Trojans Up Big at Half

Robinson- The Charleston Trojans look to go 10-0 with a win at Robinson tonight.

Currently at the half its 35-13 Trojans

Holly Wholtman leads all scorers with 10.

CHS Varsity basketball team looks to improve execution and scoring numbers: Season Preview

The Mt. Zion braves varsity boys basketball team finished last season with a record of 14-0 against teams within the Apollo conference.

The Olney/East Richland Tigers finished 11-3 within the Apollo conference and an overall record of 32-4.

With the success of these two teams and an overall difficult conference, for the varsity Charleston Trojans  to be successful they will need to get contributions from all their players.

The Charleston Trojans boys varsity team finished last season with a 8-20 record, including a 1-13 record in the Apollo Conference. Last year, marked the first time in five years that the Trojans did not have a winning season. If the Trojans are to be successful within the conference, they will need to find their offensive strengths and weaknesses early in the season.

” Our big strength is our competitiveness. Our practices have been very competitive and if that continues then we should be successful,” said Charleston varsity head coach Trevor Doughty.

” We focus our practices around effort and executing our offensive and defensive plays,” said coach Doughty.

Execution will certainly be important to an offense that averaged 54 points per game last year. Charleston also didn’t have good free throw or three point percentages. They connected on 60% of their free throw attempts and shot only 27% from behind the three point line.

” Last season, we didn’t shoot like we had wanted to from the three point line or the free throw line,” said coach Doughty. ” In the off-season we certainly had the players practicing their form and paying attention to shot selections.”

Last season, in the Apollo Conference the Trojans finished in eighth place. Within the division five teams finished with a .500 or above winning percentage (Mt.Zion, Olney, Effingham, Newton, Salem). Charleston will be relying on their competitive team play to keep pace with the other teams in the conference.

The varsity Charleston Trojans are returning one starter (Jamel Johnson), five seniors, six juniors, four sophomores, and two freshmen. Last season, Johnson was Charleston’s leading scorer with an average of 14.7 points per game. He also led the Trojans in rebounding with 9.5 rebounds per game. Johnson’s numbers have been good enough to catch the eye of Salem head coach John Boles.

” Johnson is simply a load for a defense to try and handle. When he is in the game he is certainly a difference maker,” said Salem head coach John Boles. ” We anticipate a very tough conference with Mt. Zion and Robinson probably being the early favorites. Charleston should also be able to contend with some of the size of their players they have this season.”

The Salem Wildcats finished last season 14-14, with a 7-7 record in the Apollo conference.

” We don’t have a huge amount of experience at the varsity level between our players, so we are going to need some of our younger players to step in and contribute,” said Doughty. ” We do have some depth with players like Derek Hennig, Sean Parker, and Dylan Rose, so I feel we are going to have to compete at a high level to make up the difference.”

Historically, Charleston has ran a six or seven man rotation, but due to the players lack of varsity experience coach Doughty is considering a deeper rotation.

Coach Doughty credits the off-season program for the teams early toughness and competitive nature. During the summer, the boys basketball team participated in 25 conditioning sessions that have helped bring out the competitive nature in the team.

” The summer sessions really helped us install what we wanted to. The first two weeks of practice are focusing on fundamentals and execution. At this point, I really like our competitive nature and our hard play,” said Doughty.

Charleston Boys Varsity Basketball Schedule

The Charleston Trojans varsity basketball team will play sixteen regular season games, including eight home games.

The Trojans will host the Charleston Holiday Tournament, as well as being being participants in the St. Anthony Turkey Tournament and the Salem Invitational Tournament.

Schedule:

11/24/08 – 11/29/08: St. Anthony Turkey Tournament (Away)

12/05/08: Paris High School (Home) 6:15 p.m.

12/09/08: Newton High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

12/12/08: Olney (East Richland) High School (Home) 6:15 p.m.

