Boys cross country: Mundelein a sectional runner-up
After making its first trip to the IHSA state meet in over 40 years last fall, the Mundelein boys cross country team made it two in a row Saturday morning at the Class 3A Hoffman Estates sectional.
Hersey rolled to first place with 55 points, but the Mustangs were able to take home runner-up honor with 113 points behind a sixth-place finish from junior Dillon Blake.
Barrington locked up third place with 123 points while fourth-place Lake Zurich (156 points) will be making its 11th straight trip to Peoria when the Bears line up for the 73rd Annual IHSA state meet next Saturday.
Rolling Meadows (168) earned the fifth and final team berth to state while Libertyville (210) placed eighth behind individual state qualifier Will Gordon's outstanding seventh-place run.
"The team did really well and I'm really happy with that," said Blake. "But there's always things to improve on and focus on like sticking with the pack for the last half-mile."
After Blake, Mundelein got a ninth from Robert St. Clair, a 24th from Dario Carrillo, and a 35th from Carter Schorr.
"I'm happy with second. We didn't get out as fast as I would like, but we did a good job of moving up throughout the race," said Mundelein coach Kurt Rutz. "It's huge, obviously, for us (making state again). It's another step forward for us, and we're better than we were last year."
Lake Zurich's pack was led by sophomores Jake Myers in 10th and Jack Gilboy in 12th while junior Adam Cupples placed 21st despite running almost the entire 3-mile race on the Busse Woods course with only one shoe.
"Those two guys (Myers and Gilboy) are sophomores and they did awesome today with great times against varsity competition," said Lake Zurich coach J.B. Hanson. "I couldn't be happier with how they ran, Adam Cupples was amazing running on one shoe the whole way, and he's a mentally tough kid."
Gordon had to be the biggest surprise of the day as the junior rolled to seventh place in 14:52 to easily punch his ticket to Detweiller Park next weekend.
"He just ran great, he practices hard, and I'm very proud of him," said Libertyville coach Stuart Mendelsohn. "I knew he could run with the leaders, but I was really surprised with how well he ran today."
Stevenson's Anthony Rodriguez was not too far from making a trip to state with his 20th-place finish while teammate Alex Beckerman also had a strong showing in 25th place. Libertyville's Liam Tucker placed 30th to edge Warren's Griffin Pasha in 31st.
In the Class 2A sectional at Woodstock North, Dixon won the championship with 78 points while Lakes captured its first team berth to the state meet in school history with a fourth-place score of 169 points.
Antioch junior Charlie Smith (15:18) earned an individual berth to state with a third-place run on the 3-mile Emricson Park course, and he will be joined in Peoria by Grayslake North's Connor Riss (fourth), Vernon Hills' Jimmy McDonald (fifth), and Harvest Christian Academy's Matt Olech (10th).
The Eagles' pack was led by Jack Erwin in 13th, Owen Wenberg in 18th, and Jack Engel in 37th.
"It's pretty cool not only to make it, but to make it out of a really good sectional," said Lakes coach Travis Shepherd. "Jack and Owen just ran motivated today, they wanted it, and they went out and got it."