PAXTON — An 11-year dry spell ended Saturday for the Uni boys cross country program.

When junior Langston Allston-Yeagle crossed the finish line as the fifth and final Illinek scoring runner at the Class 1A Paxton sectional, Uni clinched its first trip to the boys state finals as a team since 1997.

But the boys didn't just qualify for state. These Illineks put an exclamation point on their achievement by decisively winning the 20-team meet. With 98 points, they handily defeated fellow state qualifiers Beecher (114), St. Joseph-Ogden (121), Bloomington Central Catholic (134), and Robinson (179).

They became only the second Uni boys cross country team to win a sectional championship, joining the 1984 squad in that distinction.

In fact, a week after winning the St. Joseph regional, they joined the 1984 team as the only Uni boys squad in any sport to win both an IHSA regional and sectional title.

"We thought that we had a good chance of winning, but we didn’t know how it would shake out," said senior Isaac Chambers. "We were actually expecting BCC to be our main competition, and no one really expected Beecher."

Senior Malcolm Taylor again led the way, placing fifth overall with a blistering time of 15 minutes, 40.5 seconds. That's a full 18 seconds faster than his previous best of 15:58 at last year's state finals, where he competed as an individual qualifier.

Junior Tom Pacey of host Paxton-Buckley-Loda won the race in 15:20.

The key to the Illineks' win, however, was the strength of their No. 2 through 4 runners, each of whom placed in the top 20 in a field of 157 and ran personal bests.

Junior Nathan Smith took 13th place, covering the three-mile course in 16:15.9. Sophomores Albert Anastasio (16th) and Buck Walsh (19th) were close behind, finishing in 16:21.4 and 16:33.6, respectively. The split between Taylor and Walsh was just 53 seconds.

Allston-Yeagle ran a personal best 17:20.0 to place 53rd. He edged out Chambers (56th, 17:21.0) for Uni's final scoring spot. Rounding out the Illinek effort was junior Jack Snyder (126th, 19:03.4).

The magnitude of the team's accomplishment can be appreciated by comparing those times with Uni's performance at the 2007 sectional meet, which was held on the same course.

Last year, Uni placed ninth with 222 points. Only Taylor (12th) and Smith (49th) finished in the top 50. Taylor was 52 seconds slower (16:32) than this year, while Smith (17:26.0) was 1:10 slower.

Walsh finished 51st last year, some 54 seconds (17:27.8) off his 2008 pace. Chambers was 68th, about 32 seconds (17:53.6) behind this year. Snyder (19:15.9) was almost 13 seconds slower. Anastasio and Allston-Yeagle weren't on the team last season.

But while the Illineks have good reason to celebrate as they prepare for Saturday's state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria, they also have reason not to become complacent. Winning a sectional title is no guarantee of doing well at state.

It's also not a prerequisite. The only Uni boys team in any sport to earn a state trophy was the 1995 cross country squad, which placed third but didn't win either a sectional or regional title.

“We were very pleased that we placed first at sectionals, but obviously we still have a lot of work to do at state," commented Chambers. "Any of the teams that we beat at sectionals could do great at state, and there are a bunch of really tough teams from the northern sectionals."

And remember those 1984 Illineks? They didn't crack the top 10 at the state meet.

Uni girls have won a state trophy to go along with a sectional title twice, when the track and field team accomplished the feat in 1985 (third at state) and 1991 (second). The girls cross country teams of 1988 and 1991 each trophied at state (third place both times) but didn't win their sectional.

So with less than one week remaining in their season, the 2008 Uni boys still have plenty of work to do. If they succeed — if they can bring back a trophy to go along with their regional and sectional championships — they will have a place in the Uni record book all their own.

"More than anything, I want a top-three [team] finish," said Taylor, who last year placed 29th individually at Peoria, missing all-state honors by just four spots. "It will be more than difficult, but we have worked for it, and if we can all put it together this Saturday, then we can make history. Personally, an all-state finish would be nice, but more than I ever have before, I'm running for my team more than for myself."

MORE SECTIONAL PHOTOS

The race begins. Gargoyle photos by David Porreca (click to enlarge; click any photo to create your own slideshow)

The pack. From left: Buck Walsh, Albert Anastasio, Nathan Smith.

Langston Allston-Yeagle

Isaac Chambers

Jack Snyder

Malcolm Taylor

Nathan Smith

Albert Anastasio

Buck Walsh

Malcolm Taylor

CLASS 1A PAXTON BOYS SECTIONAL RESULTS AT A GLANCE

Uni Individual Results *

5. Malcolm Taylor (sr), 15:40.5 (5 pts)
13. Nathan Smith (jr), 16:15.9 (13 pts)
16. Albert Anastasio (so), 16:21.4 (16 pts)
19. Buck Walsh (so), 16:33.6 (19 pts)
53. Langston Allston-Yeagle (jr), 17:20.0 (45 pts)
56. Isaac Chambers (sr), 17:21.0
126. Jack Snyder (jr), 19:03.4
* Total field of 157 runners

Team Results *

1. UNI 98
2. Beecher 114
3. St. Joseph-Ogden 121
4. Bloomington Central Catholic 134
5. Robinson 179
6. Shelbyville 190
7. Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman 198
8. Kankakee Bishop McNamara 231
9. Teutopolis 234
10. Cumberland 252
11. Decatur St. Teresa 273
12. Tolono Unity 293
13. St. Thomas More 323
14. Gardner-SW 365
15. Clifton Central 376
16. Monticello 411
17. Tri-Valley 415
18. Effingham St. Anthony 429
19. Paxton-Buckley-Loda 431
20. Heyworth 435
* Top five teams advance to state

Top Five Runners *

1. Tom Pacey (jr), Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 15:20
2. Matt Paarlberg (sr), Beecher, 15:34
3. John Curran (sr), Bloomington Central Catholic, 15:39
4. Ryan Brown (sr), Shelbyville, 15:39.7
5. Malcolm Taylor (sr), UNI, 15:40
* Total field of 157 runners

Advancing Individuals *

1. Tom Pacey (jr), Paxton-Buckley-Loda, 15:20
4. Ryan Brown (so), Shelbyville, 15:39
7. Jared Summers (jr), Teutopolis, 15:42
8. Garrett Wasson (sr), Kankakee Bishop McNamara, 15:52
9. Dalton Lorenzen (sr), Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman, 16:04
10. Brice Dodds (sr), Tolono Unity, 16:06
12. Joel Thompson (sr), Tolono Unity, 16:12
* Top seven runners not on state-qualifying teams advance to state