Boys cross country: Warren runs to title of Antioch invite
The coolest running conditions of the cross country season led to some outstanding results for Warren's boys Saturday morning in the Pat Harland Invitational hosted by Antioch.
The Blue Devils conquered the hilly, 3-mile Fox River Park course in far southern Wisconsin to take home the championship of the 14-team meet with 57 points, while Sycamore was the runner-up with 99 points.
Led by fourth-place finisher Brian Holland, Warren showed great pack running behind Griffin Pasha (seventh), Andrew Metcalf (14th), Luke Wiley (15th) and Carlos Villa (17th).
Grayslake North had a fifth-place finish, while the host Sequoits edged Elgin for eighth. Crystal Lake South was 10th.
After missing 10 days of practice and meets, Antioch sophomore Charlie Smith placed eighth. Smith finished 10th in Class 2A last year.
"Charlie was off running with some health issues for about 10 days so his legs and body are just feeling a little rusty," Antioch coach Chris Bailey said. "I think he will need some races to sharpen up, but he'll be ready for conference in a couple of weeks."
Connor Riss led Grayslake North in third place followed by teammate Brandt Batteau in 19th. Mikey Volkmar placed 20th for Antioch, and Juan Villagomez led Elgin in 21st.
"This was (Riss') first race where from start to finish he put together the whole game plan," Grayslake North coach Anthony DeStephano said. "He was able to leave it on the course and finish the last 600 meters strong."
Peoria invite: Mundelein ran to a fifth-place finish in the Class 3A meet, despite not having its top varsity lineup intact for the 3-mile race at Detweiller Park. Downers Grove South won the 33-team meet with 109 points, while the Mustangs scored 176 points behind an 11th-place finish from junior Dillon Blake. Mundelein also got a 17th-place run from senior Robert Sinclair, who posted a personal best time of 14:53.2.
"I thought we ran very well," Mundelein coach Kurt Rutz said. "We're getting stronger, and two of our top seven guys will be coming back soon from injury. It would have been hard for (Blake) to run any better today so it was a really great race for him."
Rolling Meadows wound up placing 10th behind a sixth-place finish by Eddie Lennon.
In the Class 1A/2A race at Peoria, Lakes (272 points) took eighth place in the 42-team field behind No. 1 runner Jack Erwin's 24th-place finish.
"To be able to finish eighth was a really good day for us, and we had four runners take 30 seconds off their best time," Lakes coach Travis Shepherd said. "Jack ran a 15:34 today. He's running with a lot of confidence, and everybody is feeding off him."
Girls cross country
Prairie Ridge toppled Warren by a 40-64 margin to capture the title of the Antioch-hosted Pat Harland invite at Fox River Park in southern Wisconsin. Grayslake Central (104) took fourth followed by the Sequoits (135) in fifth.
Warren was led by the pack of Raina Rice (second), Ashley Kachurik (fifth) and Taylor Latza (sixth). Caroline Riss placed ninth for Grayslake North followed by Antioch's Natalie Hill (11th), Grayslake Central's Grace Kokkin (13th) and Antioch's Sarah Benes (14th).
Peoria invite: Crystal Lake South rolled to the title of the Class 1A/2A meet with 74 points, while Lakes placed third with 164 points. Carmel Catholic (253) placed sixth.
Lakes sophomore Brooke Stromsland placed second in 17:02.9. Crystal Lake South's strong pack was led by Mackenzie Aldridge in fourth, Olivia Beckwith in eighth, Chelsea Greene in 20th and Emma Murphy in 21st.
Sophomore Brigid Hull led Carmel in 23rd place, while Olivia Schmitt placed 24th for Lakes.
"Brooke ran with two of the other top girls in the state and finished second, and we're in good form heading into the last month of the season," Lakes coach Keith West said. "We had two medalists (top 30), and Olivia Schmitt had a strong finish so it was just very nice to see."