History of the SJCA Boys Team: Years of Success

       The boys cross country was started in 1960s.  The program then ended in 1971.  It ended because John Beaumier had graduated and nobody wanted to join cross country.  Then in 1979,  a group of guys asked the athletic director if they could start a team, but the director said no.  That started the "Running Club."  The coach of this team was Peter Hankes.  They went to the State Meet and were Runners Up at the Meet.  At this time, the boys ran 3 miles.  In the upcoming seasons, the race of 3 miles was switched to a 5k which is 3.1 miles.  Before the WIAA State Championship, WISAA was for private schools at this time.  You did not have to qualify to go to WISAA.  You just go to the meet to participate.  

       During the 1980s, the boy teams at this time were either complete or incomplete.  In the late 80s, the coach at this time was Mr. Fuerbringer.  The runners at this time were Mike and Brian McTernan (not teammates) and Mike Schilf.  Mike McTernan was was WISAA champ in 1983.

      In 1992, coach Fuerbringer stopped coaching at St. Joes.  In 1994, St. Joes hired a new coach.  The new cross country coach's names was Coach Jon Furreness.  He started in 1995.  When he started, St. Joes did not really have a complete boys team until the late 1990s and 2000s.  Coach Furreness started to make the cross country program at St. Joes popular.  He coached two great runners in the late 90s.  Those two runners are Hamilton Beal and Michael Eaton.  They were both WISAA champs, Beal won it twice and Eaton won it once.  

      During the 2000s, the cross country team started to get alittle bit better each year, but had many great runners.  Some of those great runners were Zach McFall, Chris Mlczecko, Ryne Scopp, Kevin Ryan, and JD Ford, etc.  Also WISAA started to fade away and St. Joes joined the WIAA.  In 2006, Zach McFall set a new school record of 15:32 for the 5k.  McFall's junior and senior years at St. Joes, he never lost a race which included two victories at the State Championship as an individual.  In 2010, the team was lead by seniors Ryne Scopp, Sean Gallagher, Robby Meilbeck, and Jourdan Barnett.  The team was really good.  They went to the State Championship and won the meet.  The team score 107 points.  

         The following season, they placed third at State.  From the year they won State to now, the boys team has not lost a Conference meet.  They are currently on 6-peat run.  The 2014 season was the toughest season because the team lost a lot of seniors, but gained a lot of freshmen.  The team had only 4 upper classmen.  In 2015, the team won Conference, but took third at Sectionals.  Also in 2015, former St. Joseph runner Lance Gordan was hired as an assitant coach.  Then in 2016, the team won Conference and took second at Sectionals.  The qualified for State and took 13th place out of 16 teams.