely inspirational to watch. He is also a total team man that cares deeply about his teammates. All the best in your remaining races. Metamora, the WB-6 Conference Meet, & the Sterling 09/JV Invite are all that remains. THEN, we hope that you will become a key member of the GHS “HYPE SQUAD”. Their purpose is to provide support the the Varsity Top 7 during the IHSA Post Season. Keep up the Great Job.
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SENIOR JAMESON COPPEJANS SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Senior Jameson Coppejans who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the
Sterling Rock River Invitational
SENIOR JAMESON COPPEJANS “RINGS da Bell”
Senior Jameson Coppejans was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the Sterling Rock River Run Cross Country Invitational held on Saturday, September 27th. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
Jameson ran the best race of his career on in Sterlng’s Rock River Run Cross Country Invitational. He was timed in 20:39 (first time breaking 21:00.) That’s pretty amazing considering that this is Jameson’s first year as a harrier (cross country runner.) He placed 119th in the Varsity Race that contained a plethora of high quality runners. Jameson ended up being the Maple Leafs 10th man overall (including the F/S Race.) He was the 5th man for the Leafs in the Varsity Race and helped the team place 9th overall. His rolled throught the first mile in a quick 6:11. He hit his 2nd mile in 6:45 and was feeling the effect of going out so fast. He held on nicely and “closed” his race with a 6:58 3rd mile. Great Stuff Jameson.
This is Jameson’s first year with the team. I remember Coach Ehlert speaking about him last summer. He was very excited about Jameson’s decision to join the team. There is certainly a significant learning curve to this sport. Knowledge is gained during each and every practice and race. It is especially rewarding to watch each man figure out how to get the most out of their races. Jameson had a BIG DAY on Saturday when he DESTROYED his personal best by a ton. He dipped below 21:00 minutes for the first time (7:00 minute pace). He ran 20:39. Keep your eyes on him. He isn’t done there. He just “Kicked the Door Down” to a new found level of performance. We sure are glad that Jameson decided to “Give it a Try”. He has been a great addition to the team. He brings a positive attitude and endless energy to practice on a daily basis. He has also make his impact as a “Senior Leader”. Keep up the good job, Jameson. All the best in the coming weeks. We are Very Proud of You.
Here is what Jameson had to say about his athletic history.
12th Grade: “I joined Cross Country after a year of saying I would join, and boy let me tell you, I’m glad I did. It’s a scary leap between 800m to 3 miles but it is one competition I strive to thrive in. Lastly, if you are on the edge of joining Cross Country do it. I love getting to know this sport and push past my limits (for example, a minute PR).”.
11th Grade: “I did Track again and realized I like the competitive and social aspects”.
10th Grade: “I finally started running long distances to socialize with friends and realized fast that it was hard and a fun challenge I wanted to do”.
9th Grade: “I wrestled again in high school and found out I didn’t like to hurt others”.
8th Grade: “I thought my life would be nothing more than wrestling, I started dominating the mat and I got a crazy growth spurt.”
7th Grade: “I was a sloppy runner in Track and Field. I sadly chose sprinting and failed.”
Prior to 7th grade: “I wrestled in 6th grade and broke my arm in a dramatic match, I later wrestled in another match
pushing through the pain, before my last match my coach realized that something was wrong then subbed me out. I sadly didn’t wrestle another match that day.”
Jameson is the proud son of Katie and Patrick Coppejans. He is also the proud “Big Bro” to Elijah Coppejans who is a current Sophomore in High School.
Here are Jameson’s answers to his “Bell Ringer Questions: Nickname: “Jamo” School Clubs or other Organizations you have taken part in: “I am in the Marching Band and going into my third year of Track. Things I have done and led me to now, I was pretty active in the student council and in wrestling however I sought out an environment fit for me and honestly I tried a little bit of everything too much to say but I made a great family at cross country.”; Favorite Food: “Nutter Butters”; Favorite Movie: “Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them.”; Favorite Music (Genre or Group): “I may not look like it but I like white girl music and 2010s club music.”; Athletic Hero: “Jakob Ingerbrigtsen”. Here is what a Google Search had to say about Jakob (Jakob Asserson Ingebrigtsen is a Norwegian middle- and long-distance runner who is the world record holder in the short track 1500 meters, short track mile, 2000 meters, 3000 meters, and two miles. He won gold medals in the 1500 metes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and in the 5000 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics): Favorite Quote: “I swear everyday I will strive be better, and encourage others to do the same (Me)”.; ”How Did You Decide to Join the XC Team?: “Self pressure and to stay fit, honestly I think I just told many people I would do Cross Country and now I pressured myself into one of the greatest teams of my life”.; What Advice Do You Have for Anyone New to the Sport?: “When you step out of your comfort zone in practice and push yourself past your limits the race is the easiest day of the week. Know this once you race, you have no limits, because your hard work will pay off and you can take what you want. All you have to do after all that is make your
wish and take it.”
Other team members who were nominated and discussed for this week’s “Bell Ringer Award” were: Aidan Bries, Fritz Bolme, Henley Bourne, Graysen Carlson, Rylan Carlson, Greyson Claerhout, Kael McCord, Jaxson Sottos, & Phoenix Sottos.
Comment from Head Coach Todd Ehlert: “Jameson has been a great addition to the team this year. This is his first year of Cross Country. He is having a great year. He has a ton of potential and is a really hard worker and it is showing on the course. He had a huge minute PR last week and hopefully will continue to get better.”
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LEAFS F/S CLAIM TEAM SILVER
Pictured is the 2nd place Geneseo F/S Team. Front row: Cole Henson, Fritz Bolme, Henley Bourne, Rylan Carlson,
Kael McCord, Row 2: Jaxson Sottos (medalist in the Varsity Race), Noah Arnold, & Greyson Claerhout
VARSITY PLACES 9TH
On Saturday, September 27th, the Leafs traveled to Sterling’s Hoover Park to participate in the annual Rock River Cross Country Invitational. The meet included teams from: Belvidere, Belvidere North, Cambridge (Co-Op), Dixon, Eastland, Freeport, Geneseo, Geneva, Kaneland, LaSalle-Peru, Morrison, Ottawa, Peoria Richwoods, Princeton, Rochelle, Rock Falls, Rock Island, Sandwich, Sterling, Sterling (Newman) Sycamore, & Yorkville. The teams were treated to an amazing day weather-wise. The daytime high was in the 80’s with the Varsity race time temperature in the 60’s. The course was hard and fast and the dew point was in the 50’s.
Several of the Leafs Top 7 were competing in the F/S Division later in the meet. Thus, the Varsity team wasn’t full-strength. The Maple Leafs are still “Flying under the radar” as far as the Illinois State XC media is concerned. It should also be pointed out that the course for this meet was changed last year from 3 miles to 5k. Thus, all of the Top 25 lists had to be scrapped and we had to start over. Bummer. On a positive note, the individual medals number returned to 30 after dropping to 15 last year.
On to the racing. The Varsity Boys race took off at 9:35 sharp. Senior Leader Jaxson Sottos led the way and ran as the firstmGHS Senior for the course (he already has the 2nd fastest time ever for a Maple Leaf of any grade from last year…16:24.) He placed 19th overall and earned a highly prized “Top 30 Finisher Medal”. Great stuff, Jaxson. Championship meet season is just around the corner. Get ready to FLY!.
Next up was Senior Leader Graysen Carlson who sprinted across the finish line in 36th place, barely missing “Hardware”. He was timed in 17:26 which moved him into 4th on the All-Time GHS Top 25 list and into 3rd for GHS Seniors. Great Racing, Graysen. Your desire is on display every time you “Lace em up”. Keep up the great job. Championship Meet Fever….”Catch It”.
Senior Leader Aidan Bries continued his bounce back after battling illness and injury for the last several weeks. He placed 48th overall and was timed in 17:39. That time moved him into the #5 All-Time spot on the GHS Top 25 list for the course and #4 Senior. Great Stuff, Aidan. It will be a lot of fun to put our full-strength varsity squad next weekend in Freeport. Get ready for the Championship Meet Season to arrive. Keep Leading Us. Time to FLY!!!
Next up was Senior Leader Kaden Elmer who “Stopped the Watch” at 17:57 which was just off his personal best on the course of 17:55. Kaden placed 59th overall in the race. He “Owns” the #7 All-Time spot for the course (any grade level) and moved into the #5 Senior spot. Kaden has been a key member of the team ever since he joined the squad as a Freshman. Expect nothing less from this seasoned veteran. All the best, Kaden. Keep “Dreaming Big” and backing those dreams up with the commitment that excellence demands.
Junior Drum Major Connor Runty was the final Maple Leaf to sprint across the finish line. He was timed in 22:18 and placed 150th overall in the race. Connor will be racing on this course one more time when the Leafs return for the Sterling 09/JV Invitational on Tuesday, October 21st. Before then, get ready to “Drop the Hammer” at Freeport and Metamora before “Toeing da Line” at home for the WB-6 Conference Meet. All the best, Connor.
When the team scores had been tabulated, the Leafs found themselves in 9th place out of 22 teams. Great job, Men. If you had the F/S crew racing with you….well, you get the idea. Fear not…..the correct choice was made.
F/S SQUAD CLAIMS ROCK RIVER SILVER
The F/S boys race was the final high school race on the day (there were middle school races that followed). By the time that the F/S race started at 10:45 a.m. the temperature had climbed well into the 70’s. Surprisingly, only 10 of the 22 teams in the field were able to field at least 5 F/S runners to field a scoring team. The Leafs didn’t let any of that bother them. They got out well and raced to win. Only 3A powerhouse Geneva was able to best the Maple Leafs. Their Varsity team wasn’t even at the meet. They ran their JV team and only placed 16th as a team. Their F/S team ran way faster than their Varsity team. Oh well.
Sophomore Henley Bourne was a part of the lead pack for every step of the race and ended up winning the race. He was timed in 17:25 and ended up winning by over 6 seconds after a close battle for most of the race. His time of 17:25 is a new Sophomore GHS school record for the course. His time also moves him into the #3 All-Time slot. Great racing, Henley. Henley is enjoying a strong season and it is going to be a LOT of fun to see what he and his teammates can accomplish in the coming weeks. Passion & Purpose. Keep “Dreaming Big”. Ready, Set, GO!!!
Not too far behind was Sophomore Greyson Claerhout who ROARED on the day. He led for a bit and was in the lead pack for most of the race. Cool Stuff. Greyson’s time of 17:42 moved him into the #6 All-Time sport for a GHS Runner. He is also the new #2 Sophomore. Greyson has really been on a roll lately and has provided the Leafs with omnipotent depth. Keep believing in yourself and breaking through to new levels. Don’t forget to enjoy the ride. “Championship Meet Fever”. In the words of one of my all-time favorite songs…..”I believe it’s time for me to fly” by REO Speedwagon. “Just Do It”. All the Best.
Next up was fellow “Super-Soph” Kael McCord who joined Henley & Greyson in the TOP TEN. Kael placed 6th overall in the race and was timed in 17:57 and really closed HARD. He moved himself into 8th on the GHS All-Time list and #3 Sophomore. Great Stuff, Kael. It has been awesome to watch these “Super-Sophs” just keep improving. Championship Meet Season is going to be a LOT of FUN. Enjoy running with the “Big Dogs” in Freeport. F/S action in Metamora will follow before the WB-6 at home and then the IHSA State Series. Keep “Dreaming Big” All the Best.
Sophomore Fritz Bolme was one of the biggest surprises of the day as he “Ran Wild”. Fritz sprinted home in 19:42 and placed 29th overall…..Yup….Top 30 Medals to the Maple Leafs Top FOUR. That’s amazing. Men. Fritz is now sitting in the #13 All-Time spot and is now the #7 Sophomore EVER on the course. The dude is simply “On Fire”. He inspired the whole team. Get ready to race for a “Pretzel” in Freeport (Top 5 Finishers) in the JV race. Keep up the great work, Dude. The Geneseo “Super-Sophs” are for Real. You are a critical member of that group. Also, thanks for being such a great guy. Team First Always!
Not far behind was Sophomore Rylan Carlson who was running a great race himself. Rylan finished in 38th place and barely missed a Top 30 medal himself. Rylan was timed in 20:08. He is now the 15th fastest Maple Leaf EVER on the course (All-Tme List) while climbing into #8 on the Sophomore list. Rylan’s improvement from last year is truly “Jaw-Dropping”. He has demonstrated powerful levels of both Passion and Purpose on a daily basis. Keep up the great work, Rylan. All the best in the coming weeks as you roll into Peak Form. Don’t be afraid to “GO FOR IT!”
Next up for the Leafs was “Rookie” Noah Arnold who sprinted across the finish line in 23:03 and placed 74th overall in the race. Noah moved himself into the number 11 spot on the GHS Sophomore Top 25 List. Great Stuff, Noah. Noah has battled a nasty case of shin splints for several weeks now. He has been a tremendous addition to the team. His work ethic and dedication level are both impressive. All the best in your remaining races as the season begins to wind down. Keep leading by example….it is simply the most effective way to do it. Do as I do…..not just as I say. TEAM!
