Palatine's Brown back on track
Palatine senior Graham Brown made a statement, and the boys cross country teams from Hinsdale Central and Neuqua Valley both looked impressive on Saturday at the Red Devil Invitational hosted by Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South.
Brown finished eighth in Class 3A last season and showed he will a force this season. The senior made his invite-winning move just before the 2-mile mark and never looked back, cruising through the finish in an impressive 14:55 at Katherine Legge Memorial Park in Hinsdale.
Brown was slowed during the track season due to mononucleosis, but the senior definitely put his name back among the cross country elite with Saturday's performance.
"I was sick in the spring so I fell a bit off the radar," said Brown who was in prime form on Saturday. "A lot of people may have marked me off. I want to put myself up there and be a threat this season."
Brown set himself up well in the first part of the race before taking command at the 2-mile mark.
"I hung tight early and after I took the lead I just kept going," said Brown who finished two seconds ahead Highland Park's Ben Casey (15:01). "I'm hungry this year."
Defending Class 3A champion Hinsdale Central and Neuqua Valley both showed on Saturday that they will be in the hunt for a state title.
Hinsdale Central lost its top three runners from last year's squad, but the Red Devils didn't miss a beat on Saturday placing five runners in the top 15 to take first place with 39 points.
Neuqua Valley finished in 10th place in Class 3A last season, and the Wildcats looked potent on Saturday after placing five runners in the top 19 in taking second place with 54 points.
Naperville Central (111 points) took third, with New Trier (139 points) and Naperville North (143 points) rounded out the top five.
Sophmore Blake Evertsen (15:04), junior Chris Brenk (15:07), and senior Matt McBrien (15:07) went 3-4-5 in leading Hinsdale Central.
"We lost a lot of big runners from last year," said Evertsen, who finished 29th at the Class 3A meet last season and looks primed for a big season this year. "This year in the summer we focused on running faster. We are having guys step up to fill in the gaps."
Senior Josh Feldman (15:23) and junior Nathan Hill (15:28) took 12th and 15th place to finish the scoring for an impressive Red Devils group.
Last year Hinsdale Central was the hunter. But after having secured the state title, the Red Devils will become the hunted this season.
"Last year we were the underdogs," Evertsen said. "This year we kind of have targets on our backs. We're focusing on what we did last year, but even better."
Neuqua Valley ran step-for-step with Hinsdale Central on Saturday and is ready to rise up for a trophy hunt this season.
Junior Connor Horn (15:12), senior Michael Widmann (15:13), and senior Daniel Weiss (15:14) went 6-7-8 to lead the Wildcats.
"Taking 10th last season taught us that we can't take things for granted," said Widmann, whose team ran with a purpose on Saturday. "I think it made us work harder in the summer, being in the trophy hunt is what we shoot for every year and we are excited for the challenge this year."
Junior Dominic Dina (15:26) and sophomore Jake McEneaney (15:34) completed the scoring for the Wildcats by taking 14th and 19th place.
"What I was really please with today is they competed," said Neuqua Valley coach Paul Vandersteen. "Ironically, they competed too hard. They went for it early and they kind of paid at the end. I think we were competitive today and it's going to be a battle all season."
Junior Geoffrey Mcculloug (15:25) and junior John Manos (15:29) helped Naperville Central turn a few heads by taking 13th and 16th place in leading the Redhawks to a solid third place finish with 111 points.
Senior Jonathan Klaiber (15:17) and senior Andrew Ladeur (15:31) took 11th and 17th place to push Naperville North to fifth place with 143 points.
Brown help push Palatine to sixth place with 205 points.
Wheaton Warrenville South senior Kyle Cepeda (15:15) paced the Tigers to ninth place by finishing 10th.