Red Devils give ‘em the old 1-2

STERLING— Hall’s Scott Janusick was the top overall finisher, and teammate T.J. Mosbach was the second runner to make the left turn into the “Lincoln” chute Saturday at the NCIC conference Cross Country meet held at Woodlawn Academy in Sterling.

But as the Red Devil duo stood catching their breath, they watched as the Rockets of Rock Falls placed the next three runners and two more in the top 10 to edge out Hall, 30-45, for the Lincoln Conference title.

Janusick, coming off a “disappointing” withdrawal at Monday’s Columbus Day Invite in Amboy, repeated as the NCIC Lincoln champ with a time of 16:12, Mosbach’s second-place finish (16:31) was a repeat of last year as well, when the pair ran to the same result at Geneseo.

“I just wanted to come in and show that I could stay with these guys and finish strong. That was my goal coming in,” said Janusick.

“It’s been a constant the whole year,” said Hall coach Tom Keegan of his standout duo’s performance. “For Scott, I’m sure it’s a big redemption type of deal after the Amboy race, and T.J. continues to impress with the way he’s been finishing as well.”

 Keegan hoped his squad could continue their momentum into the postseason.

 “We’re going to take this and move forward into next week,” Keegan said.

Also scoring for the Red Devils were Austin Pelszynski (11th, 17:37), Brandon Allen (14th, 17:54), and Juan Vera (17th, 18:06).

• Princeton’s Jacob Mead was the top finisher for the Tigers’ pack, coming in 13th at 17:52, with teammates Zach Kieffer (15th, 17:56) and Greg Musselman (16th, 18:01), both hot on his heels. Rounding out the scoring for the Tigers were Ryan Arndt (25th, 19:44), and Cody Schertz (28th, 19:44).

“Jacob was pretty close to his best time, and Greg, Ryan and Cody all had there best times, so that’s about all you can ask,” said PHS coach Pat Hodge.

Princeton finished third with a score of 97, followed by Kewanee (101), IVC (105) and Mendota (130).

Notes: Both Princeton and Hall will head to the Rock Falls regional on Saturday, Hodge said the regional field, which includes the likes of Sterling Newman, Oregon, Bureau Valley and the host Rockets is “one of the toughest Class A regionals.” The meet will kick off at 10:45 a.m. at Rock Falls’ Centennial Park.