Not far behind was fellow “Rookie” Super-Soph member Cole Henson. Cole placed 80th overall in the field and was timed in 23:31. Cole’s time moved him into the #12 Sophomore spot on the GHS Top 25 List for the course. Pretty impressive stuff for a first year man. Cole has been a true pleasure to have on the team. His smile is infectious. It has also been a lot of fun watching him improve during the course of the season. Keep up the good work, Cole. Thanks for being such a great guy. You have helped make the 2025 Geneseo Maple Leaf Cross Country Team a BETTER Team. Thank You.
Freshman Phoenix Sottos has also been “On Fire”. He has been improving by meteoric levels. He sprinted across the finish line in 99th place and was timed in 26:35. Remember, this was a 5K…..not a 3 mile race (significantly LONGER.) Yet, he still, almost, nailed a personal best time. He barely missed his time from Galesburg…but this course was LONGER. Personal Best for sure. I also had the pleasure of being near several of his siblings as he sprinted home. The Sottos Family simply does it right…. Lots of love and support for all. Keep up the great work, Phoenix. You are an inspiration to us all.
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SENIOR KADEN ELMER SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Senior Kaden Elmer who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the
Geneseo Cross Country Invitational
SENIOR KADEN ELMER “RINGS da Bell”
Senior Kaden Elmer was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the Geneseos Cross Country Invitational held on Saturday, September 20th. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
The meet was held at Geneseo’s Richmond Hill Park. Later in the season, the Leafs will host the Western Big 6 Conference Meet on Thursday, October 16th and the IHSA Sectional Meet on Saturday November 1st. Gaining as much experience on the course is omnipotent. The Leafs have the luxury of being able to train on the course whenever they choose. However, racing on it is a bit trickier and hosting so many meets is a true plus for this year’s team.
Kaden ran a tremendous race in the Senior Class Division and ended up placing 12th overall in the race. He was timed in a quick 17:39 for the challenging course. His efforts not only earned him another Geneseo High School Cross Country Top 20 Finisher Medal (I believe he has earned one all four years) but it also helped the Leafs Senior Class claim GOLD. That’s right, they won the Senior Division. That is a tremendous feat. The field for the Invite has gotten tougher each year. The fact that Coach Ehlert was able to get Geneseo put into the Sectional & Regional rotation for host sites is the reason. Anyway, this year’s field was very strong and included Morton for the first time. They are ranked near the very top in 2A and won every single class division EXCEPT the Senior Race. Way to Go!!!
Kaden’s ran a solid race and was timed in 17:39. He covered the first mile in 5:44 which included climbing the “Barn Hill”. He rolled through mile two in 5:58 and then closed his race with a 5:55. He averaged 5:53 for the challenging course. His time of 17:39 moved him into the number 15 spot on the GHS All-Time top 25 list for the Richmond Hill Park Course. It also moved him into the number 7 Senior spot. Look for him to climb even higher as he will still have two more chances to race on the course. Kaden has been a key member of the team ever since he joined us his Freshman year. He has earned Varsity Letters in both XC and Track & Field each and every year. He is also a great guy and our team is extremely fortunate to have him on the squad. The team has stated some lofty season goals. Those goals include winning the WB-6 Conference Crown at home and advancing to the State Finals via the Geneseo IHSA Sectional. All the best, Kaden. We hope that you and your teammates can make those dreams come to fruition.
Here is what Kaden had to say about his athletic history.
12th Grade: “PR so far has been 17:17 at Moline.”
11th Grade: “A somewhat disappointing year with yet another mile time of 4:57 and another 17:00 for XC. While somewhat disappointing, it was also the most fun and encouraging year as the 4-horsemen were mere seconds away from qualifying in the 4×800. I ran a 2:10. Went to State again for Cross with a low 17:00 time”.
10th Grade: “Had a pretty solid improvement from freshman year with a time of 17:00 for XC. Track stayed the exact same in the mile with another 4:57 and a 2:12 in the 800. Went to State again for Cross where I ran 17:00 in beautiful weather”.
9th Grade: “Finally broke 5:00 in the mile with a 4:57 and ran a 2:11 800 at Sectionals. Jaxson Sottos came out of nowhere in XC beating me at the Rustbuster. That was the year most people seemed to catch up to me. I ran 17:40s for a PR that year. I went to State for XC but only because of the “hitman” I hired, Aidan Bries, taking out Sam Mosbarger for me during basketball”.
8th Grade: “Some people say I peaked in middle school with a mile time of 5:09. Cross Country I ran 12:10 for 2 miles going to State with Jack Mickley. The team did not qualify”.
7th Grade: “Ran something like 5:50 for the mile. Nothing too crazy and something like mid 12 for Cross country. Dylan Gehl and I qualified for State, but due to Covid we didn’t go”.
Prior to 7th grade: “Played rec league Baseball for 3 years when I was in grade school. Then played more rec league for Soccer in 5th and 6th. Wasn’t very good but enjoyed them both”.
Kaden is the proud son of Josh and Kari Elmer. He is also the proud “Baby Bro” of Anthony 26 and Hope, 24. He is also the proud “Big Bro” to Gabrielle, 21, Reese 14, Hallie 12.
Here are Kaden’s answers to his “Bell Ringer Questions: Nickname: “Elmberg” School Clubs or other Organizations you have taken part in: “I can’t think of hardly any. Maybe a couple bible studies but that’s about it”.; Favorite Food: “Spicy chicken sandwiches”; Favorite Movie: “3:10 To Yuma (Western)”.; Favorite Music (Genre or Group): “The Offspring”. Here is what a Google Search had to share: “The Offspring is an American rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Bryan “Dexter” Holland, lead guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy, and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. The Offspring is often credited (alongside fellow California punk bands Green Day, NOFX, Bad Religion, Rancid, and Pennywise) for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock during the mid-1990s. During their 41-year career, the Offspring has released eleven studio albums and sold more than 45 million records,[5][6] making them one of the best-selling punk rock bands”.; Athletic Hero: “My athletic hero is my Geneseo Assistant Coach Jeff Brown”. (Coach Brown has been a MAJOR force on the road racing scene in the QCA and Midwest for decades. He has earned numerous All-American Honors.); Favorite Quote: “There’s a reason other sports punish their athletes with ours”.; ”How Did You Decide to Join the XC Team?: “Eric States convinced me to do it, and as a bored 7th grader, I did. I had always known I had a thing for running however, as I enjoyed casual road races and did quite well in them for my age.”.; What Advice Do You Have for Anyone New to the Sport?: “Running’s not for everyone. It’s hard and you don’t get a lot of credit. You’re probably gonna be skinny and it’s for sure gonna hurt. It’s different from other sports though. You can have the most fun running, whether it’s finding various bodies of water and screaming into a cam recorder or playing “Crossy Road” as you go to find lunch. Cross Country’s hard but it’s definitely worth it. Make sure to put in effort at practices and always find another level during the meets. Down that milkshake, kill the “little man”, and remember to always drink water”.
Other team members who were nominated and discussed for this week’s “Bell Ringer Award” were: Aidan Bries, Fritz Bolme, Henley Bourne, Graysen Carlson, Rylan Carlson, Greyson Claerhout, Micah Johnson, Cole Henson, Kael McCord, Jaxson Sottos, & Phoenix Sottos.
Comment from Head Coach Todd Ehlert: “Kaden Elmer has had an awesome career at GHS. We are excited to see how his senior year turns out. He has been fortunate to run at state his first three years. His first year at state was a memorable one. Running in 3-6 inches of mud in spots, he lost a shoe and continued to run with one shoe for 2 and 3/4 miles. Kaden has been a huge part of the program and continues to give it his all this year. Keep working hard and Dreaming Big, Kaden!“.
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SENIOR DAY AT GENESEO XC INVITE
Pictured are (Front Row) Kaden Elmer & Graysen Carlson.
2nd Row: Jameson Coppejans, Calvin Bell, Aidan Bries, Jaxson Sottos
SENIORS WIN GOLD AS LEAFS 5TH OVERALL
On Saturday, September 20th, the Leafs played host to their annual Geneseo Cross Country Invitational. The meet was held at Geneseo’s Richmond Hill Park. The meet format offers competition for each grade level (girls & boys). Individual medals were awarded to the top 20 finishers. In addition, the team champion in each division (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior) was also awarded a team championship plaque. Then, all of the gender team scores were added up and a girls and boys combined championship plaque was also awarded. Then, the girls overall combined score was added to the boys overall combined score to result in the overall combined champion. Plaques were awarded to the top 3 teams. The idea for the meet came from Coach Dick Kloepfer (ITCCCA Hall of Famer) at Crystal Lake Central High School in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago (closer to Wisconsin actually).
The field included teams from: Davenport (West), Dixon (Girls Only), Geneseo, Lemont, Macomb, Moline, Morton, Princeton, Rivermont Collegiate (Boys Only), Rock Falls, Rock Island, Rock Island (Alleman), Sterling, Tinley Park, United Township, & Wheaton (W-Warrenville) South (Girls Only). The teams were treated to near-perfect conditions. There was no wind and the course was hard and fast (despite a bit of rain the night before). The race time temperature was in the mid 60’s. What a difference from last Saturday (daytime high of 97˚). Maple Leaf Head Boys Coach Todd Ehlert “tweaked” the meet when he took over the program in the fall of 2018. He combined the Freshman and Sophomore race starts and did the same thing with the Junior and Senior races. The girls started a few minutes after the boys to have separation in the races. The move cut the meet’s duration in half. Good Move, Coach. Also, since Coach Ehlert achieved putting Geneseo on the Regional & Sectional Meet rotation a LOT of teams wanted the get into this meet. Racing on a championship meet site early in the season provides a plethora of positives and is certainly adventageous.
FRESHMAN RACE: On to the races. I will discuss the races by class. First up was the Freshman Boys race. The Freshmen and Sophomores started at 9:00 a.m. sharp. The Leafs only have one Freshman on the team. We are proud to have him. Phoenix Sottos placed 46th overall and was timed in 27:55 for the challenging Richmond Hill Park course. The way that Cross Country meets are scored is to add up the each team’s top 5 runners places. Each team’s 6th and 7th runners are also factored into the scoring as they are “pushers” and add points to other teams totals. Low score wins. For this meet we used “Unlimited Pushers” (EVERY RUNNER) effects the team score. We also utilized “Ghost Runners” to fill out a scoring 5. Thus, for the Freshmen, the Leafs had to use 4 “Ghost Runners”. There were 48 runners in the race so the Leafs added 49, 50, 51, & 52 to get a team score. The Leafs placed 14th overall in the Freshman Division.
SOPHOMORE RACE: Henley Bourne led the GHS Sophomores with a strong 2nd place finish. He was timed in 16:58 which is the new #2 time on the course for a GHS Runner EVER. He, and his teammates will have two more opportunities to race at home (Conference & SECTIONAL….if we qualify for the Sectional meet). Next up was Greyson Claerhout who sprinted home in 7th place. He was timed in 17:54 and now ranks #11 on the GHS Sophomore Top 25 list. Kael McCord wasn’t far behind as he sprinted home in 13th place and was timed in 18:30. His time moved him into 14th place on the GHS Sophomore Top 25 List for the course. All three men earned a highly coveted Top 20 Finisher Medal. Way to roll. Men.
Fritz Bolme and Rylan Carlson sprinted home next for the Maple Leafs. They placed 28th and 31st overall and were timed in 19:39 and 19:55 respectively. They now rank as the 21st and 22nd fastest Sophomores EVER on the Richmond Hill Park Course. Great Stuff, Men. The Leafs’ “Super-Sophs” are living up to their reputation. Joining in on the fun were Cole Henson and Noah Arnold who placed 41st and 47th overall. They were timed in 21:40 and 23:10 respectively. Great Races, Men. When the “Dust had Settled” and the team points were tabulated, the GHS Sophomores had placed 2nd to State Powerhouse Morton. The Leafs scored 81 points to beat ton of great teams. Morton won with 46 points.
JUNIOR RACE: The Junior & Senior Race started at 9:45 a.m. sharp. Leading the Maple Leaf Junior Team was Micah Johnson who “Stopped the Clock” at 21:03. He placed 30th overall in the race. Jacob Berry wasn’t far behind as he sprinted across the finish line in 35th place and was timed in 21:44. Connor Runty was the final Junior for the Maple Leafs. He placed 39th overall and was timed in 23:25. The Leafs had to add two “Ghost Runners” to their team score which ended up placing them in 9th place. Their team score was 208. Way to Race, Men.
