Written by Jared Schmidt - Tri State Cross Country Coaches Committee Member
Runner of the Year – Miles Sheppard, Jr., West Hancock -
In a season that was anything but normal, one thing remained constant. Miles Sheppard was going to work towards his dream of becoming an IHSA State Champion. Early in 2020, the Illinois state lockdown due to COVID-19 closed schools. Because of these closures spring sports were cancelled. Dreams were put on hold for most, but those diligently dedicated to their craft continued to push through in hopes of when their next opportunity would be presented to fulfill those dreams.
During the spring of 2020, after the IHSA track season was officially cancelled, Miles Sheppard set out to continue to improve. Training alone he worked on every aspect of his running and continued to test himself in solo time trials against only the watch. “After only getting to run a few indoor races over the winter, Miles had to run time trials on the track in the spring to keep him motivated in chasing his goals. Time trials of 9:28 in the 3200m and 4:28 in the 1600 would have been good enough to bring home some hardware at state.
One of the main goals he accomplished in the off season was to get faster, and he showed that off during the 2020 cross country season” said West Hancock Coach Brad Neisen. Miles used the fitness he gained in the spring as motivation for the ultimate prize in the fall of a State Championship. Not knowing if that would even be a possibility did not deter him from continuing to hone his craft.
Fast forward to the fall of 2020. School is in session, and the IHSA and the Illinois Department of Public Health have agreed to allow some IHSA sports to continue under guidelines. Because of this Sheppard was able to put his newly elevated fitness to good use. Miles started the season fast and furious, and never looked back. His season as a whole ended with only losses to 3 runners over the course of the entire season. Miles set numerous course and meet records during the 2020 season including meet records at the Tom Oakley Invitational (new course) and course records at the Liberty Invitational and the Macomb Invite. Miles also won his 2nd consecutive individual regional title at the Liberty Regional where he ran 15:16 for 3 miles, just off his course record from a few weeks prior. Finally, to top off his 2020 campaign, Miles placed 2nd overall at the Elmwood Sectional where he ran 15:02. Although the IHSA did not have a state meet, there was an event put on by invite only to simulate the state meet the week following sectionals. The Shazam Championships were the pseudo IHSA State Meet for Illinois athletes in 2020. Miles placed 3rd overall at that event running 15:42 for 5k to cap his tremendous fall season.
Miles also led the West Hancock Titans team this fall to their first ever Regional Championship, something Miles may be more proud of than his individual accomplishments. As a leader for the Titans, Miles sets a great example on a daily basis for what it takes to be successful on the course. “Yes, Miles is very talented, truly gifted with the ability to run fast over great distances, but talent isn’t everything. To achieve the accolades this young man has accomplished takes hard work and dedication, a coach’s dream, someone that
a coach can use as a living example to other runners of what it takes to be a champion” said Neisen. The Titans team placed 11th overall at the Shazam Championship Meet.
For his efforts on the course in the fall of 2020, Miles Sheppard has been named this year’s Tri-State Cross Country Coaches Boys Runner of the Year.
First Team All- Area - (Alphabetical Order)
Tyler Bickerman, So., Rushville – If COVID-19 never existed, we would likely never know just how good Tyler Bickerman is at running. The Rushville Sophomore decided to run this fall when IHSA pushed football to the spring. Bickerman was likely going to be the Rockets starting quarterback this fall. Luckily for us, we got a glimpse at his running abilities. Bickerman was 6th in his first West Central Conference meet, running 17:52 to earn All-Conference honors. He would also go on to place 6th at the Liberty Sectional running 16:42 for 3 miles to advance to the Elmwood Sectional. In his first ever sectional cross country meet, the Rushville sophomore placed 23rd overall, running 16:42 for 3 miles. Had Illinois run a State Championship, Bickerman would have qualified as an individual. Not bad for a 2nd fall sport.
Ben Chance, Fr., Bowling Green – Running is in the blood of Ben Chance. As the son of Coach Matt Chance from Bowling Green, one would think this is just the start of a great high school career. Ben was 8th overall at the Bowling Green Invite during the season. The later part of the 2020 season saw Chance emerge as the Bobcats #1 runner and led the team to the Conference Championship, where he placed 5th overall individually running 17:50 for 5k. Chance placed 6th overall at the Bowling Green District meet running 17:46 to help the Bobcats advance to State. At the Missouri State Championships, Chance again led the Bobcats and helped the team secure a 12th place team finish.
Kabott Harlan, Jr., Monroe City – With 5 top 10 finishes in 2020, Harlan earns his first 1st-Team honors in 2020. As the Panthers #1, Kabott finished 9th at Centralia, 8th at Bowling Green, and 5th at the Robert Kelsay Invite during the regular season. The post season, however, was his best. A 4th place overall finish at the Clarence Cannon Conference Meet gave him All-Conference honors. He would then go on to help his team finish 2nd at the Bowling Green District meet where he ran 18:09 for 5k to place 4th overall and advance to the Missouri State Championships. At State, Harlan would place 32nd overall with a time of 17:51 for 5k.
Colton Hearn, Jr., Bowling Green – Hearn was an integral part of the Bobcat team in 2020. Running the entire season as the #1 or #2 runner, it’s evident that his Senior campaign will likely be his best. The Junior finished 3rd overall running 17:51 at the Conference Championships to help lead the team to victory before finishing 8th at the Bowling Green District meet, running 17:54 to help secure a trip to the State Championships. Look for Hearn to be vital for the Bobcats in 2021 as the team tries to improve on their 12th place team finish at the Missouri State Championships.
