NV's Derrick does it again
Neuqua Valley's Chris Derrick re-wrote the record books Saturday, winning the Hornet-Red Devil Cross Country Invitational in 14 minutes, 30 seconds at Katherine Legge Park in Hinsdale. The Wildcats senior shattered the previous 3-mile course boys record of 14 minutes, 48 seconds held by former Wheaton Warrenville South runner Jon Popejoy.
"(Derrick) continues to amaze us," said Neuqua Valley coach Paul Vandersteen. "And I don't know where his ceiling is. He just keeps getting better and better."
Derrick took control of the race from the starting gun, quickly distancing himself from the competition.
"I was surprised no one went with me (in the beginning), but then I saw the clock at the mile and knew why," said Derrick, who had a seven-second lead after his first mile of 4:39. "I got relaxed the first mile and I just tried to keep my turnover going. I was really surprised by how much I broke (the record)."
Top-ranked Neuqua Valley cruised to the boys cross country title with 30 points, 50 points better than second-place Palatine. The Wildcats put four runners in the top ten, with three of those runners taking the top four spots -- senior Jim Riddle was second in 14:55 while junior Danny Pawola finished fourth.
"We got off to a good start but it doesn't matter what we look like now, it's what we look like eight weeks from now that matters," said Vandersteen. "It's too easy to get excited. We have to keep things moderate and consistent."
Neuqua Valley's dominating performance may have come as a surprise to some, but not to those within the Wildcats family. "We feel like if we run as well as we can, we can compete with anybody in this state. We don't feel like anyone's overshadowing us," Derrick said.
Seventh-ranked Palatine was led by Mat Smoody's third-place performance. The returning 800-meter state champion and all-state cross country runner held off Pawola to finish in 15 minutes, 6 seconds, although he admits his sight was set on a different Neuqua Valley runner.
"The plan was to sit on Derrick until the 2-mile. I tried to but it didn't feel like I had my legs today," said Smoody. "I don't think (Derrick) has any fear. I don't think anything can faze him, with his confidence. He's a great runner."
Naperville Central finished third with 115 points behind senior Steve Couch's fifth-place performance. Hinsdale South's Brian Denk finished sixth overall, helping the Hornets to a fourth-place team finish with 141 points. Wheaton Warrenville South was seventh with 183 points. Senior Pete Casa led the team with his 10th-place performance.
• On the girls side, top-ranked Hinsdale Central held off Stagg to win 53-69. The defending state champion Red Devils rode its dominant trio to victory as juniors Elaine Kuckertz, Roey Hines and Lauren Zumbach finished second, fourth and sixth, respectively. Stagg's Annette Glaz won in 17 minutes, 54 seconds.
"It was a good first test and now we've got something to build on," said Red Devils coach Mark McCabe, whose team had to overcome the loss of normal top-five runner Emily Cleary, out with a migraine headache.
Neuqua Valley finished third overall with 100 points behind the strong 1-2 punch of Sara Hartley (seventh) and Megan Taylor (ninth). Fourth-ranked Palatine finished fourth overall with 117 points. Despite a disappointing finish, Pirates coach Steven Currins is very upbeat about his developing team.
"We're going to be a very good team, we just made a few mistakes early. We were way behind. We usually get out pretty hard," said Currins, who praised junior Tory Wright's fifth-place performance. "She ran a tremendous race. That should give her a lot more confidence."
Wheaton Warrenville South finished fifth overall with 120 points. Tigers senior Alicia Zimmerman and junior Elise Anderson finished together in 10th and 11th, respectively. Naperville Central's sixth-place team performance was highlighted by sophomore Shelby Pealor's eighth-place performance.