12/19/08: Salem High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

12/27/08 – 12/30/08: Charleston Holiday Tournament (Home) TBA

01/09/09: Mt. Zion HIgh School (Home) 6:15 p.m.

01/13/09: Robinson High School (Home) 6:15 p.m.

01/16/09: Paris High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

01/21/09 -1/24/09: Salem Invitational Tournament (Away) TBA

01/27/09: Urbana High School (Home) 6:00 p.m.

01/30/09: Effingham High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

02/03/09: Salem High School (Home) 6:15 p.m.

02/06/09: Newton High School (Home) 6:15 p.m.

02/10/09: Mt. Zion High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

02/13/09: Olney (East Richland) High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

02/17/09: Robinson High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

02/20/09: Effingham High School (Home) 6:15 p.m.

02/24/09: Mattoon High School (Away) 6:15 p.m.

Charleston High School Basketball Roster

Head Coach : Trevor Doughty

Assistant Coaches: Jim Wood, Brad Oakley

Roster:

Jason Coon #10: 5′9”/guard/junior

Jason lord #11: 6′0”/guard/junior

Derek Hennig #12: 6′0”/guard/senior

Sean Parker #15: 6′2”/forward/senior

Dylan Rose #20: 6′0”/guard/senior

Joey Miller #21: 6′2”/guard/sophomore

Brad Wheeler #23: 6′2”/guard/junior

T.J. Bell #24: 6′7”/guard/freshmen

James Addison #30: 6′2”/guard/junior

Jamel Johnson #32: 6′6”/forward/senior

Ryan Hale #33: 6′2”/guard/senior

Dylan Doughty #35: 6′4”/forward/junior

Taylor Nead #44: 6′5”/forward/junior

Colin Ferguson #45: 6′8”/center/freshmen

Michael Van Popering #22: 6′3”/forward/sophomore

Evan Clark #34: 6′2”/guard/sophomore

Clayton Cooper #40: 6′1”/forward/sophomore

Alex Shick #42: 6′4”/forward/sophomore

CHS faces problems of experience, depth

 

The 2008-2009 season will be the first year that the Apollo Conference has had wrestling as a sport.  With five of the eight teams participating in wrestling—Paris, Newton and Salem do not have wrestling teams—the upcoming season is a source for excitement among the participants.

 

“[We] are anticipating some individual some individual success while building a program for the future,” said Charleston coach Scott Black.

 

The Trojans will be attempting to win a conference championship without the services of one of their most successful wrestlers of the past few years, Mick Wurtsbaugh, who transferred to Mattoon High School for his senior season.  Losing their lone sectional qualifier in Wurtsbaugh, Coach Black is expecting big contributions from the younger wrestlers on the team.

 

“I’m expecting a lot from our returning wrestlers this year,” Black said. “I believe any of our returning letterman could have an outstanding season.”

 

Depth may once again be a problem for the Trojans.  Last year there were depth problems and this upcoming year the team seems to be bothered by the same issue.  Coach Black said that there is depth within the lower and middle weight classes, but that the upper weight classes do not have many wrestlers. 

 

A lack of experience within their team is also something that the Trojans may have to work through during their season, as the team only consists of “four or five juniors and one senior,” according to Black, which includes returning lettermen such as Bernard Head, Aaron Laursen and Justin Kater.

 

“Winning a conference title would be wonderful,” said Coach Black. “We have some pretty stiff competition in the Apollo Conference.”

 

That competition includes Robinson High School, which will return three time sectional qualifier Chris Grimm at 112 pounds and two time sectional qualifiers Bennett Williams (140 pounds) and Mitch Thacker (152 pounds).

 

Robinson also faces the challenge of replacing lost wrestlers,

 

“We had four outstanding seniors last year,” said Coach Levi Damron. “With them gone, I expect the rest of our lineup to step up and take their place. We have 10 returning starters”

 

“Robinson consistently has a very strong team,” said Coach Black.