SENIOR RACE: State Power Morton was 3 for 3 and hoping to win the final division. They gave it everything they had but the Maple Leafs pulled off the upset and beat Morton 71-78. The Leafs were led by Jaxson Sottos who placed 3rd overall in the race and was timed in 16:40. That moved Jaxson into the #3 Senior EVER on the Richmond Hill Park course. Next up Graysen Carlson who placed 11th overall in the race and was timed in 17:36. His time placed him in 6th place on the Richmond Hill Park Top 25 Senior List. Not far behind was Kaden Elmer who sprinted home in 12th place and was timed in 17:39. That time moved Kaden into the #7 spot on the Richmond Hill Park Top 25 Senior List. Joining in on the fun was Aidan Bries who “Stopped the Clock” at 18:01 and placed 16th overall in the race. In case you’re not counting, that is 4 Maple Leafs in the Top 20 (Earning Individual Medals) Way to Go, Men. Aidan’s time was 18:01 and moved him into the #10 spot on the GHS Senior Top 25 list for the course.
“Rookie” Jameson Coppejans was the Leafs’ 5th man on the day and sprinted home in 29th place. He was timed in 21:17. Calvin Bell wasn’t far behind and placed 31st overall. He was timed in 22:25. Great Racing, Men. How cool was it to win the Senior Division on SENIOR DAY! We are VERY PROUD of Each of You.
When all of the boys team scores were added together the Leafs found themselves in 5th place. Then, when the overall boys and girls points were tabulated, Geneseo placed 5th overall there too. The field of teams was impressive and you should be very proud of your efforts.
Hats off to Coach Ehlert with all of the meet preparation. The meet went off with zero issues. The course was in great shape and Shazam Timing did a tremendous job with the results. The 1 mile and 2 mile split pads were AWESOME. Also, a “Shout Out” to all of the individuals who volunteered to help with the meet. It literally takes an Army to put on an Invitational. We will need more of the same as the Leafs will host the WB-6 Conference Meet on Thursday, October 16th and the IHSA Sectional Meet on Saturday, November 1st.
Next up for the Maple Leafs is a trip to Sterling for the annual Sterling Rock River Run Invitational. The meet offers a great mix of entries and the Hoover Park course is a great venue. All the best in the coming weeks, Men. Keep up the great work. Take care and God Bless.
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SENIOR GRAYSEN CARLSON SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Senior Graysen Carlson who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the
First to the Finish Cross Country Invitational
SENIOR GRAYSEN CARLSON “RINGS da Bell”
Senior Graysen Carlson was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the 1st to the Finish Cross Country Invitational held on Saturday, September 13th. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
The meet was held at Peoria’s Historic Detweiller Park. The IHSA hosts the STATE FINALS there later in season. 21 of the Top 25 ranked 2A schools were in the huge field. On the day there were 4,512 finishers in all of the races. In the 2A Boys race there were 554 finishers. Graysen has been “On Fire” all season long. Not all seniors embrace the opportunity to be a team leader. Graysen is “All In” in both practices and races. He has already decided on his collegiate choice and plans on competing at the “Next Level”. He has been running as the Leafs’ #3 man for most of the season. His emergence has really helped provide the Maple Leaf line-up with critical depth. The Maple Leafs have stated some lofty team goals. Competing for the conference championship and making a return trip the the State Finals top that list. Graysen is in a great position to help make those dreams come to fruition.
Graysen and the rest of the 2A field raced in the warmest conditions on the day. The clouds went away for the 2A races and man did it warm up. The daytime high was 97˚. There also hadn’t been any significant rain for weeks and the course was rock hard and fast. It was also extremely dusty. You could actually see the dust cloud hanging in the air. Oh well, everyone raced in the same conditions. Graysen got out nicely and rolled through the first mile in a quick 5:12. He then “threw down” a 5:54 second mile as the temperature rose. I witnessed his big left turn to parallel Illinois Route 29 for the final time. He was flying but caught a spike and took one of the hardest falls in a race that I have EVER seen. He twisted in the air and actually landed on his right shoulder (hard to do when you take a Left Turn). He tucked and rolled and popped right back up. He experienced an adrenaline rush from the fall but paid for the experience dearly in the final 600 meters of the race. He fought bravely and hit a 6:17 for his final mile. He was timed in 17:24 and averaged 5:47 per mile. Hopefully, you will get another chance to race at Detweiller, Graysen. The only way for that to happen will be for the team to qualify for the State Meet. Make It Happen.
Here is what Graysen had to say about his athletic history.
12th Grade: “Some sports accomplishments that I have done for my senior year so far are medaling in 3 out of the 4 races so far this season, and my goal is to medal in at least 80 percent of my races. Another accomplishment that I have done is growing closer with my fellow teammates, hanging out all the time, and making each other better. That is one of my biggest accomplishments this year.”
11th Grade: “Some sports accomplishments that I did in my 11th grade year in Cross Country were running at State in general and getting a PR of 16:30. Also, getting 2nd All-Conference and placing 14th out of 142 guys that ran, and also getting second at Conference as a team were big accomplishments for me. Then, breaking the 17-minute barrier only 2 times in a 3-mile race, but that’s okay, I’m just happy that I broke it. Then I played Basketball, and in the first varsity game, I hit a half-court shot in the last couple of seconds of the game. And I got my varsity letter. And during Basketball season, I was still putting in 25-mile weeks (running) so I could stay in shape for Track and Field because I wanted to be the best that I could be. Then it was Track season!!!!! I finally broke 5 minutes in the mile during a race I ran, 4:58.92. And then I was just hungry for more. But by the end of the year, I ran 4:51.26 in the mile in 30 mph winds!! It was really bad. Also, I really loved the 2 miles, which is probably one of my favorite things to do in Track. I ran 10:18.27, which was huge for me. I medaled in a ton of races that season, and then I got hurt, which I was out for 2 weeks, and then we had Sectional, which I ran the 4×800 meter relay, and we needed the top 2 to go to State, and we got 3rd and lost by 6 seconds, and I had a 2:05.35 split, BUT!!! We still got 3rd at Sectionals and medaled”.
10th Grade: “This was my first year of Cross Country, and some of my accomplishments were just joining in general and winning my first race at the Freeport invite. And my PR at the time was 17:33 that season, which was not good but was really good for me, and for my first season was awesome. I medaled a ton and just tried to stay with the top guys at the time. Also, I broke the 18-minute barrier, which was awesome for me, and we did go to State, but I did not run; it was awesome to just be there and watch our fellow runners and friends run and cheer them on. And we also won Conference this year. Then I played Basketball, I got Most Inspirational and a Varsity Letter, and I think I had a very successful year for Basketball even though we only won 2 to 3 games, but that’s okay, I still had fun and scored lots of points for my team. Then there was Track and Field, which was really fun, and I ran the mile a ton and the 800-meter run. My times were: 5:02.56, in the mile a 11:17.56 in the 2 mile, and 2:14.0 in the 800 meter run.”
9th Grade: “I played Basketball, where I had my first 20-point game ever, and we won because of me, and we went 12 for 21 games for Fresh/Sofh. I did Track and Field, I did Long Jump and 200m, and 100m run. My best Long Jump was 17ft and 4in, and I did that in Sectionals. My 200m was 26.22, and my 100-meter best was 12.75 my freshman year. I was more into sprints than long distance”.
8th Grade: “I do not really remember a lot from 8th grade. I know I played Basketball, but I did not play a lot because I was not that good. But I did do Track, and I ran the mile like 3 times, and I ran a 5:40 mile, which was super surprising for me back in the day.”
7th Grade: Nothing Listed
Prior to 7th grade: Nothing Listed
Graysen is the proud son of Brandon and Adrianne Carlson. He is also the proud “Baby Bro” of brother Aiden who is a GHS graduate who is 21. (He cuts hair and gives tattoos.) He is also the proud “Big Bro” to Aliyah, who is 14 and a freshman in high school. Braylee, who is 9 and a 4th grader in elementary school.
Here are Graysen’s answers to his “Bell Ringer Questions: Nickname: “Grayhound” School Clubs or other Organizations you have taken part in: “I don’t do any, sorry”.; Favorite Food: “My favorite food is spaghetti sandwiches because the way my mom makes them, they are so good!! “; Favorite Movie: “My favorite movie/TV show is The Walking Dead. I used to watch it as a kid, and then I forgot about it, and then I re-watched it for like 4 weeks straight and watched all the seasons and episodes. Best TV show created”.; Favorite Music (Genre or Group): “My favorite music is rap or Christian rap because it just interests me, and it’s a good vibe”.; Athletic Hero: My athletic hero is my Grandpa, John Thompson. He is my athletic hero because he is the one who always wanted me to run and would take me to races, and would encourage me to run at my full potential. Also, he would correct my form and check my heart rate and just everything so that I can be the best that I can be. Thank you”. (Johnny Thompson has been a MAJOR force in the QCA in both Triathlons & Road Racing for DECADES.): Favorite Quote: You don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t. “Tom Brady”. How Did You Decide to Join the XC Team?: “I decided to join the Cross Country team because I loved to run, and I wanted to pursue running, and I just wanted to make friends”.; What Advice Do You Have for Anyone New to the Sport?: “Have fun, it goes by fast. Love every second of it and be engaged in everything during the season. And if you put in the work during the off-season, you will get a lot better”.
Other team members who were nominated and discussed for this week’s “Bell Ringer Award” were: Aidan Bries, Fritz Bolme, Henley Bourne, Rylan Carlson, Greyson Claerhout, Kaden Elmer, Micah Johnson, Kael McCord, Jaxson Sottos.
Comment from Head Coach Todd Ehlert: “Graysen Carlson has been a huge part of our team the last three years. He was a great addition his sophomore year for our program. He has big goals this year and has really improved from last year. His leadership this summer was perfect and all the seniors have been working great together to focus this team on a positive year. He is a tough kid, as shown by his crash at Detweiller and finishing the race. With his hard work and incredible attitude, we see awesome things happening for Graysen“.
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FIRST TO FINISH CROSS COUNTRY INVITE
Pictured is the entrance sign to historic Detweiller Park.
LEAFS 27th IN 64 TEAM 2A RACE
On Saturday, September 13th, the Leafs traveled to Peoria’s Historic Detweiller Park to participate in the HUGE First to the Finish Invitational. The field included 64 scoring teams (at least 5 runners on a team) and saw 554 finishers in the 2A Boys Race. The numbers on the day for the meet are simply “Jaw Dropping”. Over 300 teams competed in the 3 Divisions (1A, 2A, & 3A.) There were 4,512 race finishers (many more started but not all finished the race). The main reason for that was the unseasonably warm weather. The daytime high reached 97˚ with a dew point close to 70˚. The 2A boys race saw a the thermometer reach 86˚. The wind was light but the conditions were extremely hot. Adding to the challenge was the fact that Illinois has seen hardly any rain for weeks. Thus, the “Dust Bowl” was in effect as the runners created literal clouds of dust. Why does the team put up with all of the challenges that this meet presents? The chance to run on the course in September. We feel strongly, that this opportunity is omnipotent. The main goal of each season is to “Toe the Line” when early November rolls around for the IHSA STATE FINALS. The Leafs have qualified 5 straight years and hope to make it 6. They will host an IHSA Sectional which should be a HUGE plus.
The pre-meet article by Illinois Running News mentioned that 21 of the top 25 ranked 2A boys were in the field. The team competition was pretty loaded also. There were a large number of ranked teams in all of the divisions. Well over 10,000 spectators also were in attendance. What a great day to be a Cross Country runner. Once again, the weather conditions were far from ideal but the everything else was awesome. Team trophies were awarded to the Top 5 Teams while Individual Finisher Medals were awarded to the Top 50. Not an easy assignment considering the impressive depth in each race. The 1A Division allowed unlimited entries. Thus, their entire team was allowed to race. In the 2A and 3A Divisions, only the Top 10 runners for each team was allowed to race in the Varsity Race. All additional athletes had to run in the Open (Junior Varsity) races. The girls race started at 10:40 a.m. while the boys race took off at 11:20 a.m. The girls Open race had 648 finishers while the boys race saw 1104 runners “Break the Tape”. Coach Ehlert decided a few years ago to only race the Leafs’ Top10. The rest of the team had the weekend off from racing but were invited to attend anyway. Several guys did just that. Way to go, Men!
On to the race. The 2A boys race started at 10:00 a.m. sharp. Sophomore Henley Bourne, once again, led the Leafs. He has been the team’s number one man in every race to date. Henley placed 76th (554 total finishers) and was timed in 16:13. The Detweiller Park Top 25 Lists go back to the early 70’s and are the closest thing we have to a school record listing. The lists are Hard to “Crack”. Henley’s time moved him into the 14th Fastest Sophomore EVER on the course. Hopefully, he will have another opportunity to better his time on Saturday, November 8th in the IHSA State Finals. Keep it rolling, Henley.
Next up for the Leafs was Senior Leader Jaxson Sottos who finished a mere 6 seconds behind Henley. Jaxson has been the Leafs’ number two man all season long and has run side by side with Henley in every race to date. He was timed in 16:19 on the warm day and placed 79th overall. That gave the Leafs two men in the top 100 and was a great start to the team scoring in the huge field. Expect this Senior to be on the move in the coming weeks as the Leafs inch closer to “Championship Meet Season”. Jaxson is a “Gamer”. Ready, Set, GO!!!
