Survivors earned way to Peoria
Emergency medical staff is still sifting through the bodies as the casualties of the loaded Schaumburg sectional continue to pile up.
The most loaded sectional in decades (nine of top 11 teams in state) had many jaw-dropping results. Wheaton North, the third-ranked team in state, didn't qualify to state and didn't put any individuals downstate.
Top-ranked and previously undefeated Hinsdale Central not only didn't win, it finished third overall.
And the winning team? A Geneva squad made up entirely of freshmen.
Typically, the state meet, to be run Saturday morning at Detweiller Park in Peoria, is a showcase for the best teams in state. This year that won't be the case as top teams Wheaton North, Downers Grove South and Wheaton Warrenville South watch from home.
Despite the sectional stumble the road to Detweiller gold goes through Hinsdale Central. The Red Devils' third-place finish could be attributed to running without third runner Roey Hines. Even if she runs next week, the Red Devils' powerful trio of Hines, Lauren Zumbach and Elaine Kuckertz, who carried Hinsdale Central to the title last season, has become a powerful duo with Kuckertz elevating herself into the state's elite.
Ever since her breakout top-flight performance at the Falcon Classic when she finished a close second to St. Charles East's Lizzy Hynes, the Red Devils junior has been on a roll. She won conference and regionals and finished fourth at sectionals. A top-five finish at state is within reach.
Naperville North survived the loaded sectional and could challenge for hardware despite an unfamiliar formula for success this year. The Huskies don't have the dominant top runner like they had in the past with Lisa Bonistalli and Shannon Phelan. But what the Huskies do have is a tight pack.
For Huskies coach Dan Iverson, his primary concern won't be where his top runner Michelle Stratton finishes. It'll be how close his No. 5 runner finishes to his No. 1. Last Saturday they were 33 seconds apart.
The most dangerous team heading into state is Geneva. Vikings coach Bob Thomson's all-freshman lineup is running like seasoned veterans, upsetting Wheaton North at the St. Charles East regional and then rolling to the Schaumburg sectional title with 83 points, 35 points better than second-place Lyons Twp.
Some think Geneva's inexperience will be its undoing at state, but this is a team with nothing to lose. After the Schaumburg sectional, nobody will be surprised if these Vikings conquer all.
In the individual race there is little drama. Sandburg's Kristen Sutherland is the overwhelming favorite. With Peoria Notre Dame's Caitlin Comfort moving to Class 2A, the 3A crown is Sutherland's for the taking.
Hynes has the necessary speed-endurance combo needed to upset Sutherland. The key will be keeping Sutherland within striking distance, which no runner has been able to do this season. Area runners who could earn all-state honors include Naperville Central's Shelby Pealer, Lake Park's Lindsay Flannagan, Neuqua Valley's Sarah Hartley and Megan Taylor, and York's Megan Frigo.
Downers Grove South's Casey Harms and Hinsdale South freshman Meagan DeSalvo could also be in contention.