Nalley’s 14:08 at Granite City highlights a busy Illinois XC weekend

 

Illinois High School Cross-Country Weekend Highlights - September 2, 2023

 

Photo – Chatham-Glenwood had a convincing win Saturday at Granite City

 

By Michael Newman

 

The Labor Day weekend of Cross Country in Illinois (and two out of state) gave coaches answers to their summer questions and gave runners an idea where they were in this first weekend of major meets.

 

Here are highlights of some move the meets that took place on Saturday. You can also read about the Hinsdale Central Red Devil Invitational at this link.

 

Granite City Invitational @ Wilson Park – The news that spread quickly across the state on Saturday morning was the first race of the season for Dylan Nalley of Marion and the outcome of that effort. Nalley led from the start winning by 25 seconds with a 14:08 time. O’Fallon had two runners under 15-minutes as Dylan Ybarra ran 14:33.1 to finish second ahead of teammate Zach Thoman who ran 14:53.

 

It was close in the Boys team race as #11 O’Fallon edged Missouri power St. Louis University 45-48 to the meet championship. The Panthers had 4 runners in the top 10 to help them to this win. Brayden Kloeppel finished 8th behind Ybarra and Thoman. Harrison Schroeder finished 10th as O’Fallon’s fourth runner. Their top four split in this race was 49 seconds. Fifth runner Jackson Gherardini finished 23rd 19 seconds behind the first four runners of his team.

 

Rockton Hononegah finished third with 156 points. Marion (171 points and #27 Edwardsville (176 points) rounded out the top five.

 

2A #5 Chatham-Glenwood showed why they will be a trophy contender in November as they won convincingly 35-61 ahead of #10 Edwardsville. The first four teams were close together as 2A #7 Waterloo finished third (76 points) ahead of O’Fallon (101 points).

 

Ellie Bush of O’Fallon won the Girls Individual race in 17:58.8 less than four seconds ahead of Chatham-Glenwood freshman Ali Londrigan (18:03.4). The Titans placed 6 runners in the top 15 with a 62 second split separating those six runners. Ashlyn Chopra was the second runner for the Titans finishing in 3rd followed by Brenna Sloman (6th), Sophie Rentmeister (10th), Ava Gorrie (14th), and Ally Knudsen (15th). Edwardsville had a 13 second split on their first four runners, a 53 second split on five runners to help them finished second. Freshman Ella Thompson was 8th to lead the Tigers followed by Olivia Coll (9th), Maya Lueking (12th), and Madison Popelar (13th). Dylan Peel was the team’s fifth runner placing 21st. Waterloo ran a good opening meet led by the 4-5 finish from Danielle Mudd and Cameron Crump.

 

Chrisman Cow Chip Classic – The cross country course for this meet is right next to the school in a cow pasture where there may be some “presents” waiting for you if you are not careful. It did not seem to bother Isabella Keller of St. Anthony in her first high school race. Her last name is in state meet lore with the things that her older sister Anna-Sophia did while at the school. Isabella Keller is now starting her own story.

 

The meet was run in seven flights. Don’t ask me why the team scores were figured by merging all seven races together. Keller led from the start in the championship easily pulling a way from the field early. She went on to run 17:10 on this rugged three-mile course to win by 2:19 ahead of Tolono Unity’s Erica Woodard who ran 19:29.8. 1A #1 Unity won six of the seven flights on their way to scoring 22 points to win the team title. Mackenzie Pound, who won Flight 2, had the fastest time for the Rockets (19:22.1).

 

Urbana University (103 points), 1A #12 Robinson (114 points), Monticello (115 points), and St. Anthony (120 points) were the top five Girls teams behind Tolono Unity.

 

1A #6 St. Joseph-Ogden won all seven flights of the Boys race to help them claim the team title with 39 points. 1A #22 Urbana University with 75 points and 1A #30 Tolono Unity with 102 points finished second and third. Carson Maroon of St. Joseph-Ogden ran 16:32.6 to win the Championship Flight race with Austin Wesley of Robinson running 16:52.1 to finish second.