With about 1200 meters to go I witnessed Senior Leader Graysen Carlson take one of the hardest falls that I have EVER seen in a race. He was turning left to parallel Route 29 for the final time when his spike caught a root and tripped him. He spun in air and fell heavily on his right shoulder. Amazingly, he rolled and bounced back up instantly. Pretty amazing stuff. The intense adrenaline surge helped him rebound but cost him in the final 400 meters. He was timed in 17:23 and placed 194th overall. Gutsy Race, Graysen. Way to lead via example.
Fellow “Greyhound” Greyson Claerhout was the next man up for the Leafs and sprinted home as the Leafs’ 4th man. His time was 17:28 and he placed 205th overall in the race. This Sophomore has provided the team valuable depth and continues to improve by leaps and bounds. The team has some lofty season goals and Greyson is in a position to help make those dreams come to fruition. Keep up the good work.
Fellow Sophomore Kael McCord sprinted home as the Maple Leafs’ 5th man and “Stopped da Clock” at 17:41. He placed 232 in the race. Kael also has provided the Leafs with a plethora of critical team depth. We know that Kaden and Aidan will rebound from injuries and illness. When they do, LOOK OUT! By the way, Kael took off almost 3 minutes from his previous best of 20:32 on the Detweiller 3 mile course. That is AMAZING! Keep up the great job, Kael.
Senior Kaden Elmer was the Leafs’ 6th man on the day and was bouncing back from a nasty case of poison ivy and a sore hip. He looked a lot more like himself and “Broke the Tape” in 17:44 to place 242nd overall in the race. Kaden has been a key member of the Leafs’ Top 7 for his entire career. The experience that he has “Under his Belt” is priceless. Look for him to be one of the key factors in the Leafs making a DEEP Post Season Run. The dude is 100% team. Keep leading, Kaden, and get ready for cooler weather to roll in. You are gonna FLY!
The Leafs’ reining “Bell Ringer” was the next man to cross the finish line. Sophomore Fritz Bolme ended up being the number 7 man on the VARSITY TEAM. Way to Roll, Fritz. He was timed in 19:09 and placed 398th in the race. Not too bad for his first time EVER on the 3 mile course. Fritz is one of the hardest workers on the team and it is extremely rewarding all of his hard work paying dividends. Keep up the good work, Fritzy.
Sophomore Rylan Carlson was the next man up for the Maple Leafs and sprinted across the finish line in 401st place. He was timed in 19:11. Rylan’s improvement from last year is simply “Jaw-Dropping”. What has he done to accomplish his meteoric rise? The answer is simple. He has simply dedicated himself to “Stacking” week after week of consistent training and not listening to “The Little Man”. Great Job, Rylan. You are an inspiration to us all. It is going to be a Lot of Fun to see just how fast you can run by the end of the season. GHS’s Super-Sophs are FOR REAL.
Senior Leader Aidan Bries was the next man to cross the finish line. He was timed in 19:26 and placed 410th overall in the race. He has been battling illness and was under strict instructions from Head GHS Boys XC Coach Todd Ehlert to run “Tempo” the race at 6:30 pace. He “owed” 1 pushup for every second he was off 19:30 at the end. When the race was over Aidan “owed” 4 pushups and had a ginormous smile on his face. Mission accomplished. If the Leafs are going to accomplish all of their stated team championship meet season goals, Aidan will be one of the major factors. The dude has a plethora of big meet experience and has the “It Factor”. Get ready to “Lac’em Up” and ROLL. LEADERSHIP!!!
Running in the number 10 spot for the Leafs was Junior Micah Johnson. “da Little Yohansson” sprinted home in a time of 19:43 and placed 446 in the talented field. Micah has really been coming on and it was great to see him run a solid race in such a competitive field. Keep up the good work, Micah. Cooler weather and great racing opportunities are just around the corner. You are in a unique position to really have a HUGE impact on the outcome of the season. Keep leading via example. Thanks for being such a great guy. Passion & Purpose are omnipotent.
When the “Dust had Settled”, the Leafs found themselves in 27th place as a team. 64 teams had at least 5 runners finish the race. Several teams didn’t . There were runners dropping out of the race left and right. Not GHS. All 10 men completed the race, including “Crash Carlson”. Great Stuff, Men. Trust the process and keep your eyes on the “Big Picture”. That is called “Championship Meet Season”.
The Leafs will next be in action when they host their own Invitational next Saturday (September 20th) at Geneseo’s Richmond Hill Park. All the best then and beyond, Men. We are extremely proud of each and every one of you.
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SOPHOMORE FRITZ BOLME SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Sophomore Fritz Bolme who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the
48th Annual Galesburg Silver Streak Cross Country Invitational
SOPHOMORE FRITZ BOLME “RINGS da Bell”
Sophomore Fritz Bolme was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the 48th Annual Galesburg Silver Streak Cross Country Invitational held on Saturday, September 6th. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
The Leafs entered the meet with two of their top 5 runners ill or injured. Senior Aidan Bries was held out due to illness and Senior Kaden Elmer was also held out of the race with a sore hip and swollen knee as a result of a nasty reaction to poison ivy. Those men would have run the Varsity Race if they had been able. Head Maple Leaf Coach Todd Ehlert has followed the long held Geneseo tradition of running all of the Maple Leaf freshmen and sophomores in the F/S race. We believe that is the right move to make and allows the youngster the chance to learn how to race. There was still a LOT of talent in the field with several state ranked programs in the race. The Leafs were hoping to contend for a F/S Top 3 team trophy but needed some guys to “Step Up” for that to occur. Mission accomplished. The team placed a strong 3rd behind state ranked Morton (34 points) & state ranked Peoria Notre Dame (69 points.) The Leafs totaled 80 points to grab the final team trophy.
The Leafs Super-Sophs simply got the job done. Sophomores Henley Bourne (3rd), Greyson Claerhout (7th), and Kael McCord (10th) each earned a highly coveted “Top 20” F/S Finisher Medal. Fritz ran a tremendous race himself and placed 24th overall, barely missing individual hardware. He was a mere 5 seconds away from “Hardware”. Great Stuff. He was timed in 18:45 for the challenging Lake Storey Park Course. His splits demonstrated impressive pace judgement. His first mile was run in 6:10. His 2nd mile was run in 6:13. The heat of the day was rising and most of the runners 3rd mile was their slowest. Fritz hit that mile in 6:26. His mile pace average was an impressive 6:16. Last year, Fritz’s best time on the course was 20:09. That means that he dropped his time by 1:24. Great racing, Fritz. His improvement from last year is impressive. Keep making wise decisions, Fritz. They are paying HUGE dividends. It is going to be a lot of fun watching Fritz chase his potential during the rest of this season and beyond. By the way, Fritz had the 6th fastest time on the day for the Maple Leafs OVERALL. Way to Roll, Fritzy.
Here is what Fritz had to say about his athletic history.
9th Grade: “had a lot of great races my freshman year for Cross Country, but my most memorable at the “Freshman State” meet where Henley Bourne, Greyson Clearhought, Kael McCord, and myself went 1-4 in that order.
I also did Track and Field, running the mile and 800. My final mile time of the season was 5:37, and my 800 was 2:24. I also ran the 2 mile once, and placed 4th for it at that meet, running at 12:34.“
8th Grade: “In 8th grade I ran at the state meet and was 5th on the team right behind one of my best friends, Aidan Daly. I ran a 13:13 for that meet which was the first time I improved from my 7th grade time of 13:27 for the 2 mile in Cross Country.
In 8th grade I also ran Track and Field. I ran the mile at a 6:02. I also pole vaulted and was third on the team for that, and finished with a jump of 8’3”. However, I did not make sectionals.”
7th Grade: “Throughout my entire 7th grade XC season, I was running personal records. From 16:44 at a Prophetstown golf course, to a 13:23 at Empire Park in Moline for Conference. I ended 11th on the team that year, one place away from making it to State. During this season I was also playing Football immediately after XC practice, but I wasn’t that good at it.
In 7th grade I did Track, but I ran only the 400 and that was a 1:11. I also did Long and Triple Jump and was 3rd on the team for Triple Jump, and 3rd for Long Jump. I also did Pole Vault and I vaulted 7’3” for my final height, only 6 inches away from state qualifying. I was second on the team for that.”
“My 7th grade Track year was amazing and I enjoyed it very much. I started off with becoming a mile, 800, 400 and hurdler. I wasn’t very good in all four but I enjoyed them. The mile was very interesting because I never broke 6 and was kind of slow even though I thought I was fast. My other events were boring, especially the hurdles because I ran a base 100m in 15 seconds. Very, very slow. I knew that I was slow and so I didn’t do it in 8th grade because of that. And even in 8th grade I ran a base 100m time of 15 seconds with no improvement. Overall, nothing really was the best in 7th grade because I didn’t know what I was doing half of the time.”
Prior to 7th grade: “My mom was super big into 5ks and 4 mile races. We probably did at least five or six when we first moved to Geneseo when I was in 2nd grade. Since then it has slowed down because I can’t run half of the ones we’d normally do because of IHSA rules. But up until high school, I was usually placing in my age groups.”
Fritz is the proud son of Derek Bolme and Mary Pat Tubb. He is also the proud “Baby Bro” of sister Greta who is a GHS Senior. He is also the proud “Big Bro” to Shae (brother) 4th grade, Lenna (sister) 6th grade.
Here are Fritz’s answers to his “Bell Ringer Questions: Nickname: “Fritzy” School Clubs or other Organizations you have taken part in: “I currently run Cross Country which I have been since 7th grade. Currently, I am ranked 8th on
the team. I am also in the Geneseo Marching Band, also known as TSOG (the sound of Geneseo). I play the Mellophone which is the marching version of the French horn with eight other high schoolers. Next semester, I will be in the Geneseo Honors Band and I am 3rd chair French horn for that. Last year during the winter, I swam at United Township High School (UTHS) with
my friend, Kanon Boster. Last year I did not race, however, this year I will race at the Conference, and hopefully Regionals and Sectionals. I will be swimming for Geneseo at that point, but because Geneseo does not have a team, I will be practicing at the UTHS pool with their team. I currently attend the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) every Thursday morning, and I plan
to attend the weeklong camp at Dubuque this summer. I also work at the car wash by Danny boys on the weekends.”.; Favorite Food: “Because I’m a growing boy, I normally eat whatever is in front of me, but my favorite food hasto be gyros and döner (German gyros.)”; Favorite Movie: “I don’t have a favorite movie, but my all time favorite show has to be The Office.” Favorite Music (Genre or Group): “Currently I’ve been enjoying up beat Christian music but I do normally enjoy all music EXCEPT for country.”; Athletic Hero: “Louis Zamperini.” For those of you have never heard of him this is what a google search shared: (Louis Silvie Zamperini was an American World War II veteran, an Olympic distance runner, and a Christian evangelist. He took up running in high school and qualified for the United States in the 5,000 m race for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, finishing 8th while setting a new lap record in the process….Louis Zamperini was held captive as a Prisoner of War (POW) by the Japanese for over two years. After his bomber crashed and he survived 47 days adrift on a raft, he was captured and endured torture and hardship in Japanese POW camps until the end of World War II in 1945.) Favorite Quote: ““A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory” -Louis Zamperini.”: How Did You Decide to Join the XC Team?: “My older sister Greta was running it and she seemed like she was having a good time, and the sport didn’t require good hand eye coordination, so I thought why not? And I’ve done it ever since..”; What Advice Do You Have for Anyone New to the Sport?: “It going to be tough, but it’s so worth it, whether it be the time at the meets spent screwing around, digging through bucket world, or getting food afterwards, so stick with it!”
Other team members who were nominated and discussed for this week’s “Bell Ringer Award” were: Henley Bourne, Graysen Carlson, Jameson Coppejans, Greyson Claerhout, Kaden Elmer, Cole Henson, Kael McCord, Jaxson Sottos, & Phoenix Sottos.
Comment from Head Coach Todd Ehlert: “Fritz Bolme, another incredible sophomore for our team, is this week’s winner. Fritz has also come a long way. We think he has grown about 12 inches from last season to this season. Fritz has also put in some great training and has goals of getting into the top seven. He has had huge gains this year and if he sticks with it, his awesome attitude and his phenomenal parents (who provide water for the long runs) Fritz has the potential to become one of our top runners in the future. Congratulations, Fritz!”.
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“PUT YOUR HAND ON SEVEN”
Over the weekend Illinois Cross Country and Track & Field journalist Michael Newman passed away. He was an remarkable man who did a tremendous service for our sports. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Also, please read his “Put Your Hand on Seven” story that he wrote in 2016. It is about the journey he took with his teammates that ended up with their team winning the State Championship in the fall of 1978. That was his Junior Year. I hope that it will inspire each of you to reach higher levels of performance and appreciation of the sport. There are 18 Chapters. Please read them in order. He is the runner on the far right of the picture.
