Above: Dixon celebrates their win at Saturday’s Galesburg Invitational (Rick Masterson Photo)

By Michael Newman

DyeStat IL Editor

mike@dyestat.com

I do know after this past weekend that no teams jumped into a clear favorite role for a state championship two months from now. We do have a better idea what some teams look like especially on the Girls side of the coin. We do know what we knew before the season started is that the Glenbard West Girls team is pretty good regardless of what national experts believe. We do know in the 3A Girls side is that defending state champion Minooka is just as good as last year even though Glenbard West defeated them at Katherine Legge Memorial on Saturday.

We also confirmed that even though that Neuqua Valley was missing three of their top seven, they still won the Boys race at Hinsdale. We also found out that Downers Grove North knows how to stay close to each other as they had a 17 second split on their scorers in easily winning the Leavey Invitational at St. Charles.

What we did not find out is if Lake Zurich is as good as advertised. I was asked that question many times the past few days. We will have to wait until September 17 at Detweiller Park when we see their full lineup in place. I think we know that the Bears will be good. We will just find out how good in a couple of weeks.

This first weekend was a chance to get on the starting line and head out to capture a dream of getting to Detweiller Park in November.

Videos and recaps from St. Charles can be found here. Hinsdale Central’s Boys Team used a drone to get an aerial view of the Boys Race at their home meet. It is worth watching how a race develops and ends from high above.

Here is a look at some of the meets that took place throughout the state.

Hornet-Red Devil Invitational @ Katherine Legge Memorial

The top invitational of the weekend took place on the east side of Hinsdale in one of the top cross country courses in the state. When you talk about this meet, you talk about quality teams competing against each other trying to find out how good they really are.

In the Girls Varsity Race, we found out Glenbard West is as good as advertised. The 3A #3 team in the state won the Varsity title 43-59 ahead of 2015 State Champion 3A #1 Minooka. Both teams have strong top three runners. It was all about the #4 and #5 runners for both of these teams. On this day, Glenbard West had the edge. The Hilltoppers put three runners in the top six led by the individual win by Lindsey Payne. The junior pulled away from freshman teammate Katelynne Hart and Minooka’s Ashley Tutt in the final mile crossing the line with a 17:11.8 winning time.  Tutt was next in 17:20.2 followed by Hart 8 seconds later. Glenbard West and Minooka swept the first 6 spots with Mackenzie Callahan running 17:35 for fourth and Emily Shelton fifth for Minooka. Sophomore Katie Hohe was sixth giving Glenbard West the edge through three runners 10 to 11.

Minooka had the next runner in for the two teams as Vivian Van Eck finished 13^th overall. The edge for Glenbard West was that Chloe Connolly and Janie Nabholz finished 17^th and 18^th giving their team the win. Minooka’s fifth runner, Emily Ellis, finished 37^th overall. The split for the top five for Glenbard West was 93 seconds. Minooka’s split on their top four was 75 seconds. The split on five was 127 seconds.

3A #9 Neuqua Valley finished third (116 points) led by the tenth place finish by Caitlin Horn. 3A #11 Metea Valley and 3A #6 New Trier rounded out the top five.

Soren Knudsen (Minooka HS) pushed the pace of the Boys Starting race from the start. Blake Evertsen (Hinsdale Central HS) and Brian Leonard (Palatine HS) stayed about 5 to 10 meters behind Knudsen until they caught up with him on the hill after the first creek crossing. The three runners were close together for the next mile until Knudsen made a move on the hill on the southern edge of the park. It dropped Leonard but Evertsen stayed within striking distance of the Minooka senior. It was not until the last 400 meters before Evertsen took the lead. Knudsen seemed to be running out of steam just before the made the final turn for home. Evertsen’s pass of Knudsen was a move of conviction going by him making sure that he would not stay with him.

Evertsen set a course record for the latest layout in this park crossing the finish line in 14:48.6. A tired Knudsen was next fourteen seconds back of the Hinsdale senior (15:02). Jake McEneaney made a charge during the final mile passing Leonard and getting close to Knudsen finishing third in 15:05. Leonard, who missed most of last cross country season with injuries, showed he could be a force at the end of the year finishing fourth ten seconds back.

Despite the fact that Neuqua Valley was missing three of their top seven including seniors Scott Anderson and Matt Milostan, the top ranked team in 3A still was in control of this race placing four runners in the top ten and five in the first fourteen to take home the team championship with 36 points. Following McEneaney across the line was Josh Mollway (5th), Zach Kinne (6^th), Jackson Jett (8^th), and Ryan Kennedy (14^th). Their split on those five runners was 31 seconds.

3A #5 Hinsdale Central was second with 80 points. They had a 60 second split off of individual winner Evertsen. Their split off of their #2 runner Jacob Belgrad (16^th) and #5 runner Ethan Planson (22^nd) was only nine seconds. The surprise of the Boys meet was the third place finish by unranked Wheaton-Warrenville South who scored 96 points. They placed four runners between 11^th and 17^th with only an eight second split. 3A #8 New Trier scored 137 points to finish fourth followed by 3A #23 Highland Park in fifth (173 points).