 

Racine Horlick Invitational @ UW Parkside – Dannehl XC Course – Downers Grove North opted this season to run their Labor Day weekend meet from St. Charles East north of the border to Kenosha for this meet. I don’t think it would have mattered where they ran considering how good right now they look. The #1 Trojans placed 8 runners in the top 12 to win with just 19 points as they tune up for next week’s First to the Finish Invitational. This was with their all-state runner Caden Weber as their seventh runner in this race. North were led by a 1-2-3 finish as Ryan Eddington ran 16:05 to finish a second ahead of teammate Grant Schroder. Philip Cupial completed the trifecta running 16:12 to finish third. Isaac Moss (5th), Zach Bender (8th), Will Surratt (10th), Weber (11th), and John Courtney (12th) rounded out North’s top eight. Their top five split was just 30 seconds.

 

#8 Oak Park-River Forest finished second (54 points) behind the 6-7 finish from Lewis O’Connor and Finnegan Kelly. The Huskies had a 47 second split on their top five runners. They did run without their top runner Michael Michelotti who is still recovering from an injury. Oconomowoc WI finished third (79 points) to finish third led by a fourth-place finish from Jayden Sayles (16:17). Illinois schools Antioch (158 points) and Lake Zurich (167 points) finished fourth and fifth.

 

Green Bay Notre Dame WI took the first three team places to win the Girls Varsity race with 25 points. Notre Dame sophomore ran 20:33.4 to win the individual race. 2A #21 Antioch finished second (64 points) behind the 5-7 finish from Rosie Gonzalez and Piper Ipsen.

 

Pleasant Valley Spartan Classic @ Bettendorf IA – It was NXR Heartland Regional power Johnston IA that was in control winning both the Boys and Girls Varsity team championships on Saturday just west of the Mississippi River.

 

Johnston edged #3 Naperville North 57-63 in the Girls Varsity race. Pleasant Valley IA (69 points), Dubuque IA (87 points) and Edina MN (92 points) rounded out the top five teams.

 

Naperville was without their top runner Julie Piot in this race. The Huskies still placed 5 runners in the top 25 to get that second-place finish. Shania Tandon was the team’s first runner as she ran 19:07 to finish third. Her sister Rianna was right behind running 19:14 finishing fourth. Kayla Marx (15th), Brynn Pfeiffer (16th), and Emma Berres (25th) were also a part of the team’s top five. Their top five split was 89 seconds. Their split from Marx to Berres was 35 seconds.

 

Johnston IA scored 40 points to wins the Boys Varsity title ahead of Edina MN (55 points) and Pleasant Valley IA (76 points). #23 Wheaton North scored 105 points to finish fourth behind the individual win from Aidan Murphy. The junior ran 16:22 to win the individual title by two seconds ahead of Brayden Picken of Johnston IA. North was also helped in front in this race by the 12-13 finish from Luke Haworth and Quinn Murphy.

 

Mike Kuharic Invitational @ Lyons Township South Campus Course – A 1-2 finish from Nicholas Strayer and Cillian Henning were the difference as #9 Lyons Township edged #12 Aurora West 76-80 for the team title. The two Lyons runners ran together like they did at the end of last season. That pack showed again on their home course. Strayer took the win (15:23.93) with Henning just behind (15:24.51). Josh Poeschel of Downers Grove South was next running 15:31 to finish third. Cooper Marrs of Riverside-Brookfield (15:44) and Habtamu Epley of Homewood-Flossmoor (15:46) finished fourth and fifth.

 

It looks like Lyons will be running in packs of two this fall until the can get the packs from 3-7 closer. Ben Wuggazer was the team’s third runner in 17th (16:31) with teammate Tate Pavelka (19th) a second behind. Patrick Collins was the team’s fifth runner in 37th (17:10) with teammate Maksym Waschuk (39th) just five seconds back. Their top five split is close to two minutes but let’s discard that. Their split from 3-6 is 44 seconds. There is a 67 second split between the top two and the rest of their top seven.