BRAIN FOOD
PASSION & PURPOSE ARE OMNIPOTENT
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SOTTOS & CARLSON LEAD VARSITY
Pictured are GHS Seniors Jaxson Sottos and Graysen Carlson who both earned Individual Hardware
LEAFS 9TH IN VARSITY RACE
On Saturday, September 6th, the Leafs traveled to Galesburg’s Lake Storey Park to participate in the 48th Annual Galesburg Silver Streak Cross Country Invitational. The 20-team field included squads from: Abingdon-Avon, Annawan-Wethersfield, Cambridge (Ridgewood), Dunlap, East Peoria, Ft. Madison, Galesburg, Geneseo, Knoxville, Metamora, Macomb, Monmouth-Roseville, Monmouth (United), Morton, Normal West, Peoria (Notre Dame), Peoria (Richwoods), ROWVA/W.Field, Taylor Ridge (Rockridge), & West Central. Several of the schools have low enrollments and were not able to field “Scoring” teams (at least 5 runners). There were also some “Big Dogs” that are currently ranked in the Illinois Top 25 ranked teams. Included in that grouping were Top-Ranked Morton and #5 Peoria Notre Dame. The teams were treated to amazing weather conditions. The race time temperature for the Varsity race was in the low 50’s with virtually no wind. Crazy early September weather for the Midwest.
We always choose to run all of our team’s freshmen and sophomores in the F/S race. Only the GHS Juniors & Seniors ran the “Varsity” race. Added to low team numbers this season was the fact that two of the Leafs’ top 5 runners were held out of the meet. Seniors Aidan Bries (illness) and Kaden Elmer (injury) didn’t race. Thus, only 7 Varsity Maple Leafs “Toed da Line”. The Varsity Boys race started at 9:40 sharp. Leading the way were Seniors Jaxson Sottos and Graysen Carlson who were instructed to “Pack it Up” through two miles and then race. Mission accomplished. They had a lot of fun battling runners late in the race and each man scored a highly prized “Top 30 Individual Finisher” Medal. Jaxson placed 14th and was timed in 16:44. He has a previous best time for the course of 16:09 but today’s time ranks him as the 4th fastest GHS Senior EVER for the course. Grayson placed 29th and was timed in 17:10 He also has run faster (17:03). His time of 17:10 moved him into the #9 GHS Senior spot EVER on the course. Way to lead by example, Men.
Next up was Junior Micah Johnson who placed 110th and was timed in 20:12. He was the Maple Leafs’ 3rd man in the Varsity Race. Great job, Micah. Not far behind was Senior Jameson Coppejans (128th place and timed in 21:02). This “Rookie” ran the race of his life and was the Leafs’ fourth man on the day for the Varsity squad. Finishing only 3 seconds behind Jameson was GHS Junior Jacob Berry who placed 129th and was timed in 21:05. He was the Leafs’ 5th man in the Varsity Race. Senior Calvin Bell and Junior Connor Runty sprinted across the finish line in 142nd and 144th places. They were timed in 21:53 & 21:55. Way to Race, Men. When the team scores were added up, the Leafs found themselves with a 9th place team finish. Outstanding Efforts Men.
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F/S BOYS WIN 3RD PLACE TEAM TROPHY
Pictured are GHS F/S Team Members.L-R: Fritz Bolme, Phoenix Sottos, Cole Henson, Greyson Claerhout,
Henley Bourne, Noah Arnold, Kael McCord, & Rylan Carlson
MAPLE LEAF F/S PLACE 3 IN THE TOP 10
The F/S Boys race took off at 11:00 a.m. sharp. It was a lot of fun to watch the boys “Mix it Up” with a strong field. GHS Super Soph’s Henley Bourne and Greyson Claerhout ran with the lead pack through the mile (Henley much farther). At the finish line Henley sprinted home in 16:41 and placed a solid 3rd. I am pretty sure that the two guys that beat him will eventually earn All-State Honors in their high school careers. Henley? Don’t bet against him. His time was the 7th Fastest time for a GHS runner of any grade level. It was also the 2nd fastest Sophomore time EVER in GHS History for the Lake Storey Course. Not far behind him were fellow Sophomores Greyson Claerhout (7th Place timed in 17:37) and Kael McCord (10 Place timed in 17:49). Greyson is now the 9th Fastest GHS Sophomore EVER for the course while Kael moved into the #10 slot. Putting 3 men in the Top 10 is “Jaw-Dropping”. Way to Roll. Great Job, Men.
Not far behind were a couple more of the GHS “Super Sophs”. Fritz Bolme just missed an individual medal (Top 20 in this race) via his 24th place finish while Rylan Carlson sprinted home in 50th place in a time of 20:07 (yea, he suffered another nose bleed….not as much blood as last meet…..the kid is a beast). Fritz’s time moved him into the #25 spot on the GHS Top 25 Sophomore list for the course. Great Job, Men.
Rounding out the racing efforts were: Sophomore Cole Henson (64th place timed in 20:58, Sophomore Noah Arnold (89th place timed in 22:18), and Freshman Phoenix Sottos (112th place timed in 26:26). Each man is improving rapidly. Keep up the good work, Men.
When then team scores had been tabulated, the Leafs found themselves earning a 3rd place team trophy. WOW!!! That is a tremendous accomplishment, Men. Congratulations.
The Leafs will next be in action on Saturday, September 13th when they participate in the HUGE “First to the Finish” Invitational. The meet is held at Peoria’s “Historic” Detweiller Park where the Sate Finals are held at the end of the season in early November. The Leafs hope to be there at the State Meet. How can each man help make that “Dream” become a reality? By doing their part. Keep working hard and caring about your teammates. Every man matters. We have NO WEAK LINKS. The team will only race their Top 10 men. Everyone on the team is encouraged to attend. The opportunity is there to support the team and also “Soak Up Some Detweiller Magic”. GO LEAFS!
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SOPHOMORE GREYSON CLAERHOUT SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Sophomore Greyson Claerhout who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the
Annawan-Wethersfied Titan Cross Country Invitational
SOPHOMORE GREYSON CLAERHOUT “RINGS da Bell”
Sophomore Greyson Claerhout was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the Annawan-Wethersfield Titan Cross Country Invitational held on Tuesday, September 2nd. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
The Leafs entered the meet with two of their top 5 runners ill or injured. Senior Aidan Bries was held out due to illness and Senior Kaden Elmer ran the race with a sore hip and knee and was given strict instructions from Head Maple Leaf Coach Todd Ehlert to hang back for the first two miles. Then, if his hip had loosened it up, he could attack. The Leafs needed someone else to step up if the team was going to keep its winning streak alive. The Leafs have never not won this race (started attending in 2018.) Greyson “Answered the Call” and ran the race of his life. Greyson ended up as the Leafs’ 4th Runner! He was timed in 17:46 and placed 20th overall to nail an individual award too. His splits were 5:36, 6:05, and 6:04 for the 3-mile race. He averaged 5:55 and was a MAJOR FACTOR in the Leafs winning the title. They bested Sherrard by 12 points. Way to Roll, “Greyhound”.
Greyson enjoyed strong freshman Cross Country and Track & Gield seasons last year. He then put in a strong summer of base training and has really been on a roll this fall. The Leafs have a strong “Top 5” but desperately need more depth. “Super Sophs” Greyson & Kael McCord are working hard to solve that problem. In addition to having a great work ethic, Greyson is also a wonderful young man. He always greets people with a big smile and a friendly hello. The Leafs are Very Lucky to have him on their team. Greyson, along with the rest of the GHS “Super Sophs” are going to make some Big Noise at the State Level before graduation. It looks like it is already starting to happen. Keep up the hard work, Greyson. It will pay off. God Bless. It is going to be a lot of fun watching you develop your talents over the rest of this season and beyond. Keep “Dreaming Big” and backing those Dreams up with the dedication that excellence Demands.
Here is what Greyson had to say about his athletic history.
9th Grade: “My freshman year of high school was really nice. I personally thought that this was going to be the best year. Apparently a lot of the seniors didn’t try and I thought they were. That was the problem in how I thought I was just really good. Still I was for my age but I never looked at any other results for freshman. Not until the end of the season did I figure out that only Dylan was trying. I still thought that this season was great because everyone was still laughing and making jokes that would stick in my mind forever. My PRs for this year was 13:08 in the 3000m race from the Rust Buster. That was an ok race and a PR overall in the 2 mile. The first ever race that we had in our season I ran a 22:03. I believe that it was the goldfish that made me have a side ache. I was hoping to go under 20 but that was achieved in the next meet at Lake Storey. This was a long and boring course. I ran 19:58 barely making it to the 19s and making it into top 14. My next race that I actually ran in was the Geneseo home meet that I really really didn’t like because my knee was hurting the whole race even with a brace on. I ran a 20:22 and still placed because they gave top 20 for each grade. The next best race was in Sterling and I was almost able to catch Micha Johnson but he beat me by 0.2 seconds. The next race this year was the Pretzel Race where I ran a 19:08 getting me 7th in the race but I was not able to catch Keal. This was a very interesting race because before we started warming up, my friends were playing frisbee and trying to scare the geese away. It was very exciting when a goose almost bit me because I got too close. Metamora was my favorite race because I got an amazing PR even though it was a short course. Keal McCord and I had so much fun racing together His first mile was a 5:35 and mine was a 5:45. How he went out so much faster and me still being able to catch him in the end. Over an amazing experience and I hope to come back to this course again. The Western Big Six Conference was my second to last race of the season and I personally didn’t think it was the best and most fun out of the last few races. Keal was sick so I needed to kind of step up in a way so that we would possibly have a better chance of winning. But we did not win the race because of a 3A school named Quincy. We got second and for us being a 2A school we did really well in almost beating them. Dylan did amazing placing first overall running a 15:35. I hope one day I’ll be able to run like him. This season was the best that there will ever be and maybe my 10th grade year will be amazing.”
“Track season was a special season and wasn’t very fun to start out but I did like it very much. I first started off wanting to do the two mile and the mile but as the season went on I became a top 3 mile for the team and a decent 800m runner as well. We had so many people with the same time of 2:11, it was crazy. I didn’t make the 4×8 because the juniors, now seniors, took my place. I’m fine with that though because they are all great friends and almost made it to State if someone didn’t go out in a 56s first lap. Cough cough, Jaxson Sottos. But it was fine because the guys he was racing against ran a 1:57 and he ran a 2:04. My goal for the season was to break 5 in the mile but I was not sure I was going to. At the first Geneseo meet I paced with Graysen Carlson and he made Henley and I able to break 5 going 4:57, 4:58, and 4:59. The time I ran a lifetime PR of 4:50 was when I woke up at 6 to race at 1:30 in the afternoon. The day was perfect with a perfect breeze and I was in the B heat (second fastest) The guy who won the meet was in my heat as a sophomore and ran a blazing time of 4:26. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do that this year but maybe my junior year depending on how my sophomore year goes. More towards the end of the season I started getting slower in the mile and eventually I was all of a sudden put in the 2 mile for 3 meets in a row. I had no reason to be in there for Conference, Sectionals and another meet in between. I ended with a PR of 10:41 getting 6th at Sectionals. Overall I might do it next year but maybe not.”
8th Grade: “This year was a great year for being in 8th grade. It was my first year that I ever went to State and it was amazing watching the team run though the cold wind. I remember when we were setting up camp and all of us were in sweatshirts and blankets. After running in 7th grade XC, it was an experience that made me feel superior and actually have my mind on what I’m doing with races. Now since we had the not so caring coaches that said go run 2 miles and we will be done for the day it was kinda boring. I think whoever won the most races was the one who had his puberty first. I was a late bloomer so I didn’t do the absolute best with whatever training we had done. Overall this was the one year that I’ve had that really disappointed me the most. Excluding the part of me going to State.”
“My 8th grade year of Track was very exiting because I was with lots of friends and was two of three in the mile. I ran a time for the mile of 5:45 and was beaten by Adian daily and Henley Bourne who as an 8th grader ran a time of 5:16. This is where Henley and I met our rival, Carter Castel. He and Henley went back and forth getting first and second for about 3 meets and even in high school for XC. My other rival is Bobby. Bobby is about the same speed as me and we will go back and forth from time to time. Overall I didn’t make it to Sectionals but it was an amazing time at Conference where there was a 7th grader running 4:50s.”
7th Grade: “This was my first year ever doing a sport in middle school because in 6th grade they never had any good sports to participate in. This being my first year was a very unique experience. The 8th graders (now juniors) never did much to help us and so I never did the best. In my first ever race I ran a 17:58 in a 2 mile. Yes, I was very slow because I didn’t know my potential in races. By the end of the year at Galesburg, I ran a 15:33. That was from the help of Jacob Berry pacing me. I remember when Jacob and I were talking and I kept asking him how fast we would start. He just kept saying I’m not telling you. I’m not sure if that helped or not because I didn’t know what I was getting into so if I could just stay with him I would be fine. This was also the first time that I learned how to breathe correctly. In though your nose, out through your mouth. Overall, almost every time that I’ve run in a race and wanted to become better, I’ve stuck with someone the whole time.”
