Atchison, Buffalo Grove thinking big
A fast start to the season has the Buffalo Grove boys cross country team thinking big.
Buffalo Grove took second at the Fenton Invite on Sept. 3, followed it up with an impressive Mid-Suburban League East dual meet victory over Prospect last Thursday, and kept things rolling with a huge second-place finish at the Peoria Richwoods Invite on Saturday, one spot ahead of Neuqua Valley, which was ranked No. 1 in Class 3A at the time.
Not bad for a Bison squad that has risen to No. 9 in the Class 3A polls but has never qualified for the state meet.
BG had no letdown on Thursday cruising to a 19-36 MSL East victory over visiting Wheeling at Willow Stream.
Senior star Jereme Atchison powered the Bison by taking first in a controlled 15:50, followed by sophomore Steven Salvano (16:09), senior Dan Roe (16:09) and senior Taras Didenko (16:10). Junior Jason Clark (16:56) completed the Bison scoring by taking ninth place.
Last year Buffalo Grove finished 11th at the Schaumburg sectional, but the early season success has the Bison thinking this may be the year they break through to make their first appearance at the state meet.
It starts with Atchison, who became the first BG runner to make all-state last year when he finished 21st in Class 3A.
“We have the guys to do it,” said Atchison, who finished second at Fenton and followed it up by taking third at Peoria Richwood in an impressive 14:27. “We realize our potential and we’re ready to go for it.”
Atchison was hanging tight with Edwardsville’s Garrett Sweat for most of the race in Peoria, before Sweat made some separation with 400 meters remaining leading to the victory.
The performance put Atchison’s name on a short list of potential state contenders.
“There are 15 guys in state that have the ability to win that thing,” said BG coach Jamie Klotz. “Jereme is one of them. Through his hard work, he has bought himself a ticket to have a shot.”
And with the continue progression of Didenko, a two-time all-MSL runner, and emergence of Roe and Salvano, the Bison are no longer a one-man team and definitely a squad that has the ability to stretch its season into November.
“We realize what type of team we have,” said Didenko. “We have one goal and we’re all working for it.”
Sophomore Bruce Ferraro (16:25), senior Nick Modlin (16:27), senior Jordy Arriaga (16:37) and Edwin Arteaga (16:42) went fifth through eighth to push an up-and-coming Wheeling squad.
“The first 2 miles have been easy,” said Modlin. “Now we’re practicing on picking it up for the last mile and pulling it into the chute.”
Girls meet: Buffalo Grove’s girls cross country team is showing a bit of promise. The Bison have three sophomores and one junior in their top five, and they collectively took a step forward on Thursday.
Buffalo Grove took the top five spots in cruising to a 15-47 Mid-Suburban League East dual meet victory over Wheeling at Willow Stream.
Sophomore Katie Geraghty led the charge, crossing the line in 21:06 to propel the Bison to the victory.
The Bison top five made some separation in the second mile after a tight first mile before throwing down a strong final mile.
“We knew we had to pick it up a little more, and we worked as hard as we could to finish strong,” said Geraghty of the Bison finish. “We’re working harder this year and we’re learning to finish strong.”
Sophomore Alli Toriumi (21:13), junior Cailtin Kelley, sophomore Kendall Marthaler, and Hana VanderVeen (21:53 placed 2 through 5 to push the Bison attack.
Senior Lori Delfin (21:56) was hanging tough with the Bison top five at the 2-mile mark before securing sixth place to lead Wheeling.
Seniors Maria Tinajero (21:59) and freshman Jessie Sanford (21:54) took eighth and ninth to help a Wildcats group that was hit hard with early season illnesses.
“We’re running more as a pack this season,” said Delfin. “We just want to keep pushing and making improvements.”