 

Aurora West looked strong in their first two races. That trend should continue. The team had a 42 seconds on their top 5 that all finished in the top 26. Sean Heetland led the way running 16:03 to finish sixth overall followed by Nathan Gehrmann (11th), Samuel Rocio (13th), Branden DeLeon (24th), and Aiden Massaro (26th). 2022 Class 2A Champion #15 Riverside-Brookfield looked strong in finishing third with 108 points. The Bulldogs placed 3 runners in the top 15 with Marrs followed by the 14-15 finish from Jack O’Brien and Brady Norman. Lincoln-Way Central continues to impress scoring 114 points to finish fourth behind the 7th place finish from Evan Jensen. Sandburg was without their top runner Grant Giblin. The Eagles still scored 181 points to finish fifth behind sophomore Mateo Ramiro-Garcia finishing 16th overall.

 

#4 Downers Grove North continued to roll early in this season placing 5 runners in the top 10 to easily win the Girls Varsity team title in this meet with 26 points. Lily Eddington won her second race of the season running 18:26 on this 5k course. Lindsey Gerhardstein of Sandburg ran a good opener with a 18:42 time to finish second. McKenzie Willard of Downers Grove North (18:49) , Hannah Diete of Taft (19:02), and Julianne Melby of Lyons Township (19:09) to round out the top five. Sarah Paul (6th), Alayna Todnem (9th), and Ava Gilley (10th) were the rest of the top five for the Trojans. North had a 78 second split on their top five runners. The 2-5 split for them was 55 seconds.

 

#7 Lyons Township finished second (55 points) behind top 10 finishes from Melby and Anna Bylsma (8th). #20 Sandburg finished third behind the runner-up showing of Gerhardstein and Ava Giblin finishing in 7th-place. #26 Lincoln-Way East (117 points) and 2A #20 Nazareth Academy (162 points) finished fourth and fifth.

 

Leavey Invitational @ Northwestern Medicine XC Course, Geneva – #2 York opened their season with a strong race and a different lineup in winning the Girls team title with 28 points. #9 Barrington, behind the individual win from Scout Storms, finished second with 55 points. Class 2A defending state champion Grayslake Central scored 109 points to finish third.

 

Scout Storms took command of the race early running 17:19 to win the individual title. York’s Katherine Klimek ran 17:36 to finish second. A big surprise for the Dukes was the return of Maggie Owens who missed most of last season due to an injury. She ran under 18-minutes for the first time with a 17:59 3rd-place finish. Abby Lewis and Mia Sirios were next for Barrington finishing fourth and fifth.

 

Michaela Quinn (6th), Sophia Galiano-Sanchez (8th), and Anna McGrail (9th) were part of York’s top five. The split on those three runners were just four seconds. Sabrina Roach (16th) and Kari Drage (30th) were the fourth and fifth runners for Barrington. Huntley finished fourth (134 points) behind the 10th place finish from freshman Haley Rahman.

 

#20 St. Charles East packed it up with their first 3 runners in the top 6 to help them win the Boys team title with 44 points. Trey Sato of Grayslake Central won his second major race of the week running 15:14 for the title just ahead of Tommy Nitz of Huntley (15:17).

 

The Saints were separated by seven seconds in the front with Oscar Frontjes in the front in 3 followed by Greyson Ellensohn (4th) and Jedidiah Wilson (6th). Michael Wilson (14th) and Adrian Ahuati (17th) were East’s fourth and fifth runners. Their top 5 split was 54 seconds. 2A #8 finished second (70 points) behind Will Gelon’s 5th-place finish. 2A #6 Marmion Academy in their second race of the week scored 72 points to place third behind the 9-10 finish from Connor Carlson and John Daffenberg.

 

St. Ignatius Connelly Invitational @ Lewis University - #15 Yorkville ran a tight 46 second on their top 5 runners to help them win the Girls team title in this meet with 47 points. 2A #8 DePaul College Prep and 2A #4 St. Ignatius College Prep finished second and third both scoring 77 points. Annika Swan of St. Ignatius College Prep started her sophomore campaign on a positive note running 18:17 for the win. She won by 16 seconds ahead another sophomore, Sydney Gersten of Montini Catholic, who ran 18:33 and finished second. Claire Blotnik of Joliet Catholic (18:41), Emily Stecky of DePaul College Prep (18:52), and Juliana Gamboa of Fenwick (18:54) rounding out the top five. Yorkville had 3 runners in the top 10 led by Sophia Keeler (6th), Ashley Schraeder (7th), and Annabelle Reeder (10th). Nicole Krause (11th) and Allegra Triner (13th) were the fourth and fifth runners for Yorkville.

