Wheeling's Loquercio pleased to be in the running at state

Wheeling's Justin Loquercio knows a bit about history.

Loquercio appreciates the success Wheeling's cross country team had in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the Wildcats earned three state trophies in four years, including a state title in 1998.

He acknowledges some of the great runners on those Wildcat teams, including Jorge Torres, who won three consecutive state titles.

But the Wildcats senior is also aware that no Wheeling runner had qualified for a state meet since Eric Rodriguez in 2008.

Loquercio was looking to change that bit of history, and he did just that by securing the final individual qualifying spot at the Schaumburg sectional last Saturday.

"That has been his goal since freshman year," said Wheeling coach Tom Polak of Loquercio's dash for state. "He has worked really hard to get to this level. He sees the history of Wheeling cross country and to be mention in that history is a big deal."

Loquercio made good on his last shot at qualifying for state by jumping out and hanging with the leaders that included Lake Zurich junior Matt Pereira and Buffalo Grove senior Kevin Salvano through the first 2 miles.

The Wildcats senior then grinded out the final mile, finishing in 14th place and holding off Glenbrook North senior Nate Whitfield by 3 seconds for the final qualifying spot.

"I probably jumped out a little too fast," said Loquercio of his early gamble. "The final mile was really tough and my back started to stiffen. It wasn't pretty, but I got it done."

Loquercio's sectional run wiped away a lot of frustration for the Wildcats senior, who had suffered a hip injury in his freshman year with his recovery lingering into his sophomore year.

After trying to find his gear his first two years, Loquercio got a jolt in his junior campaign when he finished fifth at the Mid-Suburban League meet, a split second behind Palatine senior Graham Brown, a two-time state medalist.

"It definitely was a shock," said Loquercio. "I had no idea I had that potential and before I knew it I was behind Brown."

That surprise was quickly erased when Loquercio struggled at the sectional meet, finishing in 44th place.

But the senior came back focused on a positive finish. He ran a solid 15:04 on the state course in early September at the First to the Finish Invitational. Then came a bit of a hiccup in finishing 11th at the MSL meet before Loquercio rebounded by winning the Hoffman Estates regional title.

In Saturday's state meet, Loquercio get the opportunity to finally add to Wheeling's state meet history.

"He may have overthought races before, but I think he is mentally prepared for Saturday," said Polak, "He's a student of the sport and knows his competition. He knows what it's going to take."

Fernando Carrillo was the last Wheeling runner to earn a state medal, finishing 25th at the 2002 state meet. That fact has not escaped Loquercio.

"Right, that's exactly what I want," added Loquercio. "It's going to be a test to run up front, it's going to be a test running against some of the best at Detweiller - but it's go time."

Scouting the state meet Where: Detweiller Park, Peoria

When: Class 1A at 10 a.m.; Class 2A at noon; Class 3A at 2 p.m.

Teams to watch: Sandburg leads a list of five teams that will be in the hunt for the Class 3A state title. The Eagles also entered last year state meet as favorites, but Hinsdale Central ran to its second consecutive Class 3A title. The setback still stings and the Eagles want to make the most of this second chance. York, Hinsdale Central, Lyons Township and Neuqua Valley will challenge. Sandburg won the Hinsdale Central sectional in a field that included both Lyons and the host Red Devils. The Eagles placed six runners in the top 19. York has not won a state trophy in two years, which is a big thing for a Dukes program that has won 28 state titles. Neuqua Valley lost its top runner in senior Connor Horn, but a deep Wildcats team is still running well. Lake Zurich, Buffalo Grove, Prospect, Whitney Young, and New Trier form the chase pack.

Area teams:

Prospect - The Knights have been a bit snakebitten this season, finishing second at the Mid-Suburban League meet, the Hoffman Estates regional and the Schaumburg sectional by a combined 12 points. Prospect, the MSL East champs, sports a deep and talented team which has relied on a variety of runners. Senior Karson LeComte has emerged as a leader the past two weeks and he showed a lot of guts in moving up at Saturday's sectional. Senior Matt Cozine and junior Sean Sanaghan have also run up top for the Knights this season. Junior Jack O'Donnell and senior Max Crowinshield add to the team's depth, which showed at the MSL meet when the Knights had seven runners make all-conference. It also showed at the sectional, when the Knights had five runners in the top 25. A major key for Prospect on Saturday is to make sure its pack is in good position and not too far off pace. "The guys are still hungry. The state course runs like a track and we have a lot of 800 runners, so we'll run it like a track," said Prospect coach Mike Stokes.

Buffalo Grove - It was a big season for BG, as the Bison won their first MSL title. Buffalo Grove survived a fall by its No. 2 runner senior Tom Cleary at sectionals and finished in third place. Senior Kevin Salvano, who will be in contention for an individual state title, powers the BG attack. Salvano won the MSL title, a first for a Bison runner, and will fuel the attack on Saturday. Cleary and sophomore Mitchell Guittar finished 2-3 at the MSL meet and have emerged as potential all-state runners. Junior Josh Hellyer stepped up big at sectionals in helping the Bison recover from Cleary's fall. Junior Arturo Bautista will also aid BG's effort. "We're looking to hit on Saturday and run our best race," said BG coach Zack Crandall.

Hoffman Estates - The Hawks qualified for their second consecutive state meet with a fourth-place sectional finish. It hasn't been easy, as Hoffman lost senior Matt Peterson, its No. 2 runner from last season, to an early season injury. But senior Shiv Patel and senior Bryan Gamboa kept the Hawks on course. Junior Jack Worman and junior Alex Makrounis have improved each week and added to the attack. Hoffman also earned its second consecutive MSL West title this season and won its own regional. "The guys have shown a toughness this season and have stepped up to the challenge. I'm very proud in how they have laid it on the line," said Hoffman Estates coach Brenden Mariano.

Individuals to watch: The Class 3A individual title is up for grabs. Lake Zurich junior Matt Pereira and Buffalo Grove senior Kevin Salvano are the top two returning runners after finishing third and fifth at last season's state meet. Salvano did not have his best race at the Schaumburg sectional, but the senior does have the top Class 3A time (14:22.2) at Detweiller this season. Sandburg senior Sean Torpy ran tough in winning the Hinsdale Central sectional. Hinsdale Central junior Blake Evertsen was running first in front of Torpy before a fall, but he will be back in the mix on Saturday. Huntley senior Keagen Smith will also be in the picture. Keep an eye York sophomore Charlie Kern and Lyons sophomore Danny Kilrea. One runner that will not be in the top group is Oak Park-River Forest junior Irwin Loud. The Huskies junior did make it out of the Lake Park sectional after collapsing in the final mile; he would have been considered a state contender.

Area individuals qualifiers: Justin Loquercio, Wheeling.

Class 2A and 1A: St. Viator qualified for its fourth Class 2A state meet in five years by finishing fifth at the Chicago University sectional. Senior Jacob Bonanotte, sophomore Kevin Goss and junior Sam Brey powered the Lions' attack. In Class 1A, Christian Liberty Academy junior Tommy Lowry capped a breakout season by qualifying for state with a third place finish at the Lisle sectional.

- Michael Eaken