Lions Pride Invitational @ Lyons South Campus Course

Speed was the name of the game on this flat course. With temperatures near 70 degrees with a slight breeze, even though there are a ton of turns on this course, the runners in the Boys race took advantage of the conditions in a big way. Sandburg’s Dylan Jacobs missed the state meet last year due to a hamstring injury. He showed that he was ready for his junior season winning the Boys Varsity race by holding off Lyons’ Vince Zona in the process. Jacobs’ time of 14:19 was a second ahead of the second place Zona and four seconds ahead of Zona’s teammate Danny Kilrea. The 3A #3 Lions were in charge putting five runners in the first thirteen to score 37 points for the win. Dan Palmer ran 15:26 to finish eighth for LT followed by Graham Kutchek (11^th) and Andrew Tarasuk (13^th). The split on the five with Zona and Kilrea up front was 72 seconds. The split on their 3-4-5 was only 6 seconds. Lowell IN finished second (76 points) followed by 3A #13 Sandburg (102 points).

Indiana schools were in charge of the Girls Varsity race both in the team race and individuals. Lowell’s Jordyn Boyer ran 17:32 to capture the individual win ahead of Valparaiso duo of Ava Gilliana and Logan Ferngren who were seventeen seconds back. Jenna Diers (Lincoln-West HS, New Lenox) was the first Illinois runner in placing 4^th (17:51). Valparaiso won the team title 54-67 ahead of Lowell. 3A #22 Lyons Township finished third with 87 points behind the fifth place finish by Sarah Barcelona.

John Kurtz Early Bird Classic @ Fenton HS

3 #20 Downers Grove South controlled the Girls team race placing four runners in the first ten to win the title with only 47 points. Brooke Wilson Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect) won the individual race clocking 17:56.2 on Fenton’s 3 mile campus course. Katie Stapleton led the DGS pack placing second eleven seconds behind Wilson. The Mustangs #2 through #4 pack was only separated by two seconds with Becky Versaskas (8^th), Melissa Weidner (9^th), and Brenna Cohoon (10^th).  2A #2 Vernon Hills packed it up to score 106 points to tie for second with Prospect who ran three of their top 5 runners down on the Frosh/Soph Level.

Oak Park-River Forest’s Irwin Loud did not race on this meet. It looks like his debut will be on September 17 at the Richard Spring Invitational. I don’t think it would have mattered especially the way that Hersey ran in the Boys Varsity meet. The Huskies ran a 29 second split on their first five placing them in the top sixteen. Hersey ran away with the meet winning by 79 scoring only 43 points. Jacob Krupa led the way for Hersey running 15:37.1 for the win two seconds ahead of Matt Hoffman (Wheeling HS).  3A #19 Oak Park-River Forest was second with 132 points ahead of 3A #10 Prospect (139 points), 3A #18 Glenbard West (146 points), and Hoffman Estates (148 points). Prospect kept out most of their top five in this race. Glenbard West kept three of their top seven down in the Frosh/Soph race.

Granite City Invitational @ Wilson Park

Ben Flowers (Jersey HS) crushed the competition in this race showing that he will be one of the 2A runners to watch this fall. The senior ran 15:00 to win the race by 24 seconds ahead of Chris Durr (Chatham-Glenwood HS). Zach Young (Marion HS) was another second behind in third followed by Charlie Parrish (Freeburg HS) and Franky Romano (Edwardsville HS). O’Fallon put two runners in the first ten to help the Panthers to the Varsity win with 91 points. Chris Conrad (7^th) and Kyle Dismukes (10^th) led O’Fallon with 5 runners in the first 34 along with the group having a 35 second split. 2A #4 Chatham-Glenwood showed their strength by placing second (126 points) behind Durr’s finish. St. Louis University (142 points), Edwardsville (158 points), and 1A #4 Freeburg (173 points) were the next three teams in the standings.

We should see Edwardsville in the top 25 after a dominating performance in the Girls Varsity race. The Lady Tigers put five runners in the first seventeen led by Freshman Abby Korak’s second place finish to score a low 49 points as a team. 3A #23 O’Fallon was next with 105 points followed by 1A #8 Freeburg with 129 points. Jenna Schwartz (Waterloo HS) was all-state a year ago. The sophomore is looking for bigger things this year. It started Saturday by running 18:10 for the win 24 seconds ahead of Edwardsville’s Korak.

Canton Invitational

Even without all-state runner Derrick McCoy who is still coming back from an injury, 1A #1 Elmwood-Brimfield still had enough to win the Boys race at this meet 66-84 ahead of Pekin. Wyatt McIntyre (Athens HS) is a 1A runner to watch this fall. He won the individual race (15:40.2) thirty seconds ahead of Patrick Bruch (Peoria Notre Dame HS).