Ben La Prad, Sr., Macomb – La Prad has not run cross country for the last 3 years because he played on the Bombers soccer team. As a senior,, he returned to put together an incredible single season. He placed 7th at the Dunlap Invite, 3rd at the Macomb Invitational, and 4th overall at the QND Running Raider. When the postseason rolled around, Ben would place 4th overall at the West Central Conference meet to earn All-Conference honors. He would cap his season with a 4th place finish at the Liberty Regional running 16:28 before running 16:00 for 3 miles the next weekend at the Elmwood Sectional, placing 7th overall. His return this season would have helped the Bomber team advance to the IHSA State Championships if it had been run.
Stan Melkumian, Sr., Macomb – The Bomber Senior leader put together an incredible final season. With top 10 finishes at Metamora (6th), QND (2nd), Dunlap (5th), and the Macomb Invite (2nd) he got his season rolling. The post season was where Melkumian really showed his seniority. He placed runner-up at the West Central Conference meet before placing 3rd at the Liberty Regional where he ran 16:15. He would go on to run 16:13 at the Elmwood Sectional to place 10th overall; a finish that would have advanced him to the IHSA State Championships. A week later, with his team, Melkumian would run 16:20 for 5k at the Shazam Championships to earn medalist honors. A fine finish to the Bombers consistent high school career.
Eli Newton, Sr., Illini West – The Chargers Senior leader has had an incredibly consistent high school career. Continuing to improve each year, Newton has put himself at the top of the local cross country scene for the last few years. 2020 was no different. Highlighted by a meet victory at the Rushville Quad, Newton placed 3rd at the Charger Invite, and 5th at the Tom Oakley Invitational. Newton placed 6th at the Prarieland Conference meet, running 17:03 for 3 miles before placing 9th at the Liberty Regional running 17:01 to advance to Sectionals. Newton saved the best race of his career for Elmwood. He capped his banner high school career with a 19th place overall finish, running 16:38 for 3 miles. Eli would have been an individual state qualifier if Illinois had run a State Championship.
Parker Quinlin, Fr., West Hancock – One of the better Freshman campaigns in recent memory was put together by Parker Quinlin, however many wouldn’t have noticed because of the success of his teammate Miles Sheppard and the Titans overall team success. Quinlin was 8th overall at the Tom Oakley Invite and 4th at the Liberty Invitational. He placed 5th at the West Central Conference meet to earn All-Conference honors. He put together a terrific IHSA postseason series with an 8th place finish at the Liberty Regional, running 16:51 before running 16:41 for 3 miles at the Elmwood Sectional to place 21st overall. In his final race, he would run 17:44 for 5k at the Shazam Championship meet to help the Titans place 11th overall as a team. Based on times, Quinlin solidified himself as one of the top 5 Freshman in all of Class 1A in Illinois.
Fiker Rosen, Jr., QHS – The reigning Tri-State Runner of the Year had an exceptional 2020 campaign by most people’s standards. The Blue Devil Junior started the season by winning the QND Running Raider Invitational for the 3rd straight year. He followed that up with runner-up local finishes at Liberty and the QHS Tom Oakley Invitational. Rosen repeated as the Western Big 6 Champion for the 3rd straight year running 15:03. At the Granite City Regional he ran 15:30 for 3 miles; good enough for 3rd overall, before improving the next weekend to a runner-up finish at the Normal Sectional running 15:36. Rosen qualified for the 3A portion of the Shazam Championship meet where he finished 37th overall running 16:20 for 5k. Rosen will look to 2021 to cap his legendary Blue Devil career with a bang.
Noah Stout, Jr., West Hancock – As one of the premier #2 runners in the area, if not the state, Stout improved steadily as the year progressed. Placing 6th at the Tom Oakley Invitational and 5th at the Liberty Invite were just a few of his best mid-season finishes. Noah would go on to place 3rd overall at the West Central Conference Meet, before finishing 10th overall at the Liberty Regional to kick start his postseason run. His best races, however, were yet to come. Stout would run terrifically at the Elmwood Sectional to place 9th overall running 16:05 for 3 miles. A week later, he would run 17:05 for 5k at the Shazam Championship meet where he would place 28th overall, narrowly missing medal honors. Look for Stout to have an even better senior season in 2021.
Cannen Wolf, Jr., Liberty – The 3-time, 1st Team, All-Area runner started strong in the 2020 season. Wolf placed 2nd at the early season Liberty Invitational running 16:41 before placing 3rd overall at the QND Running Raider. He would also place 3rd overall at the QHS Tom Oakley meet running 16:28 for 3 miles. Wolf's Junior season was cut short when he was involved in an ATV accident that broke his left arm and fractured his skull in early October. Wolf will look to rebound in 2021 and shoot for All-State accolades and finish his final season for the Eagles strong.
All-Area Honorable Mention -
Bowling Green- Trenton Griffith, So., Evan Meyer, Sr.
Clark County- Ethan Nelson, Jr.
Illini West- Cole Kirkham, Jr.
Liberty- Luke Obert, Jr.
Macomb- Ryan Ames, Sr., Noah La Prad, Sr.
Mark Twain – Will Owen, Jr.
Monroe City – Kaleb Griffin, Sr., Logan Lucas, Sr.
Palmyra- Casey Hathaway, Sr.
Pittsfield- Brayden Veile, So., Jackson Veile, Fr.
QHS- Colby Allen, So., Eric McClelland, So., Ian Malaney, Fr., Ayden Triplett, Jr.
Rushville - Dylan Crook, Sr., Nick Seaver, Sr.