Shaffer, Prospect lead the way at Detweiller

Quentin Shaffer and Prospect made quite a statement at the Peoria Central Invite on Saturday.

Shaffer blitzed the field in cruising to first place in 14:28, helping lead Prospect to the team title with 134 points at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Shaffer’s time is the second-fastest on the Peoria course for a Prospect runner, just behind the effort produced by Ryan Craven (14:21) in his second-place state finish in 2005.

Shaffer time also tied the second-fastest mark on the state course this season.

Belvidere North senior Garrett Lee (14:27) took first at the Richard Springs Invitational on Sept. 15, with O’Fallon senior Patrick Perrier (14:28) taking second.

Shaffer paced off of Sandburg’s Pat McMahon early, then exploded the final 2 miles on a warm day to secure the victory with a 10-second margin over Mt. Zion senior Jake Brown.

“He’s rolling,” said Prospect coach Mike Stokes of Shaffer’s performance. “We had to put the brakes on him early, but he ran the race to perfection.”

Junior Max Daleiden (15:18) and senior Michael Leet (15:20) placed 17th and 21st. Junior Blake Hallman (15:38) and sophomore Mike Anderson (15:45) added 42nd and 53rd place to secure the title for the Knights.

“We really moved up in the final 2 miles,” Stokes said. “They are all working together as a team, and they ran a smart race.”

Sandburg (148 points) took second, followed b Edwardsville (187 points), York (196 points), and Springfield (196 points) in the 52-team field.

McHenry sophomore Jesse Reiser (14:52) took third place,

Hoffman Estates Billy Thomas continues to impress. The junior took fifth place in 15:00 to lead the Hawks to a 21st place team finish.

Alex Duman (15:51) finished in 61st place leading Rolling Meadows to 16th place.