Above: Lyons' Vince Zona crosses to win the 3A Boys Race at the FTTF Invitational Saturday at Detweiller Park (Mike Newman Photo).

By Michael Newman

DyeStat Illinois Editor

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Peoria --- What do you get when you combine a cross country course that has absorbed almost five inches of rain over the past ten days along with a college race that took place the night before the First to the Finish Invitational?   You got what Detweiller Park looked like Saturday morning. Because of how soft the course was, taking turns on the course would be an adventure. The goal of the day would be finding the driest path to the finish line.

This would be a day that times would not matter. 2015 2A State Champion Jack Aho called the race a “grinder”. It would be a matter of competing and racing rather than expecting a fast time on what is normally an extremely fast course. You would find out who was willing to take the challenge of difficult conditions. However, that is what cross country running is all about.

There was no suspense in the three individual Girls races as there was a clear winner decided by the first mile. The three Boys individual races were another story as it took exciting finishes to decide a champion.

3A Boys

The best individual race of the day was the last one. By the time the 3A Boys race took off just after noon, the sun was out and all the races that had taken place prior had hardened off some portions of the course. It was still a matter of finding that one solid spot on the course to take a step on. That was hard to find. It was a solid pack that went through the first mile in around 4:55. Blake Evertsen (Hinsdale Central HS), Soren Knudsen (Minooka HS), and Danny Kilrea & Vince Zona (Lyons Township HS, LaGrange) led a pack of 20 runners as they headed back to the triangle portion of the course. The triangle can make cowards of us all. There are hardly any spectators in that section. It is easy to take a break to get yourself ready for the final third of the race.

It is also a good spot to make defining moves to separate yourselves from a pack. That is what Knudsen, Zona, Kilrea, and Evertsen did coming through the 2 mile in 10:05. There was almost a twenty second separation between those four and the runners behind them led by Alec Danner (Downers Grove North HS) and Danny Peterson (Fremd HS, Palatine).

The action began with about ¾ of a mile to go as the turn was made going down the course by Route 29. Knudsen made a surge that Kilrea responded to. Evertsen and Zona stayed within five meters hoping the two would come back. As the turn was made towards the finish with 500 meters to go, it was anyone’s guess who would win. As they navigated the mud turn with 300 meters to go, Knudsen made another burst up the incline towards the finish. The three other runners spread out looking for the quickest path to the finish line. With 100 meters to go, Zona found another gear and passed Knudsen on the right side. The margin of the win for the Lyons Township senior was two seconds ahead of Knudsen (14:59 – 15:01. Evertsen was next five seconds back (15:06) followed by Kilrea one second behind (15:07).

“Leading up to this week, we were thinking of going out in 4:45, stay strong the second mile, and finish with a fast time. We heard last night that the course was muddy. I was really hoping for a slower race today,” Zona said. “I just wanted to stay strong on the way through in that final stretch. Once I get going I try not to slow down. “

It was thought before the race that it would come down to the three WSC-Silver Schools Downers Grove North, Hinsdale Central, and Lyons Township to win the team title. When it came down to it, it was all about #6 Downers Grove North and the excellent exhibition of pack running that they displayed. The Trojans kept their five scoring runners between 19 seconds of each other scoring 66 points for the team win. Alec Danner led the way placing sixth with his teammate Jacob Ridderhoff one place behind. Andrew Marek was five seconds back in twelfth followed by Matt Moravec (17^th) and Nick Chudzik (24^th). Add in Ryan Birkmeier (28^th) and Sam McCool (31^st) and Downers Grove North put seven runners in the first thirty-one. No other team could match up the pack at this meet.

#3 Lyons Township, led by the front running of Zona and Kilrea, finished second (87 points) with five runners in the first 34 with a 59 second split on five. #4 Hinsdale Central was next with 162 points followed by #7 Whitney Young (215 points) and Fishers IN (217 points).

3A Girls

There was no question that Jocelyn Long would not be denied the win in this race. She had the lead at the half which lengthened at the mile as she passed in 5:44. The lead was lengthening ahead of Ashley Tutt (Minooka HS), Brett Chody (Lake Forest HS), and Maddie Dearborn (Yorkville HS) who were five seconds back. There was a dramatic growth in the lead by Long as she passed 2 miles in 11:28.  Emily Shelton (Minooka HS) moved up to second with Chody 15 seconds behind the lead.

The Barrington junior crossed the line in 17:19. It was a great time considering the conditions which may have slowed down the runners by at least 25 to 30 seconds. Shelton was next in 17:43 with her teammate Tutt next ten seconds back. Chody was one second behind (17:54) followed by Naperville North’s Sarah Schmitt in fifth (18:04).

“This course was definitely muddy around the turns. Overall, I did not have any difficulty getting around the mud which was nice,” Long said. “I just wanted to spend time each race pushing myself and doing my best. I just wanted to push that first straight. Nobody came back on me so I just went with it.”

The team battle in this classification was closer than the individual race. That was expected to be. Only one point separated Naperville North and Yorkville for the championship with # 4 Naperville North with the edge (81-82). It was the pack behind Schmitt that made the difference for the Huskies as they placed five runners in the top thirty even without senior Claire Hamilton who did not run on Saturday. Only 23 seconds separated Alex Morris (11^th), Hannah Ricci (13^th), Kayla Glowacki (26^th), and Claire Hill (30^th).  #3 Yorkville had a 26 second split through their first four runners. Nicole Greyer moved up in the final mile to finish seventh followed by Olivia Borowiak (9^th), Maddie Dearborn (10^th), and Emily Eberhart (20^th). There was a 23 second gap before fifth and sixth runners Alexis Grandys (40^th) and Alyssa Edwards (41^st). They have time to close that gap. It only September.

