Boys cross country: Leonard, Palatine eager for final race

At first, Palatine's Brian Leonard was a carrying a bit of extra weight this season. You see, he had this chip on his shoulder.

The Pirates' senior cross country standout had missed most of his junior cross country season due to an upper fibula stress fracture in his right leg.

Leonard did return to place 96th at the Schaumburg sectional last year, but ended up watching the Class 3A state meet on the sidelines.

It was especially disappointing because Leonard had finished eighth in the MSL his sophomore campaign, and his expectations were high for his junior season.

"It put a huge chip on my shoulder to watch the state meet last season," said Leonard. "All those guys that I raced before and seeing the level they were at, I was mad that I couldn't race."

But Leonard has returned in a big way.

He started the season with a fourth-place finish at the Hinsdale Central Invitation, kept moving with a third-place effort at the Peoria Notre Dame Invite in mid-September and added a 12th-place finish at the Palatine Invitational.

That set the stage for a big postseason run, and Leonard answered the challenge by becoming the first Palatine runner to win a Mid-Suburban League title since Glen Morris won back-to-back in 2003 and 2004.

Leonard then turned it up a notch last Saturday in securing third place at the Waukegan sectional and helping Palatine advance to the Class 3A state meet as a team Saturday at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

"The shattering part about last year is he was probably in as good of shape as anybody we have ever had," said Palatine coach Chris Quick.

And that is saying quite a bit considering Palatine has had 30 all-state runners in its illustrious history.

"Having him back means everything," added Quick. "He is the kind of person that sets the table."

Leonard has definitely had some setbacks this season, including taking it out too hard at the Palatine Invite and watching as a talented field that included York junior Charlie Kern and Lake Zurich senior Brian Griffith pulled away in the final mile.

"I think the leaders kind of set him up that day," said Quick of Leonard, who led at the halfway point before finishing 12th. "The hardest thing this year has been running against the best. He missed a whole year of running with the leaders."

But Leonard responded by staying in control at the sectional race, battling Lake Zurich Matt Pereira's to the line, finishing just one second behind Pereira in third place, with Griffith taking first.

"They are both great competitors and it gave me confidence sticking with them," said Leonard.

This year Leonard will be in the race instead of on the sidelines. And he seems to be in a good place heading into the Class 3A state race at 2 p.m. Saturday.

"The goal all along has been the top 10," said Quick of Leonard's potential. "But the real goal now is to stop worrying about results and work on the process. He's a gamer and very competitive."

The chip on Leonard's shoulder may be a bit lighter, especially with Palatine also advancing to its first state meet in two years. Maybe that will help Leonard's readiness on his special day.

"It feels incredible," said Leonard. "I have been training with these guys for basically my whole high school career, and to see it pay off is really special."