Glenbrook South meets FVC challenge in Wauconda Invite
The Wauconda invitational proved to be a tough challenge for both boys cross country teams and individuals Saturday morning on the 3-mile Lakewood Forest Preserve course.
And when all was said and done under the ideal 60-degrees running conditions, Glenbrook South was able to outdistance a trio of Fox Valley Conference teams for the championship.
With three runners in the top 16, the Titans took home the title with 93 points followed closely by FVC squads Crystal Lake Central (101 points), Cary-Grove (108 points) and Crystal Lake South (115 points). Geneva (121) was a close fifth.
Many of the teams running in the meet were not at full strength since a lot of their runners were taking the ACT.
After placing 17th in the state in Class 3A as a junior, Warren senior Dustin Macuiba showed that he is on a mission to do even greater things this season after taking first place in 15:09.4.
CLC's duo of Cole Barkocy (15:22) and Weston Sterchi (15:29) placed second and third, while Cary-Grove was led by junior Alex Ratkovich (15:32) in fourth.
“The first mile was fast. I hit it right at 4:55 and at about a mile and a third I put on a surge,” said Macuiba, who hopes to place in the top four or five in the state Nov. 7 in Peoria. “I've bumped up my miles a little bit this year and all of the races I've done so far I've kind of been coasting, so I know I have a lot of room to grow.”
Warren coach Bill Dawson was without the services of No. 2 runner Alex Delgado. But the Blue Devils did get a ninth from senior Brady Roegner and a 22nd from junior Julian Ruiz to take seventh in the team competition with 143 points. Barrington (197) placed eighth.
“(Macuiba) is physically able to handle the miles, and he's mentally strong and able to focus,” said Dawson, whose team hosts a big invite next weekend on the grounds of WTHS. “The whole varsity group ran really well today, and I was just happy with how (Roegner) performed today.”
After Ratkovich's fourth-place run, Cary-Grove got a big boost from juniors Jack Adams (20th), Kyle Adams (21st) and Tommy Williams (28th).
“Our top three runners didn't run at all last year because they were injured, so they are starting to develop well, and we showed up to race today,” said Cary-Grove coach Layne Holter. “The top four are all juniors and they're just great kids. They work well together, and they're really starting to believe in themselves and believe in their synergy.”
Crystal Lake South got a great showing from its top duo with sophomore Jack Becker taking sixth and junior Jon Prus placing seventh. The Gators also got a 24th-place run from senior Tommy Melone.
“Jack was fine for a mile or a mile and a half, and he just fell back so we just have to get fresh legs and learn how to finish races,” said Crystal Lake South coach Rich Eschman. “Prus is doing well. He had a good day today. We came in with the hopes of winning (team title) so we're a little disappointed with that.”
Competing in its first Wauconda invite, Geneva was led by junior Tyler Dau in fifth and senior Brian Caskey in 17th.
“Tyler Dau moved up nicely for us today. He finished very well, and he looked strong today,” said Geneva coach Bob Thomson. “Brian is really doing a nice job too. He's one of our captains, and he had a nice, solid summer of training as well.”
Grayslake North junior Liam O'Connell placed 26th to lead the Knights, while Barrington was paced by senior Scott Williams in 27th place. Geneva sophomore Boon Andrews placed 29th followed closely by senior teammate Jake Tracey in 31st.