Fast times at Peoria in wins for Falk and Partlow

Sandburg in charge in 3A Boys; 1-2 finish from McNerney and Johnson give Downers Grove South 3A Girls win; Chatham-Glenwood, Crystal Lake South, and Dunlap in close 2A Girls’ race; Morton edges Fenwick in battle of top 2A Boys teams

By Michael Newman

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Peoria, Ill – If Saturday’s Peoria HS Invitational was any indication of what we will see at Detweiller Park a month from now, we should be in for a great IHSA State Cross Country Meet.

All four races in this meet produced some fast times and some intriguing team battles. Expected rain held off until just after the noon hour in Peoria. Meet organizers did not take any chances speeding the meet up to give runners the best opportunity to race in dry conditions. The course was fast evidenced by the times. Temperatures were in the mid-70’s with humidity levels close to 100%.

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It did not bother the runners on this day.

Alex Partlow of Carbondale ran an eye-opening 14:23 to win the 1A/2A Boys’ race. One hour later, Nick Falk of New Trier used a final kick to clock the same time of 14:23 to win the 3A Boys’ race. Sophia McNerney of Downers Grove South pulled away from the field to run 17:13 to win in the 3A Girls division. Delaney Fitzgerald of Normal University used the same strategy to pull away to win in the 1A/2A Girls race with an 17:59 time.

1A/2A Boys Race

The first Boys race of the day gave us an idea of what was in store for the day. Partlow and Wilson Georges of Limestone were supposed to challenge for the win. Fenwick and Morton were the top two 2A teams in this state and were supposed to challenge for the win. Both of these pre-race expectations came true.

This would be no sit and kick affair for the top 2A Boys’ runners in the state. Partlow and Georges led the pack through a 67 opening quarter and then 2:14 at the half.

Why sit and wait until the end of the race to decide the winner? Partlow decided to push the pace just before the first mile.

“I was side-by-side with him just before the mile,” Partlow said. “I told him let’s just work together. I sped up. I think I dropped the hammer.”

Partlow passed the first mile in 4:40. Georges went through two seconds later in 4:42. The Carbondale senior had control of the race in the triangle as he opened up an eight second lead on Georges passing two miles in 9:35. The lead grew even more in the final mile as Partlow covered it in 4:48 to cross the finish line in an outstanding 14:23. Georges ran a personal best on this course finishing second in 14:43. Dale Johnson of Sterling was the closest runner to the front two as he ran 15:12 to finish third.

“I don’t want to be that guy anymore who drafts off the lead. I want to be the driver,” added Partlow. “I get so nervous before races. I only got 3 hours of sleep last night. I just want to go out relaxed and have fun. That is what running is all about.”

The team battle in this race was just as exciting. Fenwick and Morton traded off the lead at each checkpoint. First it was Morton and their pack. Then Fenwick edged to the front with a mile to go. The finish belonged to Morton but narrowly. The Potters claimed the team title 77 to 79 ahead of Fenwick. Morton needed a 57 second split on their top five runners to complete the deed. Cade Zobrist was the team’s top runner as he ran 15:14 to finish fourth. Yonas Wuthrich was just five seconds behind Zobrist as he finished 6th. Then came the rest of the pack starting with Josh Weeks (18th) and followed by Keegan Anderson (23rd) and Layton Knoop (26th).

Fenwick had a nice pack with 4 runners in the top 16 with only a 33 second split on the quartet. Grayden Rill finished 5 just one second behind Morton’s Zobrist. Nathaniel McKillop was next in 12th followed by Lee O’Bryan (14th) and Zac Daley (16th). Fenwick’s fifth runner was Carl Lukas who ran 16:21 to finish 33rd. Their overall top five split was 66 seconds.

1A #8 Normal University finished third (234 points) led by Sachit Muduli finishing 10th. Springfield finished fourth (241 points) followed by area rival Chatham-Glenwood in fifth (261 points). 1A #3 Rockford Christian scored 269 points to finish sixth.

3A Boys Race

The first mile was completely different to what we saw earlier in the 1A/2A race. There were no breakaways in the first mile. A pack of 30 runners passed through the first checkpoint in a comfortable 4:52 looking around to see who would make the first move. All the favorites were in touch in the front led by Micah Wilson of St. Charles East and Nick Falk of New Trier.

All of this at the mile was a buildup of moves that would define the rest of the race. Wilson made a series of moves in the north end triangle of the course that broke up the huge pack. Now it was just Falk, Wilson, Marcellus Mines of Joliet West, Luke Wiley of Warren, Ryan Watts of Edwardsville, and Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South that led the race back onto the main section of the course. Declan Tunney of Sandburg led the second pack.

The lead pack went through 2-miles in 9:42 keeping that consistent 4:50-like pace. Wiley made a surge coming up the incline for the second time. The group stayed together. Watts made a move with a kilometer left hoping to stretch the pack. It was the beginning of the stretch as they approached 800-meters left in the race. Watts made a surge approaching that point but it was Wiley that made another move shaking Wilson and Neumann of the pace.

There were four runners left from the original pack as they approached 300-meters left. Wiley tried to make one more move at that point. It was Falk that made the final move with 200-meters left taking off in an all-out sprint. He crossed the line in 14:23 with the win.