 

The addition of wrestling as a program in Olney High School is what has allowed the Apollo Conference to acknowledge wrestling as a sport this year. 

Small size hinders Trojans

Charleston girls’ swimming coach Todd Keating is proud of his team’s performance in the 2008 season.

The girls finished 12th of 18 in the IHSA sectionals on Nov. 10, left treading water as Champaign Central took first.

In the 200-yard medley, the Lady Trojans finished 9th with a time of 2:13.71. In the 200-yard relay, the team finished at 1:59.29. Sophomore Savannah Esarey led Charleston in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:17.31, leading senior Kerri Brachear, who finished at 2:25.43.

However, Keating doesn’t blame the girls’ performance for their low placement. Rather, Keating believes the team’s small size is the key behind their performance.

“Teams who win are large because their swimmers are better rested,” Keating said. “With other teams, individuals only swim one event.”

Competing against teams with rosters of about 14 members, Keating said, is hard for a team of six to keep up with.

Regardless, Keating said he is proud of the team’s performance, citing sectionals as “a personal best.”

“This year we had a well-balanced team,” Keating said. “Most of the time, we get a lot of freestyle and not enough strokes.”

With the girls’ season over, Charleston boys will dive in led by coach Courtney Kimbro.

In her second year of coaching the Trojans, Kimbro notices an interaction between swimmers that draws them together.

“We really have a good team connection,” Kimbro said. “We really seem to get along really well.”

Though the season doesn’t begin until Dec. 16 at Normal West with Lincoln, Kimbro is already looking forward to its beginning.

The Trojans had nine swimmers last season. This year, though the roster isn’t officially set, Kimbro hopes for a good turnout: Fourteen students showed up at the team’s rule meeting earlier this year.

More than anything, Kimbro is proud of her team.

“My advanced swimmers really did a nice job at sectionals and worked really hard throughout the season,” Kimbro said in regards to the 2007-08 season. “Same for my beginner swimmers – an incredible job, as far as how they did, the improvement that they had.”

Kimbro looks back fondly on last season, but still looks ahead to the 2008-09 schedule.

The team has only one home meet this season at Eastern Illinois’ Ray Padovan Pool.

The Trojans’ dependence on Eastern for a venue can be challenging at times, Kimbro said.

“The only problem with not having your own pool is that you really have to work around Eastern’s schedule,” Kimbro said. “It’s amazing, all the different things going on with Eastern’s pool.”

Kimbro cited practice time — 8 to 10 p.m. — as the team’s only weakness; within the team itself, she said there is no visible weakness.

Still, Kimbro and the Trojans are grateful for the opportunities given to them.

“It’s really wonderful that we have a swim program, so we are happy with whatever time we are allotted at Eastern and very happy that they are accepting and willing to give us time,” Kimbro said.

The support of fans is also something the Trojans are grateful for.

Kimbro said the meets are “more or less a family atmosphere.”

“The parents are wonderful,” Kimbro said. “I have my own family, and my own family considers the swim team and the boys and their families a part of our family. That would be one more benefit or strength of our program.”

Boys’ swimming schedule

Tue. 12/16: @ Normal West with Lincoln – 5:30 p.m.

Sat. 12/20: @ Bloomington Tournament – 9:00 a.m.

Sat. 1/10: @ Centennial Charger Invitational – 1:00 p.m.

Tue. 1/13: @ Urbana with Centennial – 4:30 p.m.

Sat. 1/17: @ Springfield Southeast with Lincoln – 9:00 a.m.

Sat. 1/24: Danville Schlarmann and Urbana – 10:00 a.m.

Sat. 1/31: @ Danville with Normal and Schlarmann – 11:00 a.m.

Sat. 2/14: @ Jacksonville with Danville Schalarmann – 11:00 a.m.