 

It was extremely close in both the individual and team races on the Boys Varsity level. Jake Younger of Yorkville had the better kick running 15:14 to claim the individual title just ahead of Matthew Conroy of St. Ignatius Prep (15:16) and Nathan Powley of Lockport (15:17). 15 points separated the four teams in this race. 2A #9 St. Ignatius scored 59 points to win by just one point ahead of #28 Whitney Young (60 points). #16 Yorkville (64 points) and Lockport (74 points) were the next two teams.

 

St. Ignatius put all 5 scorers in the top 19 with a 54 second on the group to edge by for the win. Conroy was followed by Brandon Mendoza (7th), Hugh Lynch (11th), Nicholas Lopez (18th), and Henry Fink (19th). Whitney Young is impressive through their first four runners. Calvin Allaband-Gamble (4th), Adam Abiade (5th), Dalton Lowery (11th), and Sebastian Vilches (12th) were just separated by 23 seconds. There is a 68 split on their #5 runner Nicholas Ouhabi who finished 29th in the race. Yorkville had 5 runners in the top 23 in this race. Their split on Owen Horeni (10th), Ryan Rotramel (14th), Brody Greyer (16th), and Lukas Summers (23rd) was 54 seconds. Their overall top 5 split was 78 seconds.

 

Plainfield Central Wildcat Invitational – Glenbard West flexed their muscles in their first invitational of the season placing 5 runners in the top 16 places to win the Boys team title with 41 points. Plainfield Central (94 points) and Waubonsie Valley (109 points) finished second and third. Jeremiah Lanum of Bradley-Bourbonnais had a big race running a personal best and getting close to the meet record. Lanum ran a blistering 15:03 for the win and a 37 margin of victory ahead of Jack Davey of Lemont (15:40) and Tyler Schick of Plainfield Central. West’s split on their first 5 runners was fantastic at just 22 seconds on the group. Antony Nitti (4th), Graham Faris (5th), Liam Grady (7th), Cayden Camp (9th), and Ryan Fader (16th) were part of that group. Host Plainfield Central had 3 in the top 20 led by Schick, Harlan Matson (14th), and Luke Adair (19th).  Waubonsie Valley was missing 1 of their top 5 in their lineup (Kyle Beitler). They still had 4 runners in the top 23 with just a 39 second split led by Zach Self (8th) and Tyler Heap (11th).

 

Neuqua Valley edged Lockport 79-81 for the Girls team title with Waubonsie Valley at 93 points finishing third. Niki Tselios of Lemont ran 18:13 to win the individual race ahead of Elizabeth Hall (18:23) and Madison King of Joliet Central (18:42. Neuqua Valley placed 5 runners in the top 31 and just 3 in the top 12 led by Hall, Sienna McEneaney (11th), and Olivia Dalson (12th). Lockport placed 4 in the top 17, 5 in the top 38 led by the 7-8 finish from Sydney Fontaine and Katie Peetz.

 

Rich Eschman Invitational @ Veteran Acres Park, Crystal Lake – The host 2A #6 Crystal Lake South opened their season on a high note placing 5 runners in the top 16 to win the team title with 37 points. Lake Zurich (69 points) and Glenbrook South (85 points) finished second and third. Kaitlyn Burns of Glenbrook South ran 20:35 on the 3.05-mile course to win by 15 seconds ahead of Abby Machesky from Crystal Lake South (20:50) Olivia Pinta was the second runner for the Gators finishing third (21:03). Victoria Pinta (8th), Carly Gorman (14th), and Alexis Brooks (16th) were also a part of Crystal Lake South’s top five.

 

2A #11 Woodstock edged #30 Fremd for the Boys team title. The team’s top runners were also involved in a close finish. Ishan Patel of Woodstock ran 16:04 to win the individual race by two seconds ahead of Fremd’s Rory Gaan (16:06). Andy Ordway of Glenbrook South led his team to a third-place finish running 16:47 to finish behind Patel and Gaan. Aryan Patel of Woodstock (16:53) and Jameson Tenopir of Cary-Grove (17:10) also finished in the top five. Woodstock placed 5 runners in the top 17. Fremd placed their top 5 in the first 14 places.

