Moberly Monitor-Index

Like so many programs’ before them, the 2008 Lady Spartans will be making an appearance at the MSHSAA Cross Country State Championships being hosted Nov 8 at Oak Hills Golf Center in Jefferson City, and they’ll be joined by one of the youngest members of the boy’s team.

For the ninth time since the 1997 season, the Moberly girls cross country team qualified for the state championships on Saturday when they finished second at the Class 3 District 5 meet hosted at the Moberly Country Club.  Also qualifying as an individual from the Spartans’ boy’s team is sophomore Sam Dickerson.

The top two teams and 15 individual finishers at each respective district qualify for state. Warrensburg High School girls won the girls district title, and in the boys event Jefferson City Helias was team champion with Warrensburg finishing second.

“We had six girls finish before Warrensburg had their fifth girl finish but the difference was that those early Warrensburg’s runners placed so much higher in the overall standings than we did. We were close, but they ran harder than we did. I was expecting us to be with Warrensburg as the top two girls teams and the two of us were really gunning for it,” said Moberly first year head coach Sarah Duree. “I’m pretty happy for our girls. They’ve had a great season. If our girls can continue to run in a pack like they did today at districts and what they have been doing, I like our chances in how our team might finish at state.”

Under an overcast sky, running temperatures in Moberly were at a pleasant 66 degrees Saturday when Marshall sophomore Katie Wells was the first female runner to complete the 3.1 mile course here at districts. Wells was individual champion beating 52 competitors having a time of 20:29 minutes. Abby Ersland, a Warrensburg junior, was.... READ MORE