This past Monday the Holy Savior Menard Eagles capped their seasons off at the LHSAA State Championships in Natchitoches, LA. This year has been one of the most exciting seasons for the Eagles, and as the team went through the leadup to the State race the athletes looked forward to all the possibilities that laid before them. Emotions were running high as the runners prepared for the last race of the season, and for some it would be the last race of their high school cross country careers. As a team we have always aimed to focus on giving everything that we have for each other and there is no doubt that both the Girls and Boys teams did just that!   

​

     The Boys team would be the first to run. Comprised of Noah Gad, Charles Beard, Aaron Cantrell, Austin Siebeneicher, Carter Byers, Mikey DeRosa, and Cayden Gorham the Eagles came into the day with high expectations and focus that could not be rivaled. Ultimately the team finished in 4th place as a team, but every member of the team performed to their highest ability and gave all that they had for their teammates.

​

Noah Gad: Noah was 1st for the Eagles and finished in 9th place overall with a time of 17:36 and earned ALL-STATE honors for 2A. This is an amazing accomplishment that puts him in a very exclusive group in Menard history making him only the 16th runner in for HSM to accomplish the feat.

​

Austin Siebeneicher: Austin was the 2nd Eagle across the line at the state meet finishing in 14th place overall with a time of 18:13. He was the fastest 8th grader in the 2A race and the 2nd fastest 8th grader in all classifications at the state championships. He improved his time from last years meet by 1:20! 

​

Aaron Cantrell: Aaron finished 3rd for the team and 21st overall with a time of 18:40. Aaron was also named as a member of the 2A All-State Academic team, one of only 3 boys and girls in 2A. He ends his senior season running a fantastic race and having a great year!

​

Charles Beard: As the 4th member of the team to cross the finish line for the Eagles, Charles showed his experience at the state meet by finishing 29th overall with a time of 19:11. Charles battled through a tough year to make a huge impact for his team in the biggest race of the year.

​

Cater Byers: Carter Byers ran a very solid race of 19:29, finishing 36th place overall. His Sophomore season ends with a top 40 state finish and showed once again the great things that are yet to come for this great runner.

​

Cayden Gorham: Cayden made his State Meet debut with a race time of 19:29 and 37th place. He supported his teammate Carter all the way to the finish even giving him a little final push at the end to make sure that the tea accomplished the all important goal of never getting passed on the track! Which none of them did!

​

Mikey DeRosa: Mikey was the final member of the Eagles to cross the line at the State meet, finishing right behind Carter and Cayden at a time of 19:30 in 38th place. Mikey fought the entire race with a nagging injury but still managed to lay everything on the line for his teammates and make sure that the entire team finished in the top 40! 

​

Awesome job Guys!!!

​

     The Girls team ran later in the afternoon and they also had an amazing finish to a year that saw many ups and downs! Although the team missed the presence of captain Kannin Cole on the start line due to injury, all the girls ran races that would bring pride to the team! Emma DeRosa, Quinn Brown, Chesney Mathews, Amie Cochran, Abbey Scalisi, Claire Callis, and Ava Laroux made up this years team running at the state meet and they finished 5th overall with a team score of 168 points. Every member of the girls team finished in the top 50% of the race and every member gave every single bit that they could!

​

Emma DeRosa: Senior Emma DeRosa led the Lady Eagles across the line with a 17th overall finish and a time of 21:10. She brings her storied career as a member of the HSM Cross Country team to a close with her strongest race of the year and will leave a legacy of hard work and dedication on the HSM program!

 

Quinn Brown: Fellow Senior Quinn Brown was the second Lady Eagle to finish the race with a time of 22:00 and a 30th overall finish. Like Emma, although her career on the Cross Country team is now ended, she leaves behind an attitude and legacy of unrelenting effort! 

​

Chesney Mathews: Finishing in 33rd overall place with a time of 22:19, Chesney ends her Sophomore season on a high note for sure! She steadily progressed throughout the year and her performance at the state meet showed that the best is still yet to come for this great runner!

​

Ava Laroux: Making her debut on the NSU course as a member of her first state championship team Ava stepped up to the spotlight unwaveringly finishing 51st overall with a time of 24:06! She will continue to grow as a runner and look to follow in the footsteps of those seniors who showed her the way this year!

​

Abbey Scalisi: Abbey was right behind Ava with a time of 24:24 and a 54th overall finish in this years State Meet. Abbey stepped up in a big way over the last few races of the year and made huge steps forward toward establishing herself among those coming back next year to lead the way for the Lady Eagles!

 

Claire Callis: Also making her State Meet debut along with fellow 8th grader Ava, Claire finished in 60th place overall with a time of 24:51. Claire had an up and down year, but when you end your season with a great race as she did all the time and effort are completely worth it!

​

Amie Cochran: Amie was the last Lady Eagle across the line this year with a time of 25:08 and a 63rd overall place finish. She fought through some difficulties in the 2nd mile to rebound in the 3rd and finish her season as strong as she has run all year! It is the fight that Amie has when things are tough in the midst of a race that makes her such a great leader for the future of the team!

 

I couldn't be prouder of these young men and women this year!     

​