Experience, player-coach relationships vital in success of teams

Watching many sports, there are times that you may wonder why certain players may not receive more playing time. He/she seems to be physically superior to some of the athletes that are receiving more playing time—they jump higher, run faster, and are stronger—but the one thing that is not obvious when just watching these athletes is possibly one of the most important—experience. In volleyball, experience proves to be a major factor that affects many phases of the game.

 

“At the high school level, experience is the most important aspect,” said Robinson coach Eric Dean.

 

Since volleyball experience is more difficult to come by than some other sports, the experience that players are able to get proves to be invaluable, especially in high school. Club volleyball is usually the main source of experience provided to high school volleyball players.

 

“The experience they receive there shows during the season,” said Coach Dean. “Girls that have the ability to play more volleyball are usually far and away better than those that do not.”

 

Over their careers, players that are active in club volleyball as well as their regular season can play in four or five more seasons than players that cannot. Some coaches believe that freshman and sophomore years are especially important to high school players because of possibly getting used to a different attitude than what they dealt with in junior high.

 

“In junior high they are still having fun,: said Mt. Zion coach Jenny Moore. “By the time they get to high school, fun doesn’t always cut it and people want to win.”

 

According to Coach Dean, the biggest impact of a lack of experience is that players do not have the instincts that more experienced, polished players have. As a result, the less experienced players have to think more while on the court, often making them a second slower than others on the court, which may result in the other team scoring a point.

 

“The biggest thing, probably more than physical, is understanding the game,” said Effingham coach Laurie Bohnoff, who coached nine seniors, three juniors and a sophomore on her varsity team this year, the only team in the Apollo Conference that is undefeated in conference games.

 

Playing against an evenly matched team, experience plays a big role in the game of volleyball, affecting strategy before the game and performances during the game. The amount of experience that a player has affects the way she hits and her demeanor when playing in a close game.

 

Experienced players understand that you have to use certain strategies,” said Coach Bohnoff. “It [experience] is very important in close, competitive games.”

 

More inexperienced players may try to rely mostly on their physical skills, not following a specific strategy.

 

“They [inexperienced players] may not pay attention to where the biggest blockers are,” said Coach Bohnoff. “Instead they may go out and just try to hit the ball as hard as they can.”

 

Even though some coaches agree that the players’ experience is more important than that of the coaches, there is also consensus that the coach should try to put those that are less experienced in positions that they can excel in so that the players can gain confidence. The confidence that players gain is evident in many parts of the game, but seems to be especially evident when their team is on the losing end of several points. Coach Bohnoff said that it is very important, in terms of the team’s success, that players not let one or two down points distract them from playing hard the entire time.

 

The coaches’ experience is more valuable when addressing off-the-court issues and adversity, but the players’ experience is thought to be more important when it comes to the success of the team.

 

“I definitely think the success of the team, most of the time, is reflective of its players because they are the ones out playing the game,” said Coach Bohnoff.

 

Another factor that affects the growth of a player is her relationship with the coach. A good player-coach relationship is another source of confidence for players. Also, besides the confidence level of a player, the relationship that she has with her coach may also affect the players’ work ethic when there is mutual respect between the two.

 

“I think it is just like any other sport—a good relationship gets more out of the athlete,” said Coach Bohnoff.

 

The effect that the player-coach relationship has on the players ultimately depends on the player’s personality.

 

“As a coach you have to learn how each player reacts to criticism and praise,” Coach Dean said. “Some learn from it and others may shut down when they hear it”

 

Sometimes they may think you’re full of crap and you’re pretty sure that they aren’t working all that hard,” Coach Bohnoff said.

 

According to Coach Dean, respect is still the issue. “If they respect you, they will listen,” Dean says.”

 

Several coaches also agree that the time that a good relationship between players and the coach is most beneficial when things are not going well, when the team is not playing well or not winning.

 

“It benefits the most when things are not going well,” Coach Dean said. “Coaches and players can communicate what is going on and find solutions.’

