2005 Boys XC Team to be Inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame

Notre Dame Regional High School is excited to announce the 2005 state championship boys cross country team as the newest inductee into its Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Notre Dame Regional High School Athletic Hall of Fame Award strives to preserve the heritage and tradition of excellence in athletic programs at Notre Dame. Each year Notre Dame recognizes male and female athletes, teams and coaches from St. Mary’s High School, Cape Catholic, Notre Dame and Notre Dame Regional High School who have made a significant contribution to Notre Dame athletics. Hall of Fame members exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, and have brought honor and distinction to Bulldog athletics.

After coming up short the previous two seasons, second place in 2003 and fourth place in 2004, the Notre Dame boys cross country team had a resounding victory at the 2005 state championships. The team time was 1:28:36.18, averaging 17:43.24 and scoring 66 total points.

The team was coached by Bill Davis, a Notre Dame Hall of Famer in his own right, and Karen Roggow.

“What a wonderful, talented group of young men,” said Coach Davis. “Led by two competitive, hard-working seniors in Matt Pfau and Greg Kanneberg, this bunch was able to climb the ladder of success to a Class 2 state cross country title.”

At the state meet, Matt Pfau (‘06) led the squad, finishing fourth with a time of 17:18.51. Greg Kanneberg (‘06) finished in eighth, Logan Davis (‘09) finished in 15th and Neil Kanneberg (‘08) finished in 22nd. Dillon Klaffar (‘09), Jonathen Ramsey (‘07) and Richie Bohn (‘08) rounded out the scoring. Alternates for state were Adam Reinagel (‘06), Chris Seyer (‘06), Cody Essner (‘07), Ben Beussink (‘08) and Matt Reinagel (‘09).

During the season, Pfau set then school record in the 5K race with a time of 16:59, and L. Davis set the then freshman boys record with a time of 17:22. Both are individual members of the Notre Dame Athletic Hall of Fame.

Coach Davis said the season began by building a mileage base through the summer months. With the introduction of two freshman, L. Davis and Klaffar, along with the returning runners, Coach Davis said the athletes worked hard all summer, built a rapport with one another, and accepted their individual roles on the team.

The first test for the squad was the mid-season Hancock Invitational, held at Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis. Notre Dame competed in the small schools division, and went up against defending Class 2 state champions St. Louis Priory, and the Bulldog’s biggest district competition in Herculaneum and Ste. Genevieve.

“With Matt Pfau not running to full capacity due to a high ankle sprain,” recalled Coach Davis, “the boys pulled together and ran very well, with us finishing a strong third behind Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis Priory. There were only a few points separating the three teams. This meet was a turning point, as it proved to our athletes that we could not only run with these teams, but defeat them as well.”

During the Class 2 district meet, also held at Jefferson Barracks, the Bulldogs defeated rivals Herculaneum and Ste. Genevieve to win the program’s first cross country district title.

For the Class 2 state meet, the team traveled to Jefferson City.

“We went into the meet knowing that if everyone performed up to their abilities and ran as they had run all season, that we could be state champions. Our young men did exactly that, as they followed through with the meet plan, and ran confidently and competitively throughout the whole race.”

The 2005 state championship win marks the only cross country team state title in school history.