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Community’s Joey Yaros and A.J. Ince punched their tickets to the IHSA Class 3A State Cross Country Meet at Peoria’s Detweiller Park after finishing 20th and 21st, at the Normal Sectional on Nov. 2.
The senior-junior pair clocked times of 15:21.18 and 15:21.52, advancing to State as individuals.
While Yaros and Ince celebrated their qualification, Community’s team fell just short of advancing, placing eighth overall.
Only the top seven teams and the top 10 individual finishers earn a spot at the State meet, ending the season for the rest of the Ironmen.
Despite solid performances from teammates Drew Patterson (52nd, 16:06.56), Nate Witzig (81st, 16:34.01), and Caden Nyman (84th, 16:39.39), Community trailed Quincy, the last team to advance, by 20 points.
For Yaros, this will be his second consecutive trip to the State meet. Last season, he qualified with a school-record Sectional time of 14:55.31 and went on to place 130th in the State meet with a time of 15:36.21.
This year, the senior aims to improve on that performance, while Ince looks forward to his first experience on the State stage.
Yaros and Ince will take on the State course alongside Illinois’ best when the starting gun fires at 2 p.m. for the 2024 IHSA Class 3A State XC Championships on Nov. 9.