#2 Minooka showed their strength up front in scoring 118 points to finish third. It is their five runner split that is concerning with that gap at 133 seconds. #9 Downers Grove South ran a good team race in placing fourth (156 points) behind the 17^th place finish by Katie Stapleton. New Trier’s pack moved up from the previous week to finish fifth (168 points) led by top twenty finishes by Caroline Fix (14^th) and Grace Fagan (16^th).

2A Boys

It was a little bit of a surprise to see #2 Normal University among the leaders in this race. When entries were sent out last Tuesday. It showed the Pioneers in the 3A race. There was a mix up in communication in which they were to run the 3A race at the Peoria Central Invitational in October. There was no question that the team win the race as you could see all five of the U-High runners within the first fifty at the mile. They finished up putting their top seven in the first fifty to easily win the team championship with 87 points. Jack Franklin led the Pioneers with a third place finish followed by Jared Shuckman (8^th), Zach Wolford (12^th), Harris Porter (27^th), and Tanner Gillam (37^th).

The individual race shaped out early as defending 2A champion Jack Aho pushed the pace from the beginning. Ben Flowers (Jersey HS), who was told by his coach before the race to stay as close to Aho as long as he could, was close behind as the two passed the mile in 4:58. Aho pulled away in the final 800 meters to run 15:11 to win the race by five seconds ahead of Flowers. Franklin and Matt Aho crossed the line in third and fourth with the same time (15:25.2).

“Our coach (Jimmy Centella) told us to take the turns wide. He said we could not run fast in mud,” Aho said. “Time is time and just happy to get the win. We will just grow from this. Conditions ae conditions and we can’t do anything about that.”

#5 Danville did not have any runners in the top ten but ran a solid pack with a 26 second split on their top five to finish second (184 points) led by finishes from William Powell (23^rd) and Phillip Hall (28^th). #9 Sycamore was five points back in third (189 points) led by the 15^th place finish by Stephen Poorten. Defending 2A champion #3 Grayslake Central was another point behind in fourth (190 points).

2A Girls

This was a race of definition. It was expected that teammates Grace McLaughlin and Delaney Appino (Rockford Boylan HS) would be challenging Jenna Lutzow (Belvidere North HS) for the individual race title in this classification. With McLaughlin and Lutzow not running, Appino had all eyes on her. She did not disappoint. She had the lead by almost 30 seconds at the 2 mile point going through in 11:44. Her win in 17:45 was the most dominating of all six races of this meet.

“I wanted to run a personal best. That didn’t change until I got around to the two mile,” Appino said. “I got around to that turn (800 point) and realized the course wasn’t that great. All I could do was get around the course and use the talents that God gave me.”

Her win was a dramatic 46 seconds. Abby Fioresi (Aurora Central Catholic HS) passed Jenna Schwartz (Waterloo HS) in the final ten meters to finish second (18:31 – 18:32). Arielle Summitt (Urbana University HS) finished fourth (18:36) followed by Burlington Central’s Megan Safranski (18:38).

#1 Dunlap showed a defining moment early in this season running a great pack race to capture the team championship with 80 points putting five runners in the top twenty-four. Only five separated their top three in Franny Verville (10^th), Abby Johnson (12^th), and Ayah Aldadah (13^th). Kate Piper (21^st) and Miranda Krusiwyk (24^th) followed 26 seconds later. #2 Belvidere North finished second (100 points) even without Lutzow led by the finishes by freshmen Madison Diercks (9^th) and Gianna Sagona (11^th). #3 Vernon Hills finished third (153 points) behind Lauren Katz’s eighth place finish. Lakes (262 points) and #6 Grayslake Central (306 points) finished fourth and fifth.

1A Boys

Brayden Hamblen (Rock Falls HS) and Wyatt McIntyre (Athens HS) challenged each other for the lead through most of this race before Hamblen made a move 800 meters from the finish that McIntyre could not match. Hamblen closed in a 5:05 final mile to cross the line in 15:31 for the win. McIntyre was five seconds back (15:36).

“My plan this morning was to go as close to 14:40. When we got to the course and it was really muddy and rainy,” Hamblen said. “My coach just told me to go for the win. I just went out comfortable and got the win.”

Riley Wells moved up the final mile to finish third (16:16) to help lead #4 Rockford Christian to win the team championship with 132 points placing their top seven in the first fifty. It has been two weeks since this team found out that they would be racing in 1A this season. “Our coach (Randy Moore) told us that nothing has changed,” Wells said about the move down to 1A. “He told us we need to continue to train hard. He told us we need to come to practice and be the same people that we always have been.”

Tremont had a great team race scoring 172 points to finish second behind the fifteenth place finish by freshman Leland Sumer. #7 Carlinville placed third (183 points) followed by #1 Elmwood-Brimfield (230 points) and #19 Athens (259 points). The Elmwood-Brimfield runners wore training flats in this race.

1A Girls

April Van Ryn (Chicago Christian HS) led the race in the first 400 of the race and never looked back. That lead grew to 42 seconds until she crossed the line in 18:17 as Shelby Siltman (Olympia HS, Stanford) ran 18:59 to finish second. #3 Chicago Christian held off a strong pack run by #14 Williamsville to win the team championship 141-145. #18 Eureka in their first race of the year placed third (159 points) followed by Rockford Christian (198 points) and Stanford Olympia (223 points).

“The plan was to get in good position to get out fast and quick,” Van Ryn said. “I thought there would be a few girls that would latch with me. They didn’t. My legs felt pretty dead in the final mile. I did finish pretty strong.”