Grace Breitbach ran 19:01 to win the individual race and led 2A #7 Notre Dame to a 49-60 win over area rival Pekin. The Irish placed three runners in the first six. Breitbach’s win was convincing as she won by 47 seconds ahead of Maya Stovall (Macomb HS).

Chrisman Cowchip Classic

This flight race meet focuses on some of the top individual runners. It was the last time here for Anna Sophia Keller (St. Anthony HS, Effingham). The three time 1A Cross Country Champion ran 17:12 to win her fourth straight championship flight at this meet by 97 seconds ahead of Annemarie Michael (Urbana University HS). Michael’s teammate Arielle Summitt had the second fastest girls’ time in this meet. She won Flight 2 by 35 seconds ahead of Faith Houston (St. Joseph-Ogden HS).

Logan Hall (Arthur-Lovington HS) is one of the 1A runners to watch this fall. He has been impressive so far this year as he picked up another win in this meet. His winning time of 15:36 was 23 seconds ahead of Alex Helmuth (Monticello HS). Justin Phillips (St. Joseph-Ogden HS) finished third (16:10) in the championship flight.

Harvest Christian Fall Classic

Host 1A #2 Harvest Christian Academy flexed their muscles in their first race of the season. They placed five runners in the first ten with only a 48 second split on the group to win the team championship 33-72 ahead of 2A #13 Kaneland. Matthew Richtman (Kaneland HS, Maple Park) blew away the competition running 16:00 to win by 28 seconds ahead of Jackson Stewart (St. Teresa HS, Decatur) and Andrew Dobrescu (Harvest Christian Academy, Elgin).

The Girls Varsity race was the best of this meet. April Van Ryn (Chicago Christian HS, Palos Heights) ran 18:13 to win the individual race four seconds ahead of second place Abby Fioresi (Aurora Central Catholic HS). Glenbard South put three runners in the first ten led by the fifth place finish of Abby Schlenker. It was Chicago Christian’s pack that was the difference meet as the two teams tied at 67 points. 1A #3 Chicago Christian won the team title on the 6^th runner tiebreaker.

Crystal Lake South Invitational @ Veteran Acres

Coming off of an impressive race at the Sycamore Invitational on Tuesday, 2A #3 Belvidere North will be tough again this season with the addition of four freshmen to their top seven. The Blue Thunder put five runners in the top nine to score only 26 points. 3A #21 Grant scored 97 points to finish second. Jenna Lutzow (Belvidere North HS) and Danielle Osmon (Grant HS, Fox Lake) battled on the hills of Veteran Acres Park before Lutzow pulled away to run 19:52 for 5 kilometers to win by nine seconds. North’s split on their top five was only 61 seconds.

Paced by the second place finish by Danny Peterson, Fremd won the Boys team title 63-66 ahead of Cary-Grove. Glenbrook South was another 8 points back in third. Jack Becker (Crystal Lake South HS) ran 16:20 for the win nine seconds ahead of Peterson.

Plainfield Central Invitational

Caleb Washington pulled away in the final mile to win the Boys individual race (15:45) by ten seconds ahead of Sam Rivera (Whitney Young HS, Chicago) and Lenny Baumann (Bradley-Bourbonais HS). 3A #6 Whitney Young did not run their full top seven in this meet including #1 runner Clayton Mendez. They scored 106 points to finish second behind Plainfield East who scored 100 points.

3A #12 Lockport placed five runners in the first thirteen to win the Girls Varsity title with only 35 points. Morgan Bollinger led the Lady Porters with the individual win (18:35) by six seconds ahead of freshman teammate Madison Polinski. 2A #8 Lemont finished second (95 points) led by the tenth place finish by Bridget Kunkel.

Rochester Invitational

1A #10 Carlinville, behind the second place finish by Jason Landon, edged Taylorville 54-58 for the Boys team title. 1A #21 Liberty scored 106 points to finish third. Eli Ten Eyck (Pittsfield HS) ran 15:34 to win the individual race twelve seconds ahead of Landon.

Katelyn Robbins (4^th) and Megan Barry (7^th) finished in the top ten to lead 1A #7 Liberty to the team win in the Girls Race. They scored 61 points to finish ahead of second place Williamsville (95 points). Claudia Magnussen (Pana HS) ran 18:06 for the win eleven seconds ahead of Taylorville’s Anna Lowry.

Galesburg Invitational @ Lake Storey Park

2A #11 Dixon had a 29 second split between #1 runner Sean Masterson (8^th) and #5 runner Andrew Lohse. It helped them win the team title with 64 points. Sterling scored 110 points to finish second followed by East Moline (114 points) and Dunlap (116 points). Jake Gillum (Metamora HS) ran 15:37 to win the individual race ten seconds ahead of Michael Church (East Peoria HS).

2A #1 Dunlap had little trouble winning the Girls team title putting six runners in the first eight scoring only 16 points. Franny Verville ran 19:00 for the win followed by Abby Johnson and Ayah Aldadah finished right behind their teammate. The split for their top five was only 24 seconds.