 

However, there are instances in which a player-coach relationship can be too good. There are some times that either the coach may be too close to players, which may have a detrimental affect on the team.

 

“A coach can not have too good of a relationship with a player to where they can’t take them out or they can’t tell them what they are doing wrong.”

 

Bohnoff, the coach of one of the most experienced varsity teams in the Apollo Conference, says that she has seen differences within her team in the time that she has coached “the girls.” She says that the experience that they have received has matured them. Complementing the maturity that her players gain, the relationship that she has with the players also makes it easier to overcome adversities that they may face.

 

“They know they just have to improve in some areas.”

 

Freshmen Trojans defeat Cumberland to finish season undefeated

With the rain pouring down on Charleston field the freshmen Charleston Trojans received a late fourth quarter kickoff that put an emphatic exclamation point to their undefeated system. The kickoff sailed to the Charleston 27 yard-line where returner Larry “L.J” Welsh III caught it in flight. Welsh III quickly cut towards the middle of the field and following a wall of blockers he was able to cut back to the outside where it was a foot race to the goal line. Welsh’s 73-yard kickoff return for a touchdown put an end to an amazing season as the freshmen Charleston Trojans defeated the Cumberland Pirates 50 – 6.

” I saw a big wall of blockers and i just followed them till i saw the outside open up,” said Welsh III. ” It was really wet out there so I just tried to keep my footing.”

The Charleston offense scored a touchdown on it’s first four possessions, to build a quick 30-0 lead in the second quarter. With the rain pouring down the Trojan offense elected to run the football as much as possible, a method that has served them well to this point in the season.

On their first offensive play Larry Welsh III took a halfback dive up the middle and out ran the defenders for a 59 yard touchdown run. Runningmate Robert Farkas then topped the Welsh run with a 69 yard touchdown run on Charleson’s second offensive possesion.  On Charleston’s third offensive possesion The runninng game was once again the focal point of the Charleston attack. Following a Cumberland fumble, Jurgen Huddleston Smith took a quick handoff and ran up the middle for a 19-yard touchdown run.

Welsh III was the main contributor to the Charleston offensive running attack as he ran for 142 yards on four carries. Welsh was able to break off running plays of 59 and 69 yards. He finished the game with 215 all purpose yards (142 rushing yards, 73 kick-return yards) and three touchdowns. Charleston halfback Robert Farkas also had a 69-yard touchdown run, as well as having a fumble recovery. Halfback Jurgen Huddleston Smith had 56 yards and two touchdowns and Ebon Wolf chipped in 41 yards rushing and a touchdown.

“We wanted to come out and establish the run. Our offensive-line dominated the line-of-scrimmage and we were able to get some big runs,” said Charleston Trojans head coach Jeff Miller.

It seemed that the Cumberland offense could literally not hold onto the football. Cumberland quarterback Chris Ruholl had three fumbled snaps on the first four offensive possessions for the Cumberland Pirates. All three fumbles were recovered by Charleston and set their offense up with good field position. The Pirates fumbled the ball five times and their lone offensive touchdown came off their last offensive possession of the game.

” The weather made the ball a little slick and myself and the center have not had much time to work on things,” said Cumberland Quarterback Chris Ruholl.

The Cumberland Pirates only brought thirteen players and some had not played very much together.

” We left some players at home for the varsity squad, if we had the extra players it would have made a difference, but I’m not sure how much,” said Cumberland head coach Bill Ault. ” Charleston has a really good football team and defenses will have to make sure they get a square hit on #42 or he will do some big things.”

The Charleston defense played well, but they might have gotten a helping hand from mother nature. The rain gradually picked up throughout the game and it visibly frustrated the Cumberland offense.

” It was obvious that the weather played a factor. We just couldn’t hold onto the ball and when you don’t take good angles and wrap up your tackles, then big plays are going to happen,” said Cumberland head coach Bill Ault. ” We like to throw the ball about 40 percent of the time and we were unable to get any of that going on.”