“My 7th grade Track year was amazing and I enjoyed it very much. I started off with becoming a mile, 800, 400 and hurdler. I wasn’t very good in all four but I enjoyed them. The mile was very interesting because I never broke 6 and was kind of slow even though I thought I was fast. My other events were boring, especially the hurdles because I ran a base 100m in 15 seconds. Very, very slow. I knew that I was slow and so I didn’t do it in 8th grade because of that. And even in 8th grade I ran a base 100m time of 15 seconds with no improvement. Overall, nothing really was the best in 7th grade because I didn’t know what I was doing half of the time.”
Prior to 7th grade: “I first started out playing Soccer because my sister was a soccer person. I didn’t really know what I was actually doing and so my parents would say that I would not care who had the ball. I was too friendly at the time. If someone had the ball then I would just let them have the ball. I do remember one time where I was Goalie and instead of paying attention I talked to the person who was the other Goalie. At that time we would have two goalies because we were little. After 3rd grade, my parents decided to have me try different sports and so I tried Baseball. My parents never thought I would like Baseball but when they saw me practice they said that I ran to first base faster than I had ever run during Soccer. I played Baseball until my 5th grade year because that was when Covid hit and the practices were all one big group with all the teams. My favorite year was my 3rd grade year when I had many of my friends now on that team, including Fritz Bolme. We had won every game that we played that year because the coach was the best. I’m still friends with that coach to this day. He was the best because he held an after practice session where you can try catcher and pitcher. I personally liked catcher and it was very fun to me. After that year passed it just went downhill from bad playing, including me, and bad coaches..”
Greyson is the proud son of Mark & Jacklyn Claerhout. He is also the proud “Baby Bro” of Morgan Claerhout who is a Sophomore in College.
Here are Greyson’s answers to his “Bell Ringer Questions: Nickname: “Greyhound” School Clubs or other Organizations you have taken part in: “Geneseo XC, Geneseo Track & Field”.; Favorite Food: “I don’t have just one favorite food because I like a lot of foods. My top 3 would be salmon patties, Sloppy Joes, and chicken al-FRED-o.”; Favorite Movie: “My favorite movie by far is How to Train your Dragon series because they are all great movies.” Favorite Music (Genre or Group): “I like to listen to country music most of the time but I’ll listen to about anything.”; Athletic Hero: “My athletic hero is Coach Ehlert.” Favorite Quote: “My favorite quote is “A little, is a lot” From my Dad.”: How Did You Decide to Join the XC Team?: “I decided to join because Ella Taylor said that I was really good at running in 6th grade and I would beat her in middle school PE every time that we would run the walk jog path.”; What Advice Do You Have for Anyone New to the Sport?: “Just because it’s the start of the season and we are not running the best doesn’t mean that we are great. I see much potential in the people around me. Many people currently aren’t running the best because they don’t have the right mindset. Many people on the team are running slower than they are used to and keep looking on the bad side. I see much more of them and I see the big picture. Lots of us are sick, coughing, having poison ivy, cough, cough Kaden Elmer. Because we are sick and not feeling well means that you will do your best and still not Place or get a PR. So look forward and see what you can have once you’re in shape and feeling great.”
Other team members who were nominated and discussed for this week’s “Bell Ringer Award” were: Fritz Bolme, Henley Bourne, Graysen Carlson, Jameson Coppejans, Kaden Elmer, Cole Henson, Kael McCord, Jaxson Sottos, & Phoenix Sottos.
Comment from Head Coach Todd Ehlert: “Greyson has become a great runner for the program. He put in a lot of work over the winter for Track and it carried over to Cross Country this year. Stepping up in the A-W meet was HUGE. Cracking our Top 5 for the meet was a huge help in the team win there. He has a great attitude and he just needs to keep grinding. We are hoping for great things this year from Greyson”.
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LEAFS WIN ANNAWAN-WETHERSFIELD TITAN INVITE
Pictured is the Championship Team from Geneseo.
2025 MAPLE LEAFS KEEP “STREAK” ALIVE
On Tuesday, September 2nd, the Leafs traveled to Kewanee’s Midland Golf Course (also called The Dunes) to participate in the annual “Titan XC Invite”. The meet is hosted by Annawan-Wethersfield head coach Creston Fenn. The Leafs have been in attendance ever since Head Coach Todd Ehlert took over the program. The team has never lost this meet and hoped to extend that streak. The meet is held on a golf course (Kewanee’s Midland Golf Course) so the footing is amazing. The 16-team field contains mostly Class 1A schools with Geneseo and Galesburg being the only 2A in the field. Only 9 of the 16 teams had enough runners to field scoring teams (at least 5 runners). However, there was a lot of quality in the field.
The runners were treated to a wonderful early September day. The daytime high was 78˚ and the winds were blowing from the northwest at 5 miles per hour. The dew point was an amazing 54˚. Amazing weather for September. In Cross Country, you never know for certain how long the course is. The posted distance is 3.00 miles but it may have been a bit longer. There were a few rolling hills too. The field included teams from; Aledo (Mercer County), Annawan-Wethersfield, Cambridge, Galesburg, Galva, Geneseo, Monmouth-Roseville, Oneida (ROWVA), Orion, Princeville, Rock Island (Alleman), Sherrard, Taylor Ridge (Rockridge), & Toulon (Stark County.) Coach Fenn offered a 1.50 miles race for runners not quite ready for the full 3 mile distance. That race started at 4:00 p.m. sharp. The Varsity Girls race began at 4:20. Then it was time for the Maple Leafs to “Close the Show”.
The Varsity Boys sprinted off the starting line when they heard the Starter’s Gun go BANG! Team hardware to the Top 3 Teams was on the line in addition to Individual Medals to the Top 25 Runners (up from top 20 previously). The Leafs entered the meet with Senior Kaden Elmer nursing a sore hip (Coach instructed him to run conservatively) and fellow senior Aidan Bries sitting this one out with a head cold. Other Leafs would need to “Step Up” if the team was gong to keep the winning streak alive.
Sophomore Henley Bourne, and Seniors Jaxson Sottos, and Graysen Carlson led the Leafs as each man finished in the Top 10. Henley was timed in a NEW GHS Sophomore Class Record for course. He placed 2nd in the race and was timed in 16:31. That is also the 3rd fasted time for a GHS runner of any grade lever EVER. He had a BIG KICK. Jaxson sprinted across the finish line in 6th place and was timed in 16:45. He ran faster last year (15:57) but his time of 16:45 moved him into 3rd place for GHS seniors on the course. Graysen wasn’t far behind as he placed 9th overall. He was timed in 16:53 (5th All-Time and 4th on the Senior Top 25 List. It was awesome to watch all three men “Pack it Up” for most of the race. Way to roll, Men.
If Aidan and Kaden had both been feeling good, I predict the Leafs would have placed 5 men in the Top 10. Oh well, welcome to athletics and dealing with the obstacles that occur during the season. All I know is that when the Leafs “Big 5” are all in the line-up and feeling good…..WATCH OUT!
Next up was one of the biggest surprises in the meet. Sophomore Greyson Claerhout took a HUGE step forward and raced to 20th place overall. Without his race, the Leafs would probably not have won the meet. He “Stopped the Clock” at 17:46. He now ranks as #13 on the GHS All-Time List and #6 on the Sophomore List. Racing on a sore hip was Senior Kaden Elmer. Coach Ehlert instructed him to hold back early and then move up IF his hip loosened up. He was sprinting all out at the end of the race and placed 21st overall in the race. He was timed in 17:52. He has run faster on the course (when healthy) but his time still moved him into the #9 Senior spot on the GHS Top 25 List. The Leafs Top 5 Runners All Earned Individual Hardware. Each man was presented a Highly Prized “Top 25 Finisher Medal.” Well Done, Men!
Next up for the Maple Leafs were Sophomores: Kael McCord, Fritz Bolme, & Rylan Carlson. Each man “Cracked the Top 60”. Kael placed 30th and was timed in a quick 18:25. He now ranks 18th on the GHS All-Time List for the course and 9th on the Sophomore List. Fritz sprinted home in 44th place and was timed in 19:34. He Looked AWESOME the whole way. He is now the 16th fastest Sophomore on the course for a GHS Runner EVER. Next up was the Leafs’ “Rocky Balboa” (Rylan Carlson). Several fans were overheard yelling “Adrian” as he sprinted home COVERED IN BLOOD. He suffered a pretty nasty bloody nose but finished the race anyway. Tough stuff, Rylan. He placed 59th and was timed in 20:37. He is now the 18th Fastest GHS Sophomore EVER for the course. Gutsy Efforts, Men!!!
Not far behind was Junior Micah Johnson who placed 67th and was timed in 20:58. Micah’s time moved him into the #15 GHS Junior time for the course. Next up was “Rookie” Cole Henson. The Sophomore was timed in 21:26 an placed 74th overall in the race. Cole is now the 24th Fastest GHS Sophomore EVER on the course. Finishing closely behind Cole were Seniors Calvin Bell (76th Place) and Jameson Coppejans (77th Place). Calvin was timed in 21:28 and now the 21st Fastest GHS Senior EVER on the course. Jameson competed for the first time as a Maple Leaf Harrier. The “Rookie” closed strong and was timed in 21:30. His time moved him into 22nd place for a GHS Senior EVER on the course. Great Stuff, Men. Keep up the good work.
Rounding out the Maple Leafs efforts of the day were Junior Connor Runty, Sophomore Noah Arnold, and Freshman Phoenix Sottos. Connor was timed in 23:08 and placed 89th overall in the race. He is now the proud #25 fastest Junior EVER on the course. “Rookie” Noah Arnold was up next and fought hard the whole race. He is battling a nasty case of “Shin Splints” but raced to a fine time of 24:18 anyway and placed 93rd overall. The Leafs Lone Freshman Phoenix Sottos finished the Leafs racing on the day in style. I LOVE the way this young man trains and races. Total Passion & Purpose”. He sprinted across the finish line in 103rd place and “Stopped the Clock” at 30:23. Great Stuff, Men. We are proud of each of you.
The Leafs will next be in action on Saturday, September 6th when they participate in the 48th Annual Galesburg Silver Streak XC Invite. The action will be held at Galesburg’s Lake Storey Park. Keep up the great work, Men. The goal is to keep improving all season long. Make sure you are getting enough sleep and fueling your body with healthy foods and beverages. Remember that every man on the team makes a difference. Keep “Dreaming Big” and backing those dreams up with the commitment that excellence demands. If it were easy, anyone would do it. God Bless Each of You.
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SOPHOMORE RYLAN CARSLON SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Sophomore Rylan Carlson who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the Moline Invitational
SOPHOMORE RYLAN CARLSON “RINGS da Bell”
Sophomore Rylan Carlson was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the Moline WB-6 Season Opener Invitational which was held on Monday, August 25th. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
Rylan ran a great race that saw him end up as the Maple Leafs’ 9th man on the day. He was timed in 20:30 and placed 74th overall in the race. Rylan rolled through the mile in a quick 6:31. He followed that up with a 7:04 second mile. He then finished strong with a 6:55 final mile. He averaged 6:50 for Hampton’s Empire Park course. Great race, Rylan. He demonstrated a keen sense of pace judgement during his race. No skill is more important than pace judgement for a distance runner. Rylan wasn’t able to run this race last year due to the fact that the meet was cancelled due to extreme heat. He did race the next meet which was the 2024 Annawan-Wethersfield Titan Cross Country Inviitational. He was timed in 24:43 for that 3 miles distance. His improvement from last year is PROFOUND.
Rylan has been “On Fire” ever since last fall’s harrier season ended. He put in a strong winter of base training and then followed that up with a strong Track season that saw him racing in the Varsity Division for much of the season. He then followed that up with a tremendous summer of training and has entered this season with a new level of confidence. The “Dude” has gone “All In” and we LOVE IT. Goals that require a high level of commitment offer the highest levels of “Intrinsic” satisfaction. “Extrinsic” satisfactions are great. Those are represented by awards that are obtained. “Intrinsic” rewards are only achieved on the personal level. They result in a deep inner satisfaction of pride. It is the highest and most meaningful level of success. Rylan has demonstrated high levels of both passion and purpose. His improvement has been truly “Jaw-Dropping”. It is going to be a lot of fun watching Rylan continue to chase his potential. Keep “Dreaming Big”, Rylan and backing those Dreams up with the Commitment that Excellence DEMANDS. We are Very Proud of You.
The 2025 Geneseo High School Cross Country Team has some lofty season goals. To achieve these goals the team needs team members to lead by example. Even though Rylan is only a Sophomore he is helping to lead the team by doing things the right way. He makes that commitment on a daily basis. He is a proud member of the Maple Leafs’ “Super Soph’s”. That team depth added to the team’s strong Senior Class has placed the current team in a great position to “Turn some Heads” this season and beyond. All the best with the rest of this season and beyond.
Here is what Rylan had to say about his athletic history.