“Whether if I won the race or did not, I always think I am the best,” Falk said. “I’ve always thought that I have been an underdog. This race doesn’t change anything in my mind. I was happy to come away with the win today.

Wiley was two second back in second (14:25). The rust was off Watts in this race as he ran 14:28 to finish third. Then Miles was fourth running 14:31. Wilson and Neumann crossed the line in fifth and sixth both with the same 14:38 time.

#1 Sandburg was in control of the team race from the beginning having five runners in the front at the mile and then their scorers in the top 15 to score only 50 points for the win. “It was a post prom effect for them this week,” Sandburg Coach John O’Malley said after the race. “They looked like zombies all week in practice. That showed today.”

The Eagles had 36 second split on their top five runners with tree of the runners under 15-minutes. Tunney led the way running 14:45 to finish 7. Teammates Brock Rice and Sean Marquardt followed in 8th and 9th. Trent Anderson (11th) and Grant Giblin (15th) closed the door as the team’s fourth and fifth runners.

#2 New Trier, #10 Warren, and #11 Neuqua Valley all scored 109 points. New Trier was awarded second on the sixth-runner tiebreak ahead of Warren. Neuqua Valley only ran five runners and finished fourth.

New Trier had Falk with the win and then five runners together between 23 and 31. Their top five split was 81 seconds but only an eight second split on the next five runners. Warren’s team was paced with Wiley’s finish and then two other runners in the first 16. Neuqua Valley had 20 second split on their first four runners led by Noah Schalliol finishing 12th. #9 St. Charles East scored 137 points to finish fifth.

3A Girls Race

Some of the suspense in the team race and individual race when #3 Prospect, who was entered in the meet, made the decision on Friday not to make the trip to Peoria. That opened the door for #14 Downers Grove South and #8 Maine South to battle for the team title.

The individual race was decided in the first mile as Downers Grove South teammates Sophia McNerney and Holly Johnson broke away from the pack just before that point. The was the first race back for McNerney as a foot injury had sidelined her for a month. It was the wait for the South senior as she ran 17:13 for the win. Johnson was next in 17:19 to finish second.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Caroline Schoen was in the chase pack though out most of the race. She made a great move in the final 200-meters to claim third (17:23) just ahead of Glenbrook North freshman Maria Polyakov who was just one second back. Another Glenbrook North freshman, Juliet Frum, ran 17:33 to finish fifth.

This was the first race at full strength for Downers Grove South since their first invitational of the year at Fenton on September 4. The Mustangs placed 3 runners in the top 9 and 5 runners in the top 45 to score 86 points for the win. Kelsey Casella was the team’s third runner behind McNerney and Johnson to finish 9th with a 17:47 time. Madi Sisson (32nd) and Nora Joy (45th) rounded out their top five.

Maine South is a team to keep an eye on during the state series. The Hawks scored 99 points to finish second (99 points) behind the seventh-place finish from freshman Sofia Accuri. #25 Edwardsville finished third (145 points) followed by Jacobs (174 points) and Huntley (177 points).

Girls 1A/2A Race

It was a different situation for Normal University’s Delaney Fitzgerald in the first race of the day at Detweiller Park. “The races that I have been at here there have been so many runners that were ahead of me,” Fitzgerald said afterwards. “It was strange to see no one in front of me today.”

Fitzgerald and her teammate Zoe Carter went through the first mile in 5:50 and grew their lead from there. Fitzgerald pulled away in the triangle, then held on to run 17:59 to claim the individual win. Isabella Gonzalez of Crystal Lake South made a charge in the final mile to run 18:03 to finish second. Bella Daley of Fenwick (18:05) and Carter (18:20) finished third and fourth.

The team race was amazing with the first three finishing teams separated by only eight points. 2A #7 Crystal Lake South and #9 Chatham-Glenwood both scored 76 points. South claimed the win on a sixth runner tiebreak.

The strength for the Gators was top 15 finishes from Gonzalez, Abby Machesky (5th), and Addie Frisch (15th). Colette Bacidore (27th) and Anna McDermott (30th) were the team’s fourth and fifth runners. Their top five split was 72 seconds.

Chatham-Glenwood’s pack was prevalent in the front as the race developed. Nia Gibson led the Titans running 18:25 to finish 6th. Ava Gorrie was next (8th) followed by Rachel Behrens (13), Emma Leahy (16th), and then Kamryn Robbins (36th). Glenwood only had a 23 second split on their top four runners. Their top five split was 64 seconds.

Lost in the shuffle was 2A #3 Dunlap who scored 84 points to finish third. The Eagles had a solid 32 second split on their top five runners. It just could not match the strength of Crystal Lake South and Chatham-Glenwood in this meet. Kate Robertson led Dunlap by running 18:29 to finish 9th. Saniya Mathew (17th), Abby Tudeen (18th), and Morgan Phillips (19th) all ran 18:49 as the team’s second through fourth runners. Abby Gleason finished 21st with a 19:01 time.

2A #24 Waterloo scored 139 points to finish fourth. 2A #9 Normal University (169 points) and Mt. Zion (175 points) finished fifth and sixth.