Boys cross country: Hersey, Methner continue to impress

All signs are pointing up for the Hersey boys cross country team.

The Huskies put on a dominant performance at the Class 3A Hoffman Estates sectional on a crisp fall Saturday morning at Busse Woods.

Hersey placed five runners in the top 26 in cruising to its second consecutive sectional title with 55 points.

Mundelein finished a distant second with 113 points, followed by Barrington (123 points) and Lake Zurich (156 points.)

Rolling Meadows made a bit of history by qualifying for its first state cross country meet by taking fifth with 168 points.

All five teams will advance to the Class 3A state meet next Saturday at Detweiller Park in Peoria. The boys race is set to begin at 2 p.m.

"We're going in the right direction," said Hersey coach Kevin Young of his team, that should be in contention for a state trophy next weekend. "We're trending right now."

Josh Methner once again led the charge. The Huskies' junior was fresh off a pair of victories at the Mid-Suburban League meet and Hoffman Estates regional and he didn't slow down on Saturday.

Methner paced his teammates early before using a surge in the final mile to secure the individual title in 14:42, two seconds in front of Rolling Meadows senior Eddie Lennon.

"Our mindset is in the right spot right now," said Methner, who is on the short list for state title contenders. "We're building each other's confidence up and sticking together."

Senior Ryan Buch (14:46) and junior Max Svienty (14:50) followed Methner's lead by taking third and fifth place respectively, setting the tone for a dominant Huskies attack.

"The goal this week was to stick together," added Svienty. "Today was solid."

Junior Colin Safford (22nd place, 15:16) and senior Thomas McCarthy (26th place, 15:24) were also solid for the Huskies.

"It's exciting," said Buch of the Huskies' title run. "We just have to be on at state. Everyone is healthy and everyone is mentally in the right spot."

Barrington also seems to be hitting their spots.

Junior Paddy Furlong (14:55) led the charge securing an eighth-place finish, followed once again by senior Greg Van Hollen (15:02) who took 14th place.

The Broncos' duo set the tone for a big day.

"We just tried to run together as a pack and give ourselves the best shot to win," said Furlong. "We wanted to stay hungry and we ran a very strong team race."

Sophomore Ben DeWeerdt (29th place, 15:27), freshman Joey Furlong (37th place, 15:35), and senior Michael Hendrickson (41st place, 15:38) helped the Broncos erase a couple early setbacks at the start of the race to secure their spot at the state meet.

"Everybody ran incredibly well," said Barrington coach Tom Root, whose team had two runners fall at the start. "To have things not go your way, but still run as well as we did ... now we have another shot at having our best race next week."

Rolling Meadow made a loud statement in qualifying for its first state appearance.

Lennon set the tone by taking second place, followed by sophomore Stephan Barretto (15:10), who took 19th place.

"It means a lot," said Lennon, who used a powerful kick at the end. "Pretty cool to go to state as a team."

"It's phenomenal," added Barretto of the Mustangs' run. "Being the first time to qualify … it's history making."

Senior Nate Orlyk (44th place, 15:43), junior Jack Martin (54th place, 15:51), and senior Royce Piscitello (64th place, 15:58) contributed to a special day for the Mustangs.

"I'm in a state of shock," said Rolling Meadows coach Frank Schweda, "We've been talking all year that we have the ability and talent to qualify and do something no other team has ever done. It's pretty cool."

Palatine junior Richard Jacobo (14:47) took fourth in leading the list of seven individual qualifiers. The Pirate junior stuck with the front pack the whole race in an impressive performance.

"I just wanted to stick with the pack," said Jacobo, who has come on strong the past few weeks. "I'm excited for state and to race against some really fast guys."

Libertyville junior Will Gorden (7th place, 14:52), Wheeling senior Tyler Polak (11th place, 14:58), Jacobs senior Zach Albrecht (13th place, 15:02), Highland Park sophomore Jason Polydoris (15th place, 15:05), Cary-Grove junior Maxum Caesar (16th place, 15:06), and Jacobs senior Mark Lemke (17th place, 15:07) also qualified as individuals.

"I felt pretty good," said Albrecht, who qualified to the state meet for the second consecutive year. "I didn't get out to a great start, but I was able to finish strong."