With the win the freshmen Charleston Trojans have finished the season 9-0 and have gone undefeated in the Apollo conference for the first time. The young Trojans have been keyed by a strong running game and a blitzing defense that loves to bring pressure from all angles.

” The team is really a very hard working group of players. I think the future is very bright for this team,” said coach Miller.

Running Down a Dream: Landrus, Smith, McElwee lead Trojans to regionals

The sun peaks over a wall of trees in the east, drying the slick grass near the starting line at Evergreen Park in Effingham, Ill. Most of the teams sit on the tennis courts; duffel bags and track suits thrown aside as the runners prepare for the three-mile race ahead of them.

Teeth chatter and breath is visible in the frigid mid-October chill. Friends and family line the sidewalk trying desperately to catch a sunbeam at the risk of impaired vision.

It’s the last race of the season — the St. Anthony Invitational. After all of the training and pushing each other to the brink of exhaustion every week, it’s finally over.

But for the Charleston boys’ team, it’s just getting started, but it’s hard for the team to focus on the race ahead or the third place finish they’ll assume, for the Trojans are only a week away from the meet they’ve been looking forward to all season.

This is what they live for. This is what it’s all about. In one week, the boys will make the drive to Mt. Vernon to compete in the regional tournament.

Under head coach Derrick Landrus, the Trojans are hoping to place in their ninth straight regional tournament in 10 years.

“This is the one we want to peak at,” Landrus said. He said the team has used every race this season as practice for regionals, but also said the team won’t be pushing themselves nearly as hard as they have for previous meets.

“We’re not working them as hard as we have the past week or two,” Landrus said. “We want to get them a little freshened up.”

In preparations for regionals, the team has practiced what they call “tapering.”

“We build up for a peak for conference, what our coach considers probably the most important race of the year,” senior Matt McElwee said. “Then afterwards, we kind of stay away from the really hard workouts to taper off for regionals and sectionals.”

Although the Trojans are a fairly young team with only two seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen, Landrus said the pressure of placing in regionals to advance to sectionals and then on to state hasn’t affected the team.

“We’re in a different regional than we’ve ever been in,” junior Aaron Smith said.

Charleston will be facing eight schools in regionals: Carbondale, Effingham, Mattoon, Marion, Salem, Mt. Vernon and Centralia.

“We haven’t run against Centralia,” Smith said. “We haven’t run against Mt. Vernon. Effingham and Mattoon, we know we can beat. With Salem, we have a grudge race.”

At the Apollo Conference meet on Oct. 14 at Olney, the Wildcats edged the Trojans by 12 points, taking first place. Smith finished second in the race with a time of 17:00, beating Salem junior Cory Nix, who clocked in at 17:25. However, low placement by Charleston runners held the team back, allowing Salem to steal the victory.

Despite the lack of experience in a new regional, the team will run on as if nothing was different. To them, it’s just another race.

For McElwee, it could also be the last race he ever runs in crimson and gold.

He’s come a long way since his first race as a freshman, clocking in at 28:46. McElwee has been a staple to the team the entire season. As one of the top two runners for the Trojans, he’s helped lead the Trojans to multiple first-place finishes. McElwee averaged 16:55 for the season second only to Smith, who averaged 16:36.

Smith has run cross country since he was a freshman, working himself up to become the Trojans’ top runner. He got his start in jr. high track, where despite his plans to run the 100m, he instead ran the mile, which he “blew away.”

“Ever since, that’s just really what I’ve been into,” Smith said.

It’s no wonder Landrus considers them his best runners.

The two push each other harder each race, challenging each other. They consider it a form of friendly competition that helps them stay motivated and do better every week.

“When I was doing summer running, they told me it’s always good to get that guy you can run with and who can push you,” McElwee said. “He and I, you know, friendly jokes, messing around, and in the race, if one of us is having a bad day, the other one will push him up or pull him back up there.”

