By FRED KRONER
Mathias Powell was at his best throughout his entire senior season during the 2018-19 school year.
The Mahomet-Seymour distance runner won state championships in three meets in different months in his final year in high school.
Coaches establish training schedules so that their athletes are in peak condition at season’s end.
For Powell, that meant being at his best in November, 2018, March, 2019, and again in May, 2019.
He hit the trifecta for distance runners, excelling at state with eye-opening performances.
For starters, Powell won the Class 2A cross-country state title with a 3-mile time of 14 minutes, 31.77 seconds. His effort broke a school record which had stood for 44 years.
During the cross-country season, Powell ran in nine races and won eight. He was undefeated against runners from Illinois high schools.
Based on that showing alone, he would have been cast into the favorite’s role for the Illinois Prep Top Times indoor state meet at 3,200 meters.
Not so fast.
Powell missed the majority of the indoor season with a hamstring injury.
When he went to the starting line for the unofficial indoor state meet in the 3,200 meters at Illinois Wesleyan University, it was just his second time on the track as a senior.
He finished the race as the record-setting winner. He shattered the M-S indoor school record for 3,200 meters (9:13.79) and also established a new meet record.
On to the outdoor IHSA state finals. Powell was primed for a great performance, coming off a season when he broke the M-S outdoors record in the 3,200 three times.
He put the capper on his prep career, covering the eight-lap event in 9:24.15 and winning his third state crown as a senior. His margin of victory was 3.77 seconds.
Powell didn’t seek to better his outdoor school record (9:03.51) at state in order to conserve energy for the 1,600 race, where he placed third, helping the Bulldogs gather the third-place team trophy in Class 2A.
Part of the price for ensuring he was physically and mentally ready for the outdoor track state finals was that he missed his high school graduation, which took place the night before his last high school races.
Without further ado, the M-S Quarter-Century boys’ cross-country team.
BRIAN BUTCHER, Class of 2017. All-stater placed 21st as a senior with a top 3-mile time of 14:56. News-Gazette All-Area first-teamer as a senior and second-teamer as a junior.
BEN CRAW, 2017. All-stater placed 24th as a senior with a top time of 15:03. All-Area second-teamer as a senior.
RILEY FORTUNE, 2018. Two-time All-stater as a senior (sixth) and junior (13th) with two consistent times of 14:48 as a senior and 14:49 as a junior. Two-time All-Area first-teamer.
AUGGIE GAUDIO, 2026. All-stater placed 25th as a junior with a top time of 14:55. All-Area first-teamer as a junior and All-Area second-teamer as a sophomore.
RYAN HODGE, 2018. Two-time All-stater as a senior (ninth) and junior (19th) with a top time of 14:35 as a senior. Two-time All-Area first-teamer.
ALEX KEEBLE, 2016. Two-time All-stater as a senior (fourth) and junior (16th) with a top time of 14:36 as a senior. Two-time All-Area first-teamer.
JACOB MAHAFFEY, 2009. All-stater placed 25th as a senior with a top time of 15:22.
KYLE NOFZIGER, 2022. Two-time All-Area first-teamer with a personal-best time of 15:27. All-Area second-teamer as a sophomore.
GABE POMMIER, 2017. All-Area first-teamer had a top time of 14:47 as a senior.
MATHIAS POWELL, 2019. Three-time All-stater as a senior (first), junior (fourth) and sophomore (18th) with a top time of 14:31.77 (school record) as a senior. All three years, his top times for the season were under 15 minutes. Three-time All-Area first-teamer.
JOHNATHAN SCHAAP, 2013. Two-time All-stater as a senior (10th) and junior (25th) with a top time of 14:47 as a senior.
JOSEPH SCHEELE, 2022. All-Area first-teamer had a top time of 15:32 as a senior. All-Area second-teamer as a junior.
FORREST SMOES, 2014. All-stater as a junior (11th) with a top time of 14:47.
ANDREW WALMER, 2017. Two-time All-stater as a senior (sixth) and junior (10th) with top times of 14:40 as a senior and 14:47 as a junior. Two-time All-Area first-teamer.
WILLIAM WOLF, 2015. All-stater as a senior (18th) had a top time of 15:01. All-Area first-teamer as a senior.