9th Grade: “This year was what solidified the aspect of running in my mind, I had so much fun and really enjoyed myself. I ran a 24:00 at the start of this year and ran a 21:30 at the end of this year. For Track this year I made Varsity and ran the 3200 in a 12:15.”
8th Grade: “This was the year I gave up on Soccer and chose to keep running, even though I had some doubts about my abilities. I ran a 16:00 at the start of this year and ran a 15:00 at the end of this year. I also did Track this year and did LongJjump and the 800 meter run.”
7th Grade: “This was the year I started Cross Country, and to be honest I hated it. It was extremely boring doing the same run over and over again. I ran an 18:00 at the start of this year and a 16:30 at the end of this year. I also started Track this year and did Long Jump and the 200 mete dash.”
Prior to 7th grade: “I did rec Soccer this year and moved up to Travel Soccer. Otherwise, I didn’t do anything else this year.This was also the same year I had a seizure on Christmas morning and was in the hospital for 12 hours. Prior to 6th grade: I did Karate, Baseball, Golf, Basketball, cub scouts, and a few other things.”
Rylan is the proud son of Ryan Carlson (Dad), Amber Shamsie (Mom), & Julie Vanhoutte (Step Mom). He is also the proud “Baby Bro” of Marcus Vanhoutte (Step Brother), 30, he is a quarry welder (he is a Geneseo XC Alum), Summer Vanhoutte (Step sister), 27, she is a veterinarian tech at the University of Illinois Animal Hospital. He is also the proud “Big Bro” of Savannah Carlson (Sister) 9th grade.
Here are Rylan’s answers to his “Bell Ringer Questions: Nickname: “I don’t have a nickname, but I’m the fourth generation in my family to have the initials RRC.” School Clubs or other Organizations you have taken part in: “Geneseo XC, Geneseo Track, and Wellness, Boy Scouts of America (Non-School Club)”.; Favorite Food: “My favorite food is steak.”; Favorite Movie: “My favorite Movie is Hacksaw Ridge.” Favorite Music (Genre or Group): “My favorite music genre is 2000s Rap.”; Athletic Hero: “My athletic hero is my Great Uncle Butch who served in Vietnam.” Favorite Quote: “Nothing in life is free (My Dad)”: How Did You Decide to Join the XC Team?: “I joined Cross Country because all of my friends were doing in it in 7th grade and I thought itt would be good conditioning for Soccer.”; What Advice Do You Have for Anyone New to the Sport?: “My advice for anyone new to the sport would be . . . Don’t be lazy, do the things you are told to do because it will make you better.”
Other team members who were nominated and discussed for this week’s “Bell Ringer Award” were: Noah Arnold, Jacob Berry, Fritz Bolme, Henley Bourne, Aidan Bries, Graysen Carlson, Greyson Claerhout, Kaden Elmer, Cole Henson, Micah Johnson, Kael McCord, Jaxson Sottos, & Phoenix Sottos.
Comment from Head Coach Todd Ehlert: “Rylan has had a great start to the year. Rylan worked really hard in the off season and during track in the spring. This summer he was very dedicated to his running and it helped out at the end of the summer. He had huge PR this summer for three miles at Detweiller at Dark. He ran great this last week at the Moline Invite. He was battling a cold and still almost matched this year’s PR. Keep working hard Rylan”.
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PROUDLY WEARING MEDALS BY da “BIG MUDDY”
Pictured are Jaxson Sottos, Aidan Bries, Henley Bourne, Graysen Carlson, & Kaden Elmer.
Each man earned a “Top 20” Finisher Medal. They are on the bank of the Mississippi River
LEAFS CLAIM SILVER AT MOLINE’S WB-6 SEASON OPENER INVITE
On Monday, August 25th, the Leafs traveled to Hampton’s Empire Park to participate in Moline’s WB-6 Season Opener Invitational. The meet hasn’t been held for a few years due to extreme heat two years in a row. Welcome to the Midwest in August. No worries this year. The teams were treated to a race-time temperature of 70˚. Simply amazing. Several spectators were spotted wearing sweat tops or coats. In August!!! Rare indeed. The field included teams from: Alleman, Galesburg, Geneseo, Moline, Quincy, Riverdale, Rock Island, & United Township. A Championship Plaque was awarded to the winning team and individual medals were awarded to the Top 20 finishers.
The girls raced first at 5:00 pm. The Lady Leafs ran to victory and looked great doing it. The boys were up next and took off at 5:40 pm. The temperature was perfect but the runners did have to negotiate long grass (slow) and a pretty stiff, northwest winds blowing at 15 mph. The course was as flat as a pancake and Empire Park lies on the banks of the Mississippi River. The word picturesque comes to mind. Simply stunning.
On to the racing. The Defending Western Big-6 Conference Champion Quincy Blue Devils were the favorites. After them it looked like the Leafs and Rock Island Rocks would battle for second and third. The host Moline Maroons are also a potentially dangerous team. They didn’t run their number one man so don’t “sleep on them”, later in the season. The race saw 124 runners complete the 3-mile course. There was a large lead pack for quite a while. The Leafs “Mixed It Up” well. There were 8 teams in the field.
Leading the Maple Leaf attack were Sophomore Henley Bourne (7th place timed in 16:26), Senior Jaxson Sottos (8th place timed in 16:29), Senior Aidan Bries (13th place timed in 16:44), Senior Graysen Carlson (16th place timed in 17:09), and Senior Kaden Elmer (18th place timed in 17:17.) Each man earned a “Highly Prized” “Top 20 Individual Finisher Medal”. Great Stuff Men. Each of their times “Cracked” the Empire Park Top 10 All-Time list (2nd, 3rd, 7th, 9th, & 10th). Henley now ranks #2 on the Sophomore list while Jaxson broke the Senior record. Aidan, Graysen, and Kaden now rank as 3-4-5 on the Senior list. Way to roll, Men!
Next up was Sophomore Kael McCord (30th place timed in 18:03……#14 All-Time and new Sophomore #6) Greyson Claerhout wasn’t far behind (51st place timed in 19:12…..New number 22 All-Time and #9 on the Sophomore list). Fellow sophomores Fritz Bolme and Rylan Carlson sprinted home next. Fritz placed 60th and was timed in 19:32….24th All-Time and new #10 Sophomore. Rylan placed 74th and was timed in 20:30….new #15 Sophomore. Junior Jacob Berry rounded out the Maple Leafs Top 10. He placed 81st and was timed in 21:03…..new GHS #7 Junior.) Great racing, Men.
Not far behind was Sophomore Noah Arnold (84th place timed in 21:27…..new #19 on the GHS Sophomore list). Next up was Junior Miach Johnson (86th place timed in 21:38…..new #8 GHS Junior). Sophomore Cole Henson sprinted across the finish line next. He placed 89th and was timed in 21:49…..new #20 GHS Sophomore). Senior Calvin Bell was the next Leaf to finish. He placed 90th and was timed in 21:50…..new GHS #15 on the Senior List. He was closely followed by Junior Connor Runty who placed 95th and was timed in 22:07…..new #10 on the GHS Junior list. Sprinting home next was GHS Freshman Phoenix Sottos who placed 117th and was timed in 27:44…..new GHS #9 on the GHS Freshmen list.
When the “Dust had Settled” and the team scores had been tabulated, the Leafs found themselves in 2nd place. The Leafs scored a mere 62 points. Quincy ended up winning the meet scoring 53 points. Rock Island was a close 3rd as they scored 67 points. This was an “Early Season Sneak Peak” at the future. What really matters is what happens when Championship Meet Season rolls around at the end of the season. Who will win the WB-6 Conference Meet? Remember, we are hosting the meet. Keep doing the little things and try to keep improving each and every week. You can make this happen, Men! Rounding out the field were: Moline (4th…96 pts), Alleman (5th…138 pts), Galesburg (6th…154 pts), Riverdale (7th…159 pts), and United Township (8th…202 pts.)
Every single team member added their name to the Empire Park Top 25 Lists. That is REMARKABLE. Great Job, Men! Now the first official race is history. Where does this team and each of you go from here? Hopefully, each race will be used as a learning opportunity. The hope is that every man on the team will get a little more race savvy after every race. It is still August, Men. Each of you can improve a ton if you are willing to pay the price that excellence Demands. Passion and Purpose…..supplied on a daily basis. All the best to each of you.
A special note to our seniors. There are “Magical Powers” available to every Senior. Call it experience, call it maturity…call it anything you like. It is real. I call it SENIOR PRIDE. Make every single day count, Men. This is YOUR Team. God Bless Each of You.
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SOPHOMORE KAEL MCCORD SELECTED
AS “BELL RINGER”
Pictured is Sophomore Kael McCord who was selected as the team’s “Bell Ringer” for the “Rust Buster”
SOPHOMORE KAEL MCCORD “RINGS da Bell”
Sophomore Kael McCord was selected as the Geneseo Boys Cross Country “Bell Ringer” for the annual “Rust Buster” which was held on Tuesday, August 20th. The award was created by Head Maple Leaf Boys Cross Country Coach, Todd Ehlert, with a little help from “da Committee”. The “Bell Ringer Award” honors a team member selected by a committee consisting of all of the senior team leaders and the coaching staff. Each member of the committee nominates two athletes. The committee discusses each nominee until a winner has been selected. Considerations for nomination include both practice and competitive performances. Possessing high levels of both Passion and Purpose are Omnipotent. An award winner is selected after each meet.
Kael ran a great race over the challenging 3,000 meter Richmond Hill Park “Rust Buster” course and was the Maple Leafs 6th runner on the day. This was the first time in his career that he “Cracked” the Maple Leafs “Top 7”. He surprised quite a few teammates in doing so. His time of 11:45 moved him into 13th place on the All-Time Top 25 GHS Sophomore Individual List. He also “Cracked” the Top 25 All-Time Individuals List (any grade level) with his time and now sits in 22nd place. Great start to the season, Kael. Last season Kael’s time for this meet was 12:19 so he dropped 34 seconds off that to run 11:45. That is a ton of time and what makes that time drop even more impressive was the fact that over an inch of rain fell on the course the night before this year’s race. The course was wet in the low spots and thus run slow. Compare that with the perfect weather that the runners enjoyed in the 2024 race. The coaching staff estimated that this year’s course ran at least 30 seconds slow. That means we can take another 30 seconds off Kael’s time (in theory). See what I mean. Great start to the season. Keep up the great work, Kael. All the best in the coming weeks and months of the season.
The Maple Leafs have set some big goals for the 2025 season. Most of those goals involve the team running its best races when “Championship Meet Season” rolls around and the end of the season. Included in those meets will be: the Conference, Regional, Sectional, and State Meets. Only the first two meets are guaranteed. The Leafs will have to qualify for both the I.H.S.A. Sectional Meet by placing in the top 6 teams at the IHSA Regional meet. Then, they hope to qualify for the I.H.S.A. State Finals by finishing in the Top 7 teams at the Sectional Meet. Not an easy assignment but a team goal none the less. Kael provides the Leafs critical depth. It will be a lot of fun to see how much Kael will improve as the season progresses. Keep up the solid work, Kael. Kael is a part of the Geneseo “Super-Sophs”. His class is “LOADED” with a ton of talent and the work ethic to take it to the highest levels. Keep a close eye on these youngsters. They are going to leave a long-lasting mark on the proud Geneseo Distance Running Tradition that already exists. Keep “Dreaming Big” and then backing those Dreams up with the Commitment that Excellence DEMANDS.
Kael enjoyed a tremendous Freshman year earning Varsity Letters in both Cross Country and Track and Field. That is extremely impressive for a Freshman. He just kept his head down and did whatever was asked of him. He never complains and is a great teammate. That is a wonderful combination of traits to possess. He is also a great guy and a true pleasure to have on the team.
Here is what Kael has to say about his athletic history.
9th Grade: “This year I had no idea what to expect, but it also ended up being my favorite year of XC yet. My first goal was a sub 19, and since my first time was already a 19:20 (or 30 somewhere in there) it came pretty quick. There were a lot of meets where I had band conflicts, such as at the Freeport race. At Freeport, the top 5 medalists got a pretzel, and I was in the Open Race. I didn’t really expect to get a pretzel, but when I learned I was in 7th place and I passed someone in 6th I had a goal. Greyson Claerhout was the next person up, and eventually I passed him. I also think I passed another kid for 4th. The pretzel was pretty good, but I did have to leave for marching band after finishing. At that race I did beat my goal with a 18:46. Later in the season at Metamora, I ran a 17:44 (or something like that) but it was a short course. At Conference I was actually sick while I ran, so after a mile of running good, I got hit by a brick wall. From there my pace dropped, my legs felt heavy, and my only goal was to keep moving. I did manage to finish it with around a 19:20, but I felt lightheaded, and confused kind of like when you wake up on the couch after accidentally falling asleep. At the JV State we ran with only freshmen so we were able to have only Geneseo people in the top 4 which was really cool. I ended up going to State which was really cool to see everyone run. The course was pretty wet though.”