It’s a good thing to have a teammate in any sport to help out, especially with cross country. The mental toughness, Smith said, is the single hardest aspect to the sport. The ablility to push one’s self to the brink of exhaustion takes a huge amount of will-power. A runner can also have second thoughts about keeping pace with other runners.

“When you get passed by somebody early in the race, it takes a lot not to try to go with them,” Smith said. “When someone passes me early, I want to go with him. I don’t want to let him outrun me. I’ve got to have that mental thought process to think, ‘Are they going to maintain this? Do I have to go with them, or do I let them go and reel them in later?’”

McElwee and Smith are there for each other, even though their running styles are different.

“(McElwee) starts out with a slower speed,” Smith said. “He runs a race that’s going to psyche you out. I run like a mile; I go out strong, try to break people early, then come back and hopefully have a kick at the end.”

Landrus encourages the friendly rivalry, which transcends cross country into other sports. Both runners will participate in track, gunning for a two mile record set at 9:31.94 by Eric Werden in 2003.

“Matt either wants to get up with Aaron or beat him,” Landrus said. “That’s good. Aaron’s a darn good runner.”

In only the third meet of the season, however, the Trojans suffered a huge blow.

The Springfield Lanphier Tour was a miserable race for the Trojans, who finished 8th at the capital city Matterhorn. Rain turned the hills of Lincoln Park into a muddy, slippery mess. The extreme humidity made it hard for the team — and spectators — to even breathe. One would break a sweat just standing around.

“The conditions were awful,” McElwee said. “Everybody was hurting. It was probably the roughest race this year.”

It was in these adverse conditions the team lost McElwee and Smith. McElwee, upon finishing the race, began complaining that his leg was hurting. As it turns out, he had pulled a hamstring and would be forced to sit out the next two meets. Smith, on the other hand, injured his hip and was forced to miss most of the season.

He attributed the injury to a period of time last year when he didn’t take a break between track and cross country. The state track meet, he said, was on a Saturday. Practice for cross country began the following Monday.

Without his top two runners, Landrus feared the performance of the team would drop.

“I knew we weren’t going to do as well, so our goal was to get them healthy,” Landrus said. “I think we’re close to 100 percent now.”

Most teams look to a leading athlete to motivate them. Not so for the Trojans. McElwee said even without himself and Smith leading the team, they stay motivated, pushing themselves further. The Trojans proved it when they won the next race against Newton, Teutopolis and Paris.

“It’s about that time that you start wondering how your team is going to end up doing in more important races like regional and sectional,” McElwee said.

“I was happy as could be when I found out the guys came to step it up when Matt and I couldn’t,” Smith said.

Smith gushed for his teammates as he prepared for regionals, calling them “the most athletic group in the community, but the least coordinated,” as the team awkwardly played basketball in Baker Gym at Charleston High School, then resorted to throwing a tennis ball at the walls.

Across I-57 is Charleston’s arch-rival Mattoon. In regards to most sports, the schools have a rivalry comparable to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox or — being more geographically correct — the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.

In the Green Wave’s first invitational since 1993, the Trojans, led by a revitalized McElwee, ran away with first place. McElwee finished seventh overall clocking in at 17:36.25.

“All in all, I’ll take it for a comeback race,” McElwee said immediately following the race.

Landrus cites the Mattoon Invite as the one of the most rewarding races of the season. Not only was McElwee leading the team once again, but in previous weeks, the team had proven they could carry their own. With McElwee back in his usual spot, this compounded into a first place finish.

“We’ve been pretty consistent, all of us,” Landrus said. “The freshman have been pretty consistent, which is sometimes a problem for us.”

Now, with McElwee’s hamstring healed and Smith’s hip nearing 100 percent, the team looks ahead to its challenge in Mt. Vernon, and even to next season. McElwee will be gone, spending his first year of college 45 minutes north at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and another runner will fill his spot as Smith continues to lead the team.