Boys cross country: Terry devours individual victory; Hersey wins team honors again

Prospect's Jack Terry was looking for a good race, and the Knights senior sure got one Saturday in the Hoffman Estates Class 3A boys cross country regional.

Terry set the tone early and then held off a hard charge by Hersey sophomore Josh Methner in the home stretch to secure the regional title. Terry crossed the line in 15:12 on a picture-perfect fall morning at Busse Woods.

"I was just really hungry," said Terry who finished fifth at the Mid-Suburban League race last Saturday. "I needed to bounce back from conference. I knew with all the training everything would work out in the end."

Hersey rolled to the MSL title last week and the Huskies looked just as good on Saturday, running to the regional title with 29 points. The Huskies placed five runners in the top 11 positions in claiming its first regional title since 2014.

"Survive and advance," said Hersey coach Kevin Young. "All year we've been trying to earn the respect from the rest of the state, and I think we took another step forward today."

Prospect (63 points) took second followed by Fremd (100), Glenbrook South (106), Rolling Meadows (134) and Conant (152). All six teams will advance to the Hoffman Estates sectional next Saturday at Busse Woods, with the boys race starting at 11 a.m.

Methner (15:14) led the way for Hersey with his second place finish and senior Ryan Theisen (15:25) followed in third. Junior Ryan Buch (15:33) added a sixth-place finish, with sophomore Max Svienty (15:39) and senior Nate Mayo (15:50) completing the scoring by taking eighth and 11th.

"Coach (Young) has been telling us to keep taking from the well, but we don't want to take too much," said Theisen. "We keep inching up and getting better and better."

Terry set the tone for a Prospect team that finished second in the MSL. Senior Nate Cozine (15:44) and sophomore Erik Snell (15:44) gave the Knights a lift by taking 9-10.

Sophomore Tom Walter (16:07) and senior Casey Daleiden (16:12) had important efforts for the Knights in 19th and 24th place.

"I think it's an improvement from conference," said Terry. "But we can't take this for granted; we have to keep working toward sectionals and state."

Senior Matt Wallace (15:38) gave Fremd a huge lift by taking seventh place. The Vikings senior seems to be getting better and better each week.

Senior Ed Worthem (15:53) followed with a 12th-place finish, followed by junior Charlie O'Brien (22nd) and junior Ethan Saunders (26th).

"Punch your ticket and move on," said Fremd coach Darius Sanchez of the Vikings' effort. "We improved from last week and we have some momentum moving forward."

Junior Eddie Lennon (15:34) powered Rolling Meadows in sixth place. He took ninth in the MSL meet but had better results this time around.

"Eddie got out and kind of got where he needed to be," said Rolling Meadows coach Frank Schweda. "He has been racing well and practicing well - hopefully next week he can do something similar."

Senior Chris Floyd (15:29) also had a pretty swift run in securing fourth place and helping Conant claim the sixth and final qualifying spot.

"I went out a little bit slower than last week," said Floyd, who came back strong after finishing 20th at the MSL meet. "That gave me a bit more energy to stay smooth through the second mile. This race definitely boosted my confidence for next week."

Hoffman Estates senior Shreeker Patel (18th place), Schaumburg senior Karston Zielinski (23rd place), and Elk Grove's Nate Kraemer (27th) each qualified individually to the Hoffman Estates sectional.

Palatine regional: Barrington senior Nick Laning took first at the Mid-Suburban League meet last week and stayed in that lofty spot in the Palatine Class 3A regional.

Laning stormed to the title, crossing the line in 15:01 on the Deer Grove East course.

Lake Zurich, too, seems to be peaking at the right time. Last week the Bears ran to the North Suburban Conference title, and they repeated the feat by winning the Palatine regional.

Senior Patrick Burns (15:25) took second place in pacing a Bears attack that featured five runners in the top 21 spots in a 50-point finish.

Dundee-Crown also is a team on the move. The Chargers took second at the Fox Valley Conference meet and took second on Saturday with 71 points. Junior Adam Swanson (15:44) took seventh place to pace a Chargers attack that featured five runners in the top 24 spots.

Palatine sophomore Richard Jacobo (15:36) and senior Evan Eckels (15:47) took third and 10th place to propel host Palatine's third place finish (81 points). Senior Art Oshinson (15:56) and junior Joe Ahlgrim (16:12) had strong supporting roles for the Pirates in 16th and 23rd place.

Laning set the tone for Barrington, with junior Greg Van Hollen (15:46) adding an eighth-place finish as the Broncos finished fourth with 91 points.

Cary-Grove (137 points) and McHenry (148 points) also qualified by capturing fifth and sixth place.

Individual qualifiers included Buffalo Grove seniors Zach Gazda and Mitchell Guittar, Wheeling junior Tyler Polak and junior Ben Karp.

Whitney Young regional: Leyden placed five runners in the top 20 spots in securing third place with 64 points. The Eagles will advance to the Lake Park sectional next Saturday at the Lake Park East campus, where the boys race will begin at 2 p.m.m

Junior Patrick Sarad (16:20) led the way by securing fifth place for the Eagles. Senior Armando Alvarez (16:33) took 10th place and was followed by junior Julian Munoz (16:46), senior Bartlomiej Sniezek (16:49) and senior Omar Coronel (16:59) who secured 14th, 15th, and 20th place for Leyden.

Niles West regional: Maine West senior Danny Johnson (16:34) and sophomore Ray Ure (16:40) took 28th and 30th place at the Niles West regional and earned individual advancement to next Saturday's Lake Park sectional.

Class 2A Fenton regional: St. Viator placed five runners in the top 18 positions to secure second place with 59 points at the Fenton regional. The Lions will advance as a team to the Chicago University sectional at Washington Park next Saturday at 9:45 a.m.

Sophomore Patric Natindim (16:50) gave the Lions a big lift by taking sixth place; he was followed by senior Kevin Goss (16:59) in eighth place. Senior Dan Bartelt (17:10), senior John Leineiger (17:17) and senior Richard Rinka (17:24) added 12th, 15th, and 18th place to aid St. Viator's run.

Class 1A at Harvest Christian: Christian Liberty Academy junior Timothee Ducrozet (19:35) and sophomore Jake Elafros (19:44) finished 19th and 22nd at the Harvest Christian Academy regional and will advance to run at the Lisle sectional next Saturday at 11 a.m.