“Track this season was pretty interesting. I had always hated the 400, since the first (and until this season last) time running it in 7th grade for the practice meet. But since I didn’t know what running events I wanted to run in got put in for the 400 at the practice meet. My goal was to run a 60 second 400, but somehow I ran a 57.91! From then on I kept doing the 400 and actually grew to enjoy it, I even ran in some B-Level 4x4s (at A-B-C Meets)! I did Pole Vault this year the vaulters were were able to vault 1-2 times a week, so I grew from a 8’9” PR all the way up to a 10’9” PR (I barely missed out on that 11’ PR). Somehow, someway, I ended up being an alternate for the 4×4 for State, so I got to go with them for that, which was overall really fun. I got to watch amazing runners, vaulted, and I even got to help with the bar for Pole Vault! I was probably only a couple yards from the last lane while people were running!!”
8th Grade: “This year was out for XC I ended up becoming the number 2 on our team. My goal was a sub 12 minute 2 mile. Most of the races this year were pretty similar to the last year, except at one race I was close to Micah who usually beat me by quite a bit. He did have a side cramp though, but I’ll take my wins where I can get them. Sectionals of this year was at Richmond hill, I ended up running around a 12:10 getting me a medal for Sectionals at 10th place, but Henley was right behind me and nearly took that! During State this season I gave it everything and managed to finally get that sub 12 with a 11:58.”
This Track season I told myself that if I was in 4×2 again I wouldn’t do the mile since I didn’t feel like dealing with that again. Sure enough, I was in the 4×2 again and didn’t do the mile more than our practice meet. This year I decided to try out Long Jump and Triple Jump since I wasn’t doing the mile anymore. Pole Vault was pretty much the same as the year before, except Henley made a two foot PR before the season started so there went my number 1 spot. The 4×2 was kind of a mess this year since we kept jumping between 3-4 different people so we had to get stuff changed each time. I enjoyed Triple Jump a lot, but Long Jump I found I didn’t like very much, but since I was in our top 3 I was stuck with the it. Overall, that season I got better at stuff, but nothing really eventful happened for me.
7th Grade: “This is where I started XC, which I first considered doing after I heard a friend of mine (Micah Nicke) was doing it. I started with a 14:36 (ish) for my first race and at the Moline course (the same one we are doing Monday!) I cut that done to a 14:01 which I didn’t break for a while. I finally cut it down to a 13:36 once the weather started to cool down, and eventually I think a low 13s. I believe it was then that I managed to knock Henley out of the top 7 and run Varsity for Conference which was also at the Moline course. At that race, Micah wasn’t doing so well for that first lap, so I tried to stay with him, and eventually more people from our team joined us. Our number 1 and 2 came in quick and then the final 5 of us came in all around 12-12:45. I personally got a 12:26 at that race which was my PR at that time and allowed me to run at Sectionals and State.”
“For Track I came because I enjoyed XC so much, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to run though. Eventually, after hearing some friends were doing Pole Vault I picked that, along with the mile. I also got to run in the 4×2 which was directly after the mile, which did end up affecting things later. My main goal for the mile was to get a sub 6 minute mile, which I did eventually get and set a PR for that season at 5:45. For Pole Vault I kind of came in not knowing what to expect, but somehow managed to become our number one pole vaulter. At Sectionals I ended up dropping the mile so I wasn’t gassed for the 4×2, (which was suggested by Coach Ehlert). At that meet, we got 6th in the 4×2 which was better than we expected at least. I also qualified for Pole Vault being both the winner of our sectional, and hitting the qualifying height of 7’9”.”
Prior to 7th grade: I did Soccer when I was around 4, don’t remember it very well. And then I did Baseball for a couple years in elementary school, but then the pandemic hit and I never really wanted to start it again. There was also a time where I did wrestling in 4th grade for a year, but I didn’t enjoy it too much.
Kael is the proud son of Steve McCord and Amanda McCord (previously Mierop.) He is also the proud “Big Bro” to Ian McCord 8th, and Colin McCord 6th.
Here are Kael’s answers to his “Bell Ringer Questions: Nickname: “KP (some of my family members call me that , its just my initials for my first and middle name).” School Clubs or other Organizations you have taken part in: “I do youth group on Wednesdays at my church, but that’s about it “.; Favorite Food: “I enjoy a lot of foods, but the food I can never get enough of is a good chicken pot pie.“; Favorite Movie: “I watched the Truman show a couple months ago and it was really enjoyable, so probably that as of now.” Favorite Music (Genre or Group): “Music has kind of jumped around a bit. Not too long ago it was rock/hard rock, but right now it is just kind of just whatever puts me in a good mood.”; Athletic Hero: “I don’t really watch any sports, and eventually the Olympics I didn’t watch much of, so I don’t have one.” Favorite Quote: “My favorite quote is goes along the lines of “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” That quote just is a nice thing to be able to keep in mind when things may seem overwhelming of hard.”: How Did You Decide to Join the XC Team?: “Like I said in the athletics section, I joined because I heard my friend was joining. Eventually when he moved on to Football in high school I kept doing XC and have loved it.”; What Advice Do You Have for Anyone New to the Sport?: “If you ever feel like quitting or giving up on it, just give it one more season. There have been some times where I really had no desire to run and do XC, but I showed up for the season and walked out loving it“.
Other team members who were nominated and discussed for this week’s “Bell Ringer Award” were: Henley Bourne, Aidan Bries, Graysen Carlson, Rylan Carlson, Willi Davis, Greyson Claerhout, Kaden Elmer, Cole Henson, & Jaxson Sottos.
Comment from Head Coach Todd Ehlert: “We are excited for Kael this year. Last year he had a break out year and was in our top 10 guys. He is an interesting combination of a distance runner and a pole vaulter. We have had a few of those in our time for cross country. He has come in a little out of shape from not running a lot in the spring, but we believe Kael has a lot of potential to be great this year. With some work, Kael could challenge the top five. It is going to be a great season”.
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TOP 3 APPROACH ONE MILE
Pictured are Senior Jaxson Sottos, Sophomore Henely Bourne, and Senior Graysen Carlson
LEAFS OPEN SEASON WITH ANNUAL “RUST BUSTER”
On Tuesday, August 19th, the Leafs hosted their annual “Rust Buster” Time Trial. This meet has existed in some form since the fall of 1986. Back then, the meet was called the “Alumni-Open” and anyone could run. That included parents, siblings, community members. In fact, the boys soccer team used to participate. The girls volleyball team jumped in a few times also. The meet used a handicapping system that saw every class and gender start at a different time in the same race. It was a LOT of fun but due to I.H.S.A. rules, Coach Ehlert changed the structure of the meet when he took over in the fall of 2018. It had to be done. He also changed the course due to construction in the park. He also decided to change the distance for this meet which changed it from 2 miles to 3000 meters.
Anyway, the team was treated to a drastic change in temperature and humidity from earlier in the week. On the previous day (Monday), the “Feels Like” temperature got up to 108 Degrees. All practices were canceled. The race time temperature was 81 degrees with a light, 9 mph northwest breeze. The only negative was the fact that a storm blew through the night before and dropped over an inch of rain. The end result was the course was a bit soft, especially on the lower portions of the Richmond Hill Course. By the way, this was the first of four home meets that G.H.S. will host in 2025. Future events will include: the Geneseo Invitational (Saturday, September 20th), The Western Big 6 Conference Meet (Thursday, October 16th), and the I.H.S.A. Sectional Meet (Saturday, November 1st).
The current race format for the “Rust Buster” has everyone start at the same time. The boys and girls race starts at the same time….no handicap. There was also a middle school race that ran the last mile of the 3K course. They also start at the same time. On to the race recap.
The Maple Leafs were led by Senior Jaxson Sottos, Sophomore Henley Bourne, and Senior Graysen Carlson. The three of them broke away early in the race. Jaxson ended up winning the race in 10:27 (A NEW Senior Class Record) and just off his personal best of 10:05 for the race set last year in perfect conditions on a fast, hard course and sits as the second fastest time EVER on the course. Sophomore Henley Bourne finished a mere once second back. He was closing fast and his time of 10:28 is the 4th fastest time EVER for a GHS runner and second fastest Sophomore time. Up next, was Senior Graysen Carlson who was “Clocked” in an impressive time of 10:56. That time ranks Graysen as the 11th Fastest Maple Leaf EVER. It also ranks him as the 7th Fastest Senior. Great Job, Men.
Rounding out the Leafs’ “Top 5” were Seniors Aidan Bries and Kaden Elmer who placed 4th and 5th. They both ran really smart races. Aidan’s time of 11:01 moves him into the 13th Fastest time EVER. It also ranks him as the 9th Fastest Senior on the course. All this with a bad tummy on the day. Kaden also impressed. He “Stopped the Clock” at 11:04 which is the 10th fastest time for a Senior in the meet’s history. Kaden already blasted a 10:42 last year in the great conditions which has him sitting 6th All-Time. Great Stuff, Men. In case you noticed, that’s 4 Maple Leaf Seniors in the Top 5. This is a team that possesses a plethora of talented seniors with a tremendous leadership skills. The season is a going to be a LOT of Fun.
Rounding out the Leafs’ Top 10 were Sophomore Greyson Claerhout who placed 7th overall and was timed in 12:09 which ranks him 19th on the Sophomore list. Sophomore Fritz Bolme placed 9th overall in 12:44 and moved into 21st spot on the Sophomore list for the course. Up next was rapidly improving Sophomore Rylan Carlson who placed 11th overall in the race and was timed in 13:02. His time moves him into the 24th spot on the GHS Sophomore List. The Leafs’ 10th Man was Junior Micah Johnson who placed 13th overall in the race and was timed in 13:38. Great Efforts, Men.
Next up was Junior Jacob Berry who placed 14th overall in a time of 13:50. He was the Maple Leafs’ 11th man on the day. Close behind him was Freshman Willi Davis who placed 17th overall in the race in a time of 14:18. His time was good enough to “Crack the Top 25 Freshmen list. He now sits as the 23rd Fastest Freshman in GHS History for this race. Willi was the 12th Maple Leaf to cross the finish line. Up next was “Rookie” Cole Henson. Cole recently joined the team and was racing with zero summer base work. Pretty dang impressive. In fact, he “Cracked the Top 20” overall in the race. Cole placed 19th overall in the race in a time of 14:33. He was the 13th Maple Leaf runner on the day. Way to Roll, Men.
Not far behind was Senior Calvin Bell who placed 21st overall in a time of 15:02. Calvin was the Leafs’ 14th man on the day. He was closely followed by Junior Connor Runty who placed 22nd overall in a time of 15:10. Connor was the Leafs’ 15th man in the race. Up next was Sophomore Noah Arnold who placed 23rd overall in a time of 15:25. Noah is a recent transfer to GHS from the Quad Cities. We are glad he decided to join our team. Noah was the 16th Maple Leaf on the day. Next up was Freshman Phoenix Sottos who placed 27th overall in the race and was timed in 18:16. Phoenix was the Leafs’ 17th man to “Cross da Line”. Great Job, Men.
Senior Jameson Coppejans and Junior Jack Kreiss were unable to race. Look for them to be “Wearing da Green” sometime soon. They both have a plethora of potential and are a sure bet to help add more depth to the Maple Leaf Roster.
An added “Twist” to this year’s race was the sub-division of the boys team into two teams and then score the meet as a “Dual Meet”. The senior captains selected the teams and the meet played out better than anyone could have dreamed….a 28-29 point showdown. The team of Jacob Berry, Henley Bourne, Graysen Carlson, Jameson Coppejans, Kaden Elmer, Cole Henson Jack Kreiss, Kael McCord, Connor Runty, and Phoenix Sottos ended up winning. That, despite two of their team members didn’t’t race. Amazing. They beat the team of Noah Arnold, Calvin Bell, Greyson Claerhout, Fritz Bolme, Aidan Bries, Rylan Carlson, Willi Davis, Micah Johnson, and Jaxson Sottos. The idea for the team competition was a “Brain Child” of the Maple Leafs Dynamic Duo. That would be coaches Todd Ehlert and Jeff Brown. Well done, Men. It was a Great Idea.
Great start to the season Men. It was a LOT of fun watching each of you race. Some of you started too fast and paid the price for that. Others had a bit too much left “In the Tank”. Next time. A few of you nailed it and were “Running on Fumes” as you kicked it in. Every race is a learning opportunity. Every course we race on is unique and presents its own challenges. You will also need to factor in your constantly increasing fitness level. This team contains a unique mixture of personalities. The key is to believe in each other and work as a collective group (called a TEAM) to chase potential. You will be trained to PEAK when it matters the most……CHAMPIONSHIP MEET SEASON. That is at the end of the season for our “Newbies”. It is a true honor to have each of you on the team. All the best in the coming weeks as you make this season come alive with excitement. Dream Big and then back those dreams up with the commitment that excellence demands.
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2025 SENIORS READY TO LEAD
Pictured are the 2025 GHS Senior Class. From Left to right….Aidan Bries, Kaden Elmer,
Jaxson Sottos, Graysen Carlson, Calvin Bell, & Jameson Coppejans
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