2019 ILXCTF.com XC Season Awards - Boys XC Runner of the Year (By IHSA Classifications)

By Michael Newman

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Here are the three Boys XC Runners of the Year by IHSA Classification.

Class 3A

The time of 13:49.86 says it all on which runner was chosen in this classification.

Josh Methner of Hersey High School had a plan this fall that was put into action after he ran 14:12.6 to win the Richard Spring Invitational. The time was only one second slower than the time he ran when he won the Class 3A state title in 2018. It was also the fastest time in a non-state meet race at Detweiller Park.

The rest is history. Methner smiling as he approached the finish line knowing that he broke a 47-year-old record that a few thought that the 13:50.6 was untouchable. Yet, Methner quietly did it while an overflow crowd near the finish line went crazy.

He accomplished so much more in the next month, but we will wait to tell those stories.

It was a shame that Brett Gardner of Lincoln-Way East was not in the state race. He pushed Methner in the Richard Spring Invitational. A foot injury in his sectional race caused Gardner not to compete at state. One wonders how fast that state race would have been with Gardner in there.

For the second year in a row, congratulations to Josh Methner of Hersey High School in Arlington Heights as the 2019 ILXCTF.com Illinois Class 3A Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Class 2A

This classification was tough to decide.

An injury at the beginning of the year slowed down one of the pre-season favorites in Class 2A Charlie Smith of Antioch. He did not start to race until the middle of September missing the First to the Finish Invitational that featured some of the top Class 2A runners in the state. Sam Lange of Morton won that race by 17 seconds ahead of Burlington Central’s Anthony Farmer.

Lange was a model of consistency after that race (14:47) running 14:48 at the Peoria Invitational and then 14:46 at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet.

It comes down to Lange and Smith for this honor. Lange finished second at state running under 14:50 at Detweiller Park for the fourth time this season (14:49). Smith ran 14:46 to claim the state championship. It was the only time the two runners had faced each other during the 2019 season.

That was one of the deciding factors. Smith went undefeated during the 2019 campaign. Lange finished second in two early season races before her found his mojo in the FTTF race.

Lange had a fantastic season jumping into the Illinois Cross Country Spotlight. It was Smith’s state win that gave the Antioch runner the edge.

Congratulations to Charlie Smith of Antioch High School in Antioch as the 2019 ILXCTF.com Illinois Class 2A Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Class 1A

It came down to the November race at Detweiller Park to decide the honor of 1A runner of the year. Drew Rogers of Herscher did it in a resounding fashion.

Rogers was almost perfect during this 2019 season. He finished second behind Layton Hall of Arthur-Lovington at the PBL Invitational on September 14. Rogers also finished second behind Lincoln-Way East’s Brett Gardner at the Lisle Mane Event at the beginning of October. He was untouchable after that race.

His state race was fascinating to watch as he pushed the pace with every step in that race pulling away from the field to run 14:30.5 to capture his first state championship.

Dawson Smith of Rock Falls had a banner senior season finishing 14 second behind Rogers in finishing second in that state race. He was undefeated against other 1A runners this season. He finished second behind Kaneland’s Austin Adams at the Rock River Run at the end of September.

Rogers, a sophomore, will be back to defend his title in 2020. He will have company as two other sophomores, Miles Sheppard of Hamilton/Warsaw and Ryder James of Paxton-Buckley-Loda, along with Hall will be pushing him every step of the way.

Congratulations to Drew Rogers of Herscher High School in Herscher as the 2019 ILXCTF.com Illinois Class 2A Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.