Clutch effort from Pereira, Lake Zurich at Wheeling

Junior Matt Pereira and the Lake Zurich boys cross country team have been searching for that extra gear.

The Bears found it on Saturday.

Pereira won in 15:07.2, pacing Lake Zurich to the Wheeling Invitational team title with 57 points at the newly renovated Heritage Park on crisp fall morning.

Pereira was able to hold off Highland Park senior Brett Davidson (15:08.1), who was closing hard, by using a final burst with 10 meters remaining to secure the victory.

"I was pushing," said Pereira, who said he could sense a fast-approaching Davidson. "I just couldn't turn on those gears until he was on me."

Pereira entered the season as the top returning Class 3A runner and showed on Saturday why he's so well respected.

"I don't know if he is the favorite," said Lake Zurich coach J.B. Hanson. "But he is running really strong with a lot of confidence. We are hoping that everything we are doing now will prepare him for November."

Pereira set the tone for Lake Zurich, with the Bears placing four runners in the top 13. The Griffith brothers once again did their job, with Brian (15:15.9) and Kyle (15:20) going 3-4.

Sophomore Patrick Burns (15:48.9) kept the line moving by taking 13th place, and senior Nate Quinn (16:44.1) had his best race of the season to complete the scoring by taking 38th.

"After today's race we're definitely feeling the confidence building going into the state series," said Brian Griffith.

Highland Park finished a distant second place with 101 points, followed by Huntley (105 points), Belvidere North (113 points), and Barrington (175 points).

Huntley is also a team that is looking to find a new level, but the Red Raiders instead stalled a bit on Saturday.

Senior Keagan Smith (15:30.2) pushed the pace early but fell off the leaders' surge late, finishing in sixth place.

Smith is also on the list for Class 3A state contenders, especially after taking the Peoria Central Invitational title on the state course last Saturday in an impressive 14:24.06.

But the senior couldn't quite find the extra push on Saturday.

"Last weekend I felt a lot stronger and this weekend I just didn't have it," said Smith. "I hit the 2-mile mark and the reactions in my legs were a lot different. Still have some work to do."

Senior Seth Conroy (15:40) and senior Mike Grocholski (15:48.1) aided Huntley's charge by taking 9th and 12th place. Sophomore Joey Ozzauto (16:45.3) and freshman Jadon Conroy (16:48.7) helped narrow the gap in the Red Raiders attack, finishing 39th and 42nd.

"Our four-five runners did a nice job today," said Huntley coach Matt Kaplan. "Our top three runners have been doing all the heavy lifting for the team this season. We'll be fine."

Barrington ran its best race of the season on Saturday, with sophomore Nick Laning (16:07.7) leading the charge with an 18th-place finish, followed by senior Scott Williams (16:26.4) in 25th.

Laning has quietly stepped into the lead role this season for the Broncos and set the tone once again on Saturday.

"Feeling pretty good," said Laning of his team's upward arc. "We've been working really hard on pack running, and we did that really well today. Everyone is continuing to work hard and we're looking to peak at the right time."

Senior Zachery Schwarz (15:55.5) and sophomore Colin Kirkham (15:58) finished 14th and 15th to lead Lake Park (200 points) to seventh place.

Senior Justin Loquercio (15:40.7) and junior Matt Hoffman (16:09.8) gave host Wheeling a huge lift by finishing in 10th and 19th place, helping the Wildcats (204 points) finish eighth.

"Feeling really good about where the team is right now," said Loquercio, who has had a solid season and is looking to ride that momentum into the postseason. "This year I've been running more consistent. I'm feeling much stronger and the training is really paying off."

Sophomore Alex Tam (15:38.9) took eighth place to lead Libertyville (213 points) to a ninth-place finish. Junior Stephen Richardson (16:21.4) led the Wildcats with a 21st-place finish.

"I was looking to find my place early and then improve my position throughout the race," said Tam. "My confidence is really starting to grow."

Junior Andrew Hyndman (16:23) took 22nd place to lead Hersey (229 points) to a 10th-place team finish.

St. Viator (276 points) and Lakes (320 points) finished in 11th and 12th place.