 

Charleston Invitational @ EIU Woodall Panther Trail – 1A #2 Tuscola opened their season using the principles of pack running to claim the team title with 45 points. How close was the pack? They had a one second split from 7 to 11 led by Xander Neamtu in 7th-place followed by Will Foltz, Josiah Hortin, Jackson Barrett, and Blake McLeese. 2A #17 Mt. Zion placed second (72 points) led by Julian Baker’s individual win. Baker ran 15:19 to win with Caleb Mathias of Champaign Central (15:47) and Augustus Gaudio of Mahomet-Seymour (16:06) finishing second and third. 2A #18 Mahomet-Seymour scored 80 points to finish third.

 

2A #16 Mt. Zion placed 5 runners in the top 20 to claim the Girls team title with 63 points. 2A #30 Mahomet-Seymour finished second (103 points) ahead of Effingham (105 points) and Champaign Centennial (107 points). Katie Foltz of Tuscola opened her season in a strong way running 17:47 to win 51 seconds ahead of Tessa Bowers from Shelbyville (18:38). Ava Boyd of Mahomet-Seymour (18:52) and Aleigha Garrison of Champaign Central (19:07) finished third and fourth.

 

Silver Streak Invitational @ Lake Storey, Galesburg – 2A #4 Morton placed 5 runners in the top 14 to comfortably win the Boys team title with 36 points. Dale Johnson of Sterling win his second race in the past week running 15:16 to win the individual title in this meet by 21 seconds ahead of Geneseo’s Dylan Gehl (15:37). Morton had a 3-4-5 finish from Yonas Wuthrich, Josh Weeks, and Christian Harris who all ran 15:58. Layton Knopp (12th) and Boston Beyer (14th) were Morton’s next two runners. The team’s top five split was 44 seconds. 2A #14 Sterling (93 points), Geneseo (111 points), and 1A #11 Peoria Notre Dame (120 points) were the next three finishing Boys teams.

 

2A #3 Dunlap edged 2A #14 Morton for the Girls team title. Kennady Anderson of Kewanee Wethersfield ran 18:18 to win the individual race. Emily Downing of Cambridge was 19 seconds behind Anderson in finishing second (18:37). Dunlap had 3 runners in the first nine spots led by Abby Tudeen running 18:44 and 7 seconds behind Dowling in third. Dunlap’s Katie Sell (5th) and Kate Robertson (9th) followed. Morton did not have their full lineup in this meet as they were led by Avery Braker (7th) and Sophie Krueger (11th).

 

HCA Fall Classic @ Harvest Christian Academy Campus Course, Elgin – Patrick Hilby did not run in this race, but 1A #14 Aurora Central Catholic showed their depth placing 5 runners in the top 14 to win the Boys team title with 46 points. Wheaton Academy (56 points) and 1A #12 Harvest Christian Academy ( 84 points) finished second and third. Noah Luke of Chicago Christian broke away from the field in running 16:42 to claim the individual race win. Aurora Central Catholic freshman Ben Bohr ran 16:57 to finish second. Luca Bryja of Harvest Christian Academy was another 40+ seconds behind Bohr in finishing third.

 

1A #7 Chicago Christian scored 40 points to win the Girls team title without their top runner Grace Mullin who did not compete in this meet. Aurora Central Catholic (62 points) and Wheaton Academy (70 points) finished second and third. Cecillia Hilby of Aurora Central Catholic in her first year of cross-country also picked up her first win running 20:11. Kihra Moses of Chicago Christian (20:16) and Nora McCabe of Regina Dominican (20:53) were the next two runners to cross the line.

 

Oregon Open @ Oregon Park West – Weston Forward of Rockford Christian won his second race of the season running 16:14 ahead of Nicolai Martino of Winnebago who ran 16:23. Lucas Schaab of Sterling Newman (16:46), Tim Starwalt of Byron (16:47), and Charlie Link of Erie (16:56) rounded out the top five. 1A #23 Rockford Christian scored 99 points for the team win ahead of Riverdale (112 points), 1A #13 Erie (114 points), and 1A #9 Winnebago (127 points). Sherrard scored 67 points in winning the Girls team title finishing ahead of 2A #26 Kaneland (95 points) and 1A #25 Winnebago (105 points). Ariel Hernandez of Rock Falls ran 20:02 for the win with Danielle Bower of Kaneland finishing second (20:24). Avery Engle of East Dubuque (20:38) and Morgan Capriola of Winnebago (21:00) finished third and fourth.  

 

Rich Dust Invitational @ North Creek Meadow, Lansing – Lincoln-Way East put their first 5 runners in the top 14 to easily win the Boys team title with 40 points ahead of Stagg (86 points), St. Laurence (117 points), and Joliet West (123 points). Joliet West did not have their top runner Marcellus Mines in this race. Sean Hanrahan of Lincoln-Way East ran 15:39 to win the individual race by two seconds ahead of Luis Flores of St. Laurence (15:41). East had a 71 second split on their first five, a split of 44 seconds on their 2-5 runners that included Michael O’Brien (6th), Drew Arnold (9th), Kyle Arnold (12th), and Daniel O’Connor (14th).

 

Stagg placed 4 runners in the top 8 to win the Girls team title with 27 points. Argo scored 63 points to finish second. Stagg was helped by the win from Amanda Pocica who ran 20:00 to win by 39 seconds and Elle Kobilca who finished fourth for Stagg.

 

Rochester XC Invitational @ Rochester Community Park – It was a good Girls team race as 1A #8 Pleasant Plains edged 2A #11 Pleasant Plains 68-73 for the team title. Delavan scored 94 points to finish third. Pleasant Plains placed 5 runners in the top 25 paced by top 10 finishes from Caroline Willenborg (5th) and Abigail Wolters (7th). Rochester placed 5 runners in the top 26 paced by 3 runners in the top 11 with Ashley Zeibert (4th), Brooke Zeibert (10th) and Natalie Nichols (11th). Annabelle LaFary of Delavan was the individual race winner (18:52) with Madigan Burger of Franklin (19:10) finishing second.

 

A 1-3 finish from Owen Morgan and Liam Bettis helped Taylorville win the Boys team title ahead of 1A #18 Pleasant Plains (84 points) and 1A #28 Clinton (98 points). Morgan ran 15:26 to win by three seconds ahead of Elijah Teefey of Pleasant Plains (15:39). Bettis (15:42)finished third.  Jack Willenborg of Pleasant Plains and Drew Moser of Clinton finished fourth and fifth both timed at 15:44.

 

AJCHS Run the Hill Invitational @ Trail of Fears State Forest, Jonesboro – 1A #6 Anna-Jonesboro did not run their full lineup in this meet after running Wednesday at Murphysboro, but edged Carterville 27-28 for the Girls team title. Carterville’s Molly Robertson ran 19:37 for the individual win by 61 seconds ahead of Molly Merrill of Goreville (20:38) Anna Jonesboro’s first runner was Aleah Box who ran 20:42 to finish third. Herrin won the Boys team title (28 points) putting their top 5 runners in the first 8 places. They were led by the 3-4 finish from Braden Davis and Mason King. Cayton Cratch of Steeleville ran 16:50 to claim the individual win ahead of Lucas Hoehner of Anna-Jonesboro (17:21).

 

Harlem Invitational @ Kieselburg County Forest Preserve – Hampshire was dominant in the Girls Varsity race in this meet taking the first four places enroute to scoring 18 points for the team win. Burlington Central (84 points) finished second ahead of Belvidere North and Machesney Park Harlem (92 points). Hudson Szymoniak led the Hampshire pack running 19:01 for the individual race win. Teammates Hannah Jones, Ella Perrone, and Annabelle Haskins were separated by just 11 seconds in finishing second through fourth. #24 Rockford Guilford put 3 runners in the top 5 to win the Boys team race ahead of Grant (56 points), Machesney Park Harlem (69 points), and Burlington Central (78 points). The Vikings were paced by a 1-2 finish from Brandon Lawson and Landon Bachta. Lawson ran 16:10 to win by nine seconds ahead of his teammate Bachta in second. Ryan Kries of Burlington Central ran 16:20 to finish third ahead of Niko Dayment of Grant (16:26) and Guilford’s Hayden Johnson (16:34).