Cross Country Hall of Fame

For seven years in a row, from 1998-2004, Eureka High School boys cross country, coached by Brett Charlton, was one of the elite cross country programs in Illinois, regardless of enrollment. The Hornets dominated Class A during this era, winning four state championships in a row and also claiming a fifth, sandwiched by two runner-up finishes.

Despite being a small school, Eureka in 1999 was ranked No. 30 in the nation by Harrier Magazine. At the IHSA state meet that year, the Hornets set a Class A record with 32 points, placing four runners in the top nine. Led by individual state champ Dustin Franckey, they also set Class A records for victory margin (123 points) and total time for their five scoring runners (76:08). Had the Hornets competed in Class AA, they would have finished second only to the record-setting performance by perennial powerhouse Elmhurst York.

Eureka began this remarkable era by winning the 1998 championship, despite only Ryan Chapman earning all-state honors. That’s because the Hornets packed their top four runners within four seconds of each other and their fifth just 10 seconds later. They followed up with titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001, becoming the first Class A school to win four IHSA championships in a row. Only York, with six in Class AA, has done better. Jon Houseworth and Daniel Martin ran for all four of those teams, and Doug Swanson ran for three.

With a team of two seniors and five sophomores, the Hornets narrowly lost the 2002 title to Winnebago, coming up six points short. Had the meet been a one-on-one dual, Eureka would have out-pointed the champs. When the Hornets’ youngsters returned in 2003, they won their fifth championship in six years and did not lose to a Class A team all season. Ranked No. 1 all season in 2004, the Hornets were upset at the state meet by Rock Island Alleman, but still took second for their seventh successive top-two finish.