Boys cross country: Riordan, Prospect time it right against Hersey
Prospect senior James Riordan sure seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Last spring, Riordan ran a huge race in helping Prospect secure a third-place finish in the 3,200 relay at the Class 3A track state meet.
Riordan was once again in the right place on Thursday in a critical Mid-Suburban League East boys cross country dual meet.
He took second in 15:24, helping to push a tight Prospect pack to a narrow 27-28 MSL East dual meet victory over host Hersey at MacArthur Middle School in Mount Prospect.
"James came to play," said Prospect coach Mike Stokes of Riordan's performance. "He stepped up big for us today and we needed him."
Prospect can secure its second consecutive MSL East division title with a pair of victories at next Thursday's triangular at Buffalo Grove.
Both Prospect and Hersey have state aspirations this season, and the two teams were locked in a tight battle that was not decided until the final mile.
Hersey senior Jacob Krupa took control of the race at the mid-point and expanded his lead in the final in taking first in15:13.
But Riordan led a gritty Knights pack that came back after trailing at the 2-mile mark. Senior Jack O'Donnell (15:36) and junior Jack Terry (15:38) secured fourth- and fifth-place finishes.
Senior Sean Sanaghan (15:42), who was a bit hobbled, nipped Hersey senior Sam Svienty (15:42) for seventh place, with senior Nick Serio (15:48) completing the scoring with a ninth-place finish.
Hersey tried to push the pace early with a couple of rabbits, but the Knights didn't bite.
"We noticed that," said Riordan, whose team stuck to its plan after a couple of Huskies runners sprinted out of the starting gate. "The goal was to stay in a pack and move at the mile and 2-mile mark … I think we did that."
Hersey was a bit short-handed to start the race, missing top-five runner Ryan Theisen. The Huskies' hand became even shorter when No. 2 runner sophomore Ryan Buch dropped out at the 2-mile mark.
"I thought we showed a lot of grit, character, and toughness," said Hersey coach Jay Renaud, who graduated from Prospect in 2005. "The boys ran really well, we just came up a bit short."
Freshman Josh Methner (15:27) aided the Huskies' effort with a third-place finish, followed by junior Jack Fredian (15:40), senior Sam Svienty (15:42) and junior Quinn Cunningham (16:03), who finished 6-8-10.
"We came into the race with a lot of confidence and they did the same thing," said Krupa of the hard-fought battle. "We knew it was for the East title, and